Curator’s Talk: Richard Calvocoressi in Conversation with Nicholas Serota
2025
Sold Out | 13 November 2025
Curator’s Talk: Richard Calvocoressi in Conversation with Nicholas Serota
Overview
Join us for a special event to hear exhibition curator Richard Calvocoressi discuss the artwork of Howard Hodgkin with Nicholas Serota. Together they will reflect on the life, work, and enduring legacy of Hodgkin, one of Britain’s greatest artists of the last half century and more. The discussion will be chaired by Pitzhanger’s new director, Rebecca Lyons.
This is Calvocoressi’s first public talk on curating Howard Hodgkin: In a Public Garden, an exhibition exploring Hodgkin’s fascination with light, colour, and nature. Serota, the Chair of Arts Council England and formerly Director of Tate, curated three exhibitions of Hodgkin’s work including a major retrospective at Tate Britain in 2006.
The conversation will discuss the different artworks and suites of work featured in the exhibition, as well as Hodgkin’s creative journey, his deep connections with Impressionism and post-Impressionism, his passion for India, and other influences that have shaped his art. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear two renowned curators share their perspectives on a much-loved, internationally celebrated artist.
Gallery Access on Curator’s Talk Evening
Please note that on the day of the curator’s talk, the Gallery will close at 6pm for the event. From 5pm, there may be some set-up activity in the space, though it will remain open and accessible for ticket holders.
If you do not have a ticket for the talk, we recommend planning your visit a little earlier in the day to enjoy the full exhibition.
Date and Time
Thursday 13 November 2025 6.30–7.30pm
Venue
Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery Ealing Green, London W5 5EQ
Richard Calvocoressi is a scholar and art historian. He has served as a curator at the Tate, London, director of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, and director of the Henry Moore Foundation. He joined Gagosian in 2015. Calvocoressi’s Georg Baselitz was published by Thames and Hudson in May 2021. In 2002, he curated an exhibition of Howard Hodgkin’s large paintings at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art to mark the artist’s 70th birthday and was later responsible for the acquisition of the oil painting Memories 1997-99 for the national collection.
About Nicholas Serota
Nicholas Serota is Chair of Arts Council England, a post he took up in February 2017. Previously he spent almost 30 years as Director of Tate. During his directorship, Tate opened Tate St Ives (1993) and Tate Modern (2000, expanded in 2016), redefining the Millbank building as Tate Britain (2000). Tate also broadened its field of interest and created the Plus Tate network of 35 institutions across the UK.
Previously Director of the Whitechapel Art Gallery and of the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, Serota curated exhibitions at Tate Modern on Cy Twombly and Gerhard Richter, and co-curated Henri Matisse: the Cut Outs in 2014.
Nicholas Serota has been a member of the Visual Arts Advisory Committee of the British Council, a Trustee of the Architecture Foundation and a commissioner on the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment. He was a member of the Olympic Delivery Authority which was responsible for building the Olympic Park in East London for 2012. Nicholas Serota was knighted in 1999 and appointed a Companion of Honour in 2013.
Join us for Thursday Lates at Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery in Ealing, West London—a perfect evening to discover art, architecture, and history in an inspiring, after-hours setting.
Please note that although our Manor House remains open as normal, we are hosting our Wedding Open Day across the Manor space on 25th October 2025. Artworks in the Manor will be available as normal.
Please note that the Eating Room in Pitzhanger Manor will be closed at 2–2.45pm on Sunday 7 December for a private event. Artworks in the affected space will be temporarily off view, but General Admission continues as usual. All rooms will be open before and after this time during our regular opening hours.
Please note that Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery will close at 4pm on 11 December for a private event. Bella Pūglia Café will close at 4:30pm as usual, and the Pitzhanger Shop will remain open to the public until 5pm.
Please note that the Eating Room in Pitzhanger Manor will be closed at 1–3pm on Saturday 24 January for a private event. Artworks in the affected space will be temporarily off view, but General Admission continues as usual. All rooms will be open before and after this time during our regular opening hours.
Please note that there will be some slight disturbance to the Eating Room in Pitzhanger Manor and Pitzhanger Galleryat 3–5pm on Thursday 11 December for a private event. The rooms will remain open to the public, and General Admission continues as usual.
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