The Art and Life of Gluck (1895 – 1978)

In this lecture Art historian Catherine Wallace, discusses the complex personality and various art works of  Hannah Gluckstein known as Gluck 1895–1978. Gluck was born in to a wealthy family but rejected very early on in her youth the expectations her family had of a young heiress. She rebelled by going to Art School and then discovered Lamorna in Cornwall in 1918 meeting artists such as Alfred Munnings and Laura Knight  who encouraged her to paint. She would return to live and work there for many years. 

As well as insisting that she would just be known as Gluck – she deliberately dressed like a man and had numerous love affairs with both married and single women throughout her life. She became an artist of the Jazz Age and her work ranged from backstage scenes as well as stars of the theatre such as Ernest Thesiger, to crowd scenes at the races, boxing matches or outside courts in murder trials. She became an artist of great technical skill and precision best shown for her flower paintings enhanced by her lover Constance Spry’s floral creations.  Gluck was also a  highly respected portrait painter producing crisply delineated portrayals from Society hostesses to High Court judges.

Although a conventional painter, her invention of a frame, known as the Gluck frame was a pioneering idea which moved art into the interior design business. She spent a good deal of her time in later life taking on the paint companies trying to get them to standardize artists colours.

One of a series of 6 monthly lectures by Catherine Wallace. Check out the talks tab on our website for information on the other lectures.

Buy a full-price ticket to all 6 lectures by Catherine Wallace (not including Art of War: Artists of the Second World War) and receive a £1.40 discount on each ticket. The tickets must be bought in the same transaction for this discount to be applied. 

Flower, Frames and Freedom - The Art and Life of Gluck (1895 – 1978)

Thursday 29th January 6.00pm - 7:00pm

Cost: £13/£10

A £1 Poly Fund payment is added to each ticket sold. A 50p booking fee is also applied per ticket for online and telephone transactions.