Organised by Royal Academy
Join art historian and dealer Dr Bendor Grosvenor for a weekend course on connoisseurship – the art of authenticating and dating paintings.
Please note: this is an in-person event only
Connoisseurship – the ability to tell which artist painted a painting, when they painted it, and how – is a crucial skill in the art trade, one that can make or break reputations and fortunes. In this intensive weekend course, Dr Bendor Grosvenor explores the connoisseurial process with a focus on Old Master paintings. Participants are introduced to the history and evolution of connoisseurship, the latest scientific techniques as well as current best practice.
Through hands-on experience, access to great masterpieces and site visits around London, course participants learn how to assess the quality and status of a painting: is it an original, a copy, or even an outright fake? Learn how to assess a painting’s condition and the extent to which later interventions can either hide a painting’s true quality or flatter it.
Above all, the course encourages confidence, knowledge and curiosity when looking at artwork and paintings. While connoisseurship is something that takes time to perfect, the basic elements are easy and enjoyable to learn.
Dr Bendor Grosvenor is an art historian and dealer, best known for discovering a number of lost works of art by artists such as Van Dyck, Rubens and Gainsborough. He worked for ten years in the London art trade, but is now based in Scotland, where he focuses on writing and broadcasting. He presents the BBC4 series, Britain’s Lost Masterpieces, did specialist research for and appeared in BBC 1’s Fake or Fortune?, and writes regularly for publications such as the Financial Times and The Art Newspaper. He has for many years been a passionate advocate of both Old Masters and connoisseurship.
Minimum age 18. Please note this course will include some site visits, and as such some walking. If you have any questions or concerns, or would like to discuss any accessibility needs, please contact Public.Programmes@royalacademy.org.uk.