Please join us for a late night opening at Darnley Fine Art, coinciding with their selling exhibition on Women Artists and a special display of portraits of Shakespeare’s patrons. Enjoy refreshments as you discover the history of women in art from Mary Beale to Henrietta Rae, and learn about the importance of patronage for Elizabethan playwrights.

There will also be two 15 minute highlight talks.

6.30pm - A talk celebrating the women in this exhibition who were fortunate enough to subvert societal expectations of marriage, childbirth and housekeeping to continue producing artworks. This talk will focus in particular on the works of Mary Beale, Adriana Verelst, and Henrietta Rae.

7.15pm - A talk discussing the ‘sister arts’ of fine art and literature in relation to cultural patronage and production in Elizabethan England. Learn about the men who provided Shakespeare with crucial financial support, whose portraits will be on display.