Caravaggio, Rubens, Bernini, Poussin, Rembrandt, and Velazquez: The art history of early 17th-century Europe resounds with forceful individual visions, while in the Islamic world this was the era of the monumental Taj Mahal and Shah Abbas’s Isfahan. By contrast, the later part of the century saw India and Iran turning away from such grand projects, as Europe entered a phase of cultural conformity, dominated by Louis XIV’s Versailles.

In a lecture illustrated by masterpieces of the century, Julian Bell explores these cultural shifts and the factors behind them. He also considers how accelerating global trade and scientific developments affected 17th-century art.

Bell is a painter and independent scholar. He is the author of Mirror of the World: A New History of Art (Thames & Hudson), which is available for signing after the program.

One Ticket per Member; Two Tickets for Family Memberships.

CODE: 1F0-141