The History of the Ashmolean in 10 objects
The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is arguably the world’s oldest public Museum, opening its doors in Oxford in 1683. Today the Museum houses collections that span millennia from Ancient Egypt to contemporary China and include such treasures as the Alfred Jewel (discovered in North Petherton in Somerset) Uccello’s Hunt in the Forest and Stradivarius’s famous Messiah violin. In this talk the Museum’s Director tells the eventful story of the Ashmolean through ten objects in its collection and traces its history from its pioneering beginnings to the great public museum that it is today.
Xa Sturgis has been Director of the Ashmolean Museum since 2014. He has worked in Museums his whole career first at the National Gallery, London from 1991 where he held various posts including Education Officer and Exhibitions and Programmes Curator and then from 2005 as Director of the Holburne Museum in Bath where he oversaw the Museum’s renovation and transformation completed in 2011. He has curated a number of exhibitions throughout his career including Rebels and Martyrs: The artist in the nineteenth century at the National Gallery; Presence: The Art of Portrait Sculpture at the Holburne and Jeff Koons: at the Ashmolean and has published books and catalogues on a wide variety of subjects including portraiture and the relationship of art to time.
There will be live music in the foyer from 7.00pm, the talk will start at 7.30pm.
A light post talk supper is available for an additional £10, please add this to your basket when choosing your ticket. If you have any dietary requirements please let us know on boxoffice@cedarshallwells.co.uk. Please note sales for supper tickets end a week before the event.
If you are unable to come in person, you can watch the talk via our livestream link - simply choose the livestream option when buying your ticket.
The concept of the CHATS series is inspired by the arrival of Antony Gormley’s DOUBT 2020 and part of the Gormley Project educational outreach offering free tickets to students.
The CHAT series is kindly supported by the Blair Foundation and Terence Mordaunt and In collaboration with Project Factory