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About this site

This website contains audio recordings and transcripts of a series of eight public talks exploring the relationship between art and the First World War through a variety of approaches to this subject.

The talks are part of the First World Centenary 2014-2018 and were presented to a live audience from October 2014 to May 2015 in the Henry Moore Lecture Theatre at Leeds Art Gallery, West Yorkshire, UK. The series was co-hosted by Leeds Art Gallery and Legacies of War and the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies at the University of Leeds.

With the exception of the introductory lecture which sets the scene, all presentations have a connection to Leeds or Yorkshire, either by way of biography or through an engagement with local sites, collections and institutions.

Speakers included historians, art historians and a practising contemporary artist.

About us

Nigel Walsh is Curator of Contemporary Art at Leeds Art Gallery, part of Leeds Museums & Galleries. He came to work here in 1986 to be the Gallery’s first dedicated exhibitions officer. From Senior Assistant Keeper (Exhibitions) he then became Curator of Exhibitions, involved in devising, organising and implementing the Gallery’s temporary exhibition programme. In 2007 he moved to his current role, with responsibility for the Gallery’s permanent art collection, thought to be “probably the best collection of 20th century British Art outside London.” The role involves managing, interpreting and presenting the City’s public collection and developing it, often involving working directly with artists to create new work for the Gallery. He was born and grew up in Bradford and lives in Ilkley where he also serves on the Board of Management for the Ilkley Literature Festival.

Lucy Moore is Projects Curator: First World War for Leeds Museums & Galleries. Born in South Lincolnshire, she is newly adopted to Leeds. Lucy holds a degree in Modern History from Oxford University and an MA in Medieval Studies from the University of Leeds. She began her journey at Leeds as a volunteer and has been in role since 2013. Prior to this she worked for the National Trust and the Ashmolean Museum.

Annika Christensen and Hannah Smith were students on the MA Critical and Cultural Theory at the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies. They initially scoped the field and contacted potential speakers for the series.

Emily Hills and Lewis Pollard were students on the MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies in the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies at the University of Leeds. They developed the website, transcribed the talks and provided the links.

Dr Claudia Sternberg is senior lecturer in the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies at the University of Leeds and strand leader for Culture and the Arts at Legacies of War, the University’s World War One Centenary project.

How to use this site

Each of the eight talks is about 40-50 minutes in length. They can be listened to or read in transcript individually. Files can be downloaded for offline use or printed out.

Taken as a whole, the series offers a multi-part opportunity to

• learn about different artistic, personal and critical responses to a time of conflict and crises, the years of the First World War and its aftermath and legacies
• and/or to explore different approaches taken by the speakers to studying and analysing history, art and literature.

For this more comprehensive use, each talk is accompanied by a short article and some questions for reflection.

If you would like to play only excerpts from the recordings, for example in teaching, you find directional subheadings and time codes in the PDF transcript.

How to cite this website

Entire site:

Art and the First World War: Global to Local. Leeds Art Gallery and Legacies of War at the University of Leeds. October 2014-May 2015. Web. (today’s date). https://ww1art.wordpress.com

Individual talk:

Speaker’s last name, first name. ‘Title of talk.’ Leeds Art Gallery, date of talk. Art and the First World War: Global to Local. Web. (today’s date). https://ww1art.wordpress.com/

Example:

Cork, Richard. ‘Going to Hell: British Artists and the First World War.’ Leeds Art Gallery, 7 October 2014. Art and the First World War: Global to Local. Web. (2 May 2015). https://ww1art.wordpress.com/

Will there be further talks?

This art-related series has been concluded, but both Leeds Art Gallery and Legacies at War at the University of Leeds welcome suggestions for further talks or activities. Please see the ‘Contact us’ section on how to get in touch.