Visit: Tuesday 28 February 2012
Meeting Place: The Medical Society of London, 11 Chandos Street, London, W1

10.30am
Plague, Piety and Palace
Dr. Helena Hammond, Senior Lecturer, University of Roehampton

12noon
Van Dyck in Sicily: An Introduction
Dr. Xavier Bray, Arturo and Holly Melosi Chief Curator, Dulwich Picture Gallery

1pm
Lunch

2.45pm
Visit to the exhibition, “Van Dyck in Sicily: Painting and the Plague 1624-25” at Dulwich Picture Gallery

In the spring of 1624 Anthony Van Dyck moved from Genoa to Palermo in Sicily to paint his first significant commission, an event which coincided with a devastating outbreak of plague killing most of the city’s population. This fascinating exhibition is the first to explore Van Dyck’s output during the year and a half that he was confined to the island, seeking refuge in his sketchbooks and through commissions for religious orders. His portrait of Emanuele Philiberto of Savoy, Viceroy of Sicily became a landmark in the young painter’s career and will be shown together with sixteen works executed during this period.