The Arts Society Wellington

The Decorative and Fine Arts Society of Wellington Incorporated (WeDFAS) was the third Society to be established in New Zealand and had its first lecture in August 2006. In 2018 we changed our name to The Arts Society Wellington, in line with the re-branding of our parent body in the UK. We offer the opportunity to hear eight top quality, diverse and interesting lectures each year covering a wide range of decorative and fine arts subjects. Recently our members have enjoyed hearing about architecture, glass, painting, fashion, porcelain, artists, sculpture, art history, design, craft, archaeology, literature and ceramics. Our lecturers primarily come from the UK where they have undergone a stringent selection process to qualify as lecturers for The Arts Society (based in the UK). The Arts Society lecturers have a reputation as excellent speakers who deliver well-researched and illustrated talks.

Our membership currently stands at 235. At a Special General Meeting on 30 July 2018 the Society adopted its new operating name and updated its Rules. The Rules were further amended at the 2021 AGM to cover electronic meetings. They were again updated at the 2024 AGM to be compliant with the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 and to maintain our status as an incorporated society. The current Rules, now known as the Constitution, can be read here.

Each year the Society aims to make a donation to one or more local charities and causes, particularly those with a youth focus.

Programme Details

The Arts Society Wellington hosts eight one-hour lectures per year. They take place on a Monday evening with a 6pm start, at the National Library Auditorium Taiwhanga Kauhau, Aitken Street, Thorndon, unless otherwise advised. We round off the evening with a glass of wine and sandwiches, providing members with an opportunity to meet the lecturer and each other.

our 2026 programme

In 2026 we will offer seven accredited The Arts Society lecturers from the UK, and one Australia-based lecturer. Six lectures will be given in person and two will come via live broadcast from the UK.  There will also be opportunities in April and June to watch an additional 8 lectures at home on Zoom by tuning in to the lectures broadcast direct from the UK to the other Societies around the country.

We hope that things will run smoothly but will be ready to adapt our programme arrangements if necessary.

Membership

The Arts Society Wellington has a full membership and a waiting list. The waiting list operates in date order. Membership is not transferable. To express an interest to join, please download the TASW Membership Application Form 2026 and send it to the Membership Secretary at 19 Glenbervie Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington 6011 or to wellington@theartssociety.org

Annual membership is $160 for new members ($320.00 for two persons living at the same address) or $155 for existing members who renew their subscription in 2026.

Renewing members please make payment by direct credit to our bank account: Decorative and Fine Arts Society of WGTN
Account  number: 06 0507 0112474 00 – please use your name and “2026 Subs” as reference. 
Please email any changes to your contact details – wellington@theartssociety.org

The membership subscription covers the cost of venue and equipment, travel and accommodation and fees for lecturers and refreshments after the lectures. As an incorporated society and registered charity, we are a non-profit organisation and support the arts within our community.

Because seating in our lecture theatre is limited, members are required to advise our Membership Secretary in advance if they wish to bring a guest. We regret that guests are restricted to attending just two lectures a year. There is a charge of $30.00 per guest. Members of other NZ Societies or international members of The Arts Society are welcome to attend our lectures at a charge of $15.00 on prior notification to our Membership Secretary.

Wellington – 2026 Lecturer Biographies and Topics

Susannah Fullerton

Wellington Date : Monday 2 March 2026 – 6.00pm

Susannah Fullerton, OAM FRSN, is Sydney’s best-known lecturer on classic novels. She lectures regularly at the State Library of NSW, at conferences, schools and libraries. She is a registered speaker for ArtsNational (previously the Australian Decorative and Fine Arts Society). She gives talks on famous writers and their novels, poems and plays at a great variety of places around NSW, Australia and overseas. Susannah has been President of the Jane Austen Society of Australia for almost 30 years. She is also Patron of the Kipling Society of Australia, a founding member of the NSW Dickens Society and of the Australian Brontë Association. She is a Lady Patroness of the International Heyer Society.
Susannah loves to share her passion for great works of literature. In addition to being the author of several books on literary figures and topics, she has published articles and reviews, organised literary events and conferences, is a tour leader and literary awards judge, and is often interviewed on TV and radio about literary concerns.

JANE AUSTEN: HER LIFE AND WORKS

The six most polished, controlled and elegant social comedies to be found in English Literature were written by a woman whose personal life was unexciting and confined. Jane Austen’s cool judgment, ironic detachment and her genius gave her novels depth and charm and made them some of the most popular novels ever! Susannah Fullerton, President of the Jane Austen Society of Australia and author of several books about Jane Austen, shares her passion for Austen’s novels and her interest in her life and times. Illustrations bring the Regency world to life and readings will remind audiences just how funny Jane Austen can be.

James Butterwick

Wellington Date : Monday 13 April 2026 – Broadcast live from the UK – 6.00pm

James Butterwick began collecting and selling Ukrainian and Russian Art in 1985 and has established himself as one of the world’s leading dealers and experts in the field. From 1994, he lived in Moscow, becoming the only foreign member of the Russian Society of Private Collectors, forming collections, contributing to museum exhibitions and reading lectures on the history of Russian Art. In 2013, he visited Kyiv, the first of over fifty visits to Ukraine before the start of the war.
A fluent Russian speaker, James lectures on Soviet Avant Garde painters, including the Ukrainian, Oleksandr Bohomazov (1880-1930) as well as on the issues of authenticity that surround the Ukrainian and Russian Avant Garde. He has spoken at the Tretyakov Gallery and the Museum of Russian Impressionism in Moscow, New York and Cambridge Universities, the Kyiv Centre of International Relations and, in January 2021, at the seminal ‘Original or Fake’ conference, at the Ludwig Museum, Cologne.
A regular on radio and television, James had his own slot of Radio Matryoshka in London and featured in the BBC programme ‘Fake or Fortune’ in 2014. Also played a major role in, ‘The Zaks Affair, Anatomy of a Fake Collection’, on BBC4 in March 2024 which exposed a collection of Russian work as being fake

OLEKSANDR BOHOMAZOV 1880-1930: THE LOST FUTURIST OF UKRAINE

Having never left the Russian nor Soviet empires in his lifetime, this Kyiv-based artist can only have heard about the new tendencies in Western Art through magazines or publications. Nonetheless, Bohomazov managed to create masterpieces no less exceptional or ground-breaking than those of his European contemporaries. A difficult, at times tragic life, shaped by a passionate love story on a background of major historical upheaval – Oleksander Bohomazov was an artist of revolutionary ideas and unique style. James Butterwick examines the legacy of the genius who many consider the national artist of the Ukraine and how his work is finally moving into the light.

Note: With his online speaking circuit, James will be delivering a second topic to the NZ Societies so there is an opportunity to view this from home. Details and links will be sent in advance.

Rosalind Whyte

Wellington Date : Monday 18 May 2026 – 6.00pm 

Rosalind Whyte holds a BA and MA from Goldsmith’s College, and an MA (distinction) from Birkbeck College. She is an experienced guide at Tate Britain, Tate Modern, the Royal Academy and Greenwich. Rosalind lectures at Tate, to independent art societies and on cruises.

THE HISTORY OF THE FOURTH PLINTH

Situated at the heart of London, Trafalgar Square’s four corners have plinths that were originally intended to house statues of royalty and military heroes. Three of them do, but the Fourth lay empty for many years until eventually it was decided to use it for what has been described as ‘the smallest but most prominent sculpture park in the world’. The inaugural work, ‘Ecce Homo’, a poignant life-sized figure of Christ in white marble by Mark Wallinger, fittingly presided over the arrival of the new millennium and since then many artists have had their work displayed there. From horses to hotels, bottles to cockerels, we follow the course of the Fourth Plinth Commission, gaining insight into the work of an array of contemporary artists along the way.

Charles Harris

Wellington Date : Monday 15 June 2026 – Broadcast live from the UK – 6.00pm

Charles Harris has had a life-long career in advertising around the world, most of it as a Creative Director in global agencies (J Walter Thompson, Bates, FCB, Publicis, Leo Burnett). Responsible for the quality of the creative ideas and finished production of advertising campaigns, his work for many of the world’s great brands including British Airways, QANTAS, Sony, Nestle, Kraft, BP, Gillette, and more has earned him global awards in New York, Hollywood, Singapore and Sydney. His experience as a creative advertising man gives his poster presentations a unique behind-the-scenes insight as to what works, what doesn’t, and why.

ALFONS MUCHA AND THE CREATIVE PROCESS

Alfons Mucha quite literally wrote the book on Art Nouveau. Everything that is best about the style – elaborate ornamentation with themes from nature, fine draftsmanship, the idealized feminine subjects, use of symbolism and allegory – flourished through him at the highest level. The Master of the Decorative Panel and one of the Masters of the Poster in the Belle Epoque, Mucha learned much from working with Sarah Bernhardt, and went on to create jewellery, design costumes, theatre sets, furniture and much more.

Note: With his online speaking circuit, Charles will be delivering eight unique talks to all the NZ Societies so there is an opportunity to view additional topics from home. Details and links will be sent in advance.

Mark Cottle

Wellington Date : Monday 20 July 2026 – 6.00pm

Mark Cottle was born on the Isles of Scilly and educated at Truro School, Cornwall and Birmingham University where he graduated with an MA in late medieval society and culture.  His career has been spent in teaching, training and lecturing at home and abroad. He has been with The Arts Society since 2007 and has lectured widely in England, Wales and Scotland.  He has also lectured in the Isle of Man, Berlin (Arts Society) and in 2023 for a month in Australia for ADFAS.

THE CULT OF GLORIANA: ART, PERSONALITY AND MUSIC AT THE COURT OF THE VIRGIN QUEEN

Elizabeth I was the most remarkable woman of a remarkable age. Her reign was one of the great creative periods of English history – literature, music, art, architecture and overseas exploration all reached unprecedented heights. With reference to architecture and gardens, this lecture will focus chiefly on the portraits, miniatures, personalities and music of Elizabeth’s court. The aim is to recreate something of the energy, spirit, and confidence of this Golden Age.

Charlie Hall

Wellington Date : Monday 24 August 2026 – 6.00pm

A passionate arts educator, lecturer, and guide, Charlie Hall is based in London and Italy. Director of the highly regarded John Hall Venice Course, (est. 1965) Tour lecturer and leader for Kirker Holidays since 2013, and of independent tours in Italy. Designer and host of a series of art talks and events for the Soho House group of private member’s clubs. Designed and led courses for Christie’s Education and The Serpentine Gallery ‘Collector’s Circle’. Arts Society lecturer specializing in all things Italy.

THE VENICE BIENNALE: A MANY-HEADED BEAST THAT EMERGED FROM THE (SUPPOSED) CIVILISING, ENLIGHTENED SPIRIT OF THE NAPOLEONIC REVOLUTION

The first edition of the Venice Biennale was in 1895, thirty years after London’s ‘Great Exhibition’, and at a time when tourism and cultural events were springing up around Europe. Attracting a crowd of 224,000 visitors, and only pausing during the two world wars, it has become a hugely significant art show, and has inspired hundreds of other biennales, from Liverpool, Rio and Shanghai, over forty countries send representatives to their national ‘pavilions’. It has had a huge impact on the Contemporary Art world, being the main event for any self-respecting art collector, connoisseur or critic. This talk discusses the inception and concept of the Biennale, and its subsequent growth over the 125 years.

Ashley Gray

Wellington Date : Monday 5 October 2026 – 6.00pm

Ashley Gray is Director of fashion and textile gallery Gray M.C.A and a recognised textile expert specialising in Modern Artist Textiles, their design and history. As a leading authority on the subject, he has published many articles and essays and is regularly invited to lecture and sit on committees of the leading International Art Fairs. As a curator, he has worked on an extensive array of exhibitions including Material Textile: Modern British Female Designers and Material Textile: Creativity, History & Process at Messums Gallery, Common Thread at New Art Centre and From Bauhaus to our House at Cromwell Place, London. He also curates the highly acclaimed Styled by Design exhibition that celebrates the innovation of modernist textile design. Ashley explores the textile innovators of the early to mid-20th century and the fusion between the applied, decorative and fine arts. From Cryséde to Cresta, Ascher to Edinburgh Weavers, Sanderson and David Whitehead. The evolution of textile design was a critical catalyst in the democratising of Modern Art. Sutherland, Hepworth, Moore, Picasso, Leger and many Modernist masters were commissioned for visionary artist textiles that brought Modernism into the home and onto the street in a blaze of colour that revitalised the post war world

THE POST WAR TEXTILE VISIONARIES OF MODERN ART: ZIKA AND LIDA ASCHER, MODERN ART IN FASHION

Post war, the world of fashion, interiors and modern art fused with dynamic results. Czech emigrees Zika and Lida Ascher left Prague in 1939. Their modernist aesthetic took London fashion by storm, commissioning leading modern artists from Moore to Topolski, from Derain to Matisse. Ascher through fashion brought modern art into the heart of fashion and joyous colours onto the street. This lecture considers the role fashion and textiles played in democratising modern art through the eyes two innovative textile visionaries. An amazing story of courage, tenacity and success.

Amanda Herries

Wellington Date : Monday 16 November 2026 – 6.00pm

Amanda Herries read Archaeology & Anthropology at Cambridge University. From 1978-1988 she was Curator at Museum of London specialising in the decorative arts 1714 to present day, exhibitions, lectures, booklets, broadcasts. In 1988-1995 she  moved with family to Japan, lecturing and writing on Oriental / Western cross-cultural and artistic influences. In 1995 she returned to UK, fundraising for arts companies, writing, lecturing and guiding tours to Japan and of gardens and general history in Scotland. Amanda has curated an exhibition on Japanese plants and gardens in London and Edinburgh as part of Japan/British celebrations in 2001 and is currently preparing an exhibition for 2026 on the Scottish Colourist S.J. Peploe. Amanda has contributed to many publications on Japanese plant and garden influences in the West.

OPIUM: SEDUCTION, GREED, ART

The source of the stuff of dreams, the poppy is a beautiful, fragile flower with immense power. Opium (from the Greek ‘opion’ – poppy juice) is a hypnotic bringer of sleep, delightful lethargy and relief from pain. It is also highly addictive. Greed led to the introduction of this hugely desirable substance first to China, and then to Europe. The beguiling seduction of its effects led to its use to quieten troubled minds and calm agitated children and babies. Its use – often by those with troubled minds – led to the creation of great works of art in music, art and literature. Social and art history meet as this lecture unfolds.