Festival of Art History 2026

About this event

The Art History Festival 2026 celebrates the full spectrum of art history in all its richness, across the histories of art, architecture and design. At the Bank of England Museum, visitors can access a limited series of bespoke events for the festival across the second week of October. 

Attendees to the talks on Tuesday 6 and Wednesday 7 can also enjoy a private tour of the Bank of England’s interiors, an exclusive experience guided by our Museum specialists. Once you have registered for the talk, you will receive a follow-up email with information about the tour. If you have any questions in the meantime, you can direct enquiries to museum.events@bankofengland.co.uk.  

Please note that this tour is reserved for registered talk attendees and is not available as a standalone booking, nor for walk-ins. Attendees for the talk on Thursday 8 will not receive a tour. 

Essential information: 

• The events are free to attend, but booking is required. 
• The talks will take place in the Museum's Learning Space, which is located at the back of the Museum adjacent to the Rotunda. A staff member at the Information Desk can advise on how to get there from the entrance.
• The talks will begin at 1pm on each day. Please ensure you arrive promptly to the Museum's Learning Space for this time. Please note, there is airport-style security at the Museum's entrance.
• We cannot guarantee admittance if you are late for the talk, even if you have booked a ticket.
• Seating is unallocated, unless stated otherwise. We encourage arriving to the Learning Space at 12.45pm to get a good seat.
• For access enquiries, visit our Museum's accessibility page.
• Attendees for talks on the 6 and 7 October will receive information about the tours in a separate email after booking. These will last 30 minutes and take place directly after the talk.

About the talks

When: Tuesday 6 October, 1pm to 2pm (followed by a 30 minute tour)

Boris Anrep’s extraordinary mosaics for the Bank of England are a vibrant and deeply symbolic work of art and craftsmanship across the ground floor of the Bank. The mosaics took a decade to complete and stretch around the main corridors that joined banking halls – once a busy public space, but now little-seen except by staff and visitors to the Bank.

Linked to the Building the Bank exhibition, join Jennifer Adam, Curator at the Bank of England Museum, for a rare opportunity to see the mosaics in person, with a talk and Q&A about the works.

When: Wednesday 7 October, 1pm to 2pm (followed by a 30 minute tour)

The sculptural decoration of the Bank of England is more than ornament. It is a visual language shaped by the myths of the classical world. Across façades, entrances, and architectural details, gods and allegorical figures were employed to communicate ideas about commerce, navigation, trust, wisdom, and national prosperity. Based on Dr Monica Walker’s ‘Museum Nerd Time’ series, this lecture examines the classical sources behind these works and considers why mythology remained such a powerful tool for expressing institutional identity in nineteenth and twentieth-century Britain.

Join Dr Monica A. Walker FRHistS, Engagement Manager at the Bank of England Museum, for an exploration of the myths, symbolism and stories hidden within one of Britain's most iconic institutions.

When: Thursday 8 October, 1pm to 2pm

Christopher Wren (1632–1723) regularly appears in polls of top ten famous Brits, celebrated as the architect of St Paul's Cathedral, and featured on the £50 Series D banknote, issued 1981. But this is only part of his story.

Born in the years immediately preceding the English Civil Wars, Wren was a child prodigy who became Oxford Savilian Professor of Astronomy at just 25. He was fluent in Latin and Greek by the age of 14. Long before he turned to architecture, he worked at the forefront of mathematics, physiology, invention and what came to be known as ‘science’. Often referred to as ‘The English Leonardo’, Wren is justifiably described as a great polymath of the 17th century. His re-design of the City of London in 1666 was created before the fire was out. The Bank of England was founded during his lifetime, in 1694.

In this talk, Rory Coonan, founder of the Sir Christopher Wren Foundation and a fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, explores how Wren's turbulent childhood shaped a lifelong appetite for risk-taking.