Lecture: Four Centuries of Works on Paper with Dr. Ben Thomas

Join Dr. Ben Thomas, Head of History of Art & Architecture at Trinity College Dublin, for a journey through four centuries of European works on paper.

Presented alongside the current exhibition Rembrandt to Matisse – A Celebration of European Works on Paper, this talk explores outstanding drawings, prints and watercolours from the fifteenth century to the present day. From Rembrandt's ground-breaking innovations in etching and the central role of drawing in academic practice to the emergence of Modernism and Matisse's radical simplification of form, Dr. Thomas will trace the artistic developments that shaped generations of European artists. 

The talk will last approximately 60mins with time for audience questions afterwards.   

Dr Ben Thomas is an Associate Professor in the History of Renaissance Art at Trinity College Dublin. His research focuses on the art of the Italian Renaissance, while also encompassing seventeenth-century prints, nineteenth-century sculpture, and modern and contemporary art. In 2017, he co-curated Raphael: The Drawings at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, an award-winning exhibition described by the Financial Times as "a game-changing presentation of graphic art." His research also explores the historiography of art, with a particular focus on Edgar Wind, Aby Warburg, and the iconographical tradition.

Alongside his academic research, Dr Thomas has curated exhibitions with leading contemporary artists, including Art & Language, Stephen Chambers RA, Paul Coldwell, Humphrey Ocean RA, Ana Maria Pacheco, and Richard Rome.

He is currently completing two books: Multiple Histories: Episodes in the History of Printmaking and The Descent of Memory: Darwin, Westwood, Butler and Warburg.