IWM In Conversation: Christmas at War & Painting 1940s London

Get behind the scenes at IWM as two curators discuss their new books and share their experience of diving into the collections.

From the Christmas Truce of 1914 to the wartime paintings of a city under attack, the evening will offer fascinating historical detail and a unique insight into the research process.

The event will last 90 minutes, including a Q&A with the audience.

--

Wartime Christmas

Anthony Richards is the Head of Documents and Sound at IWM.

His latest book Wartime Christmas examines how this annual tradition was celebrated during periods of devastating global conflict. It tells the stories of those who experienced the festive period during wartime, drawing upon IWM’s rich archives of personal testimony. Highlights from the book include accounts of the famous Christmas Truce of 1914; tales from prisoners of war putting on their own cabaret shows, and recollections of rationing on the home front and the challenges of scraping together a festive meal or braving the shops during black out.

Wartime London in Paintings

Suzanne Bardgett is IWM’s Head of Research.

Wartime London in Paintings is her celebration of both a collection of paintings and a city she has known for many decades. Through immersing herself in the correspondence of the War Artists Advisory Committee, the author shows how 42 artists responded to the visual drama of London under attack, while themselves enduring the privations and uncertainty of war. Some were well known – including Edward Ardizzone, Henry Moore, Duncan Grant and Evelyn Dunbar. Others did not become household names, but supported themselves through their art, whether as painters, teachers, muralists or through commercial work. Nearly all the works are owned by IWM and many are being published for the first time.