A very welcome return to Leighton House by author James Cahill who will be in conversation with Gemma Rolls-Bentley, author of Queer Art, on the subject of his new novel, The Violet Hour.

 

A story of longing, desire and betrayal set in the glittering world of contemporary art, The Violet Hour has been hailed “An enthrallingly intricate novel” (The Guardian), and “A biting satire of the art world’s glamour, pomp and greed . . . lucid and evocative” (The Daily Telegraph). Cahill will discuss the novel’s themes – specifically those of beauty and ‘art for art’s sake’ – as they relate to the late nineteenth-century context of Leighton House and its collections. The works of Oscar Wilde, the emergence of a modern homosexual identity, and the twin phenomena of Aestheticism and Decadence are all key influences on The Violet Hour, belying its modern-day setting.

 

Useful Information

Doors open at 6:30pm for the chance to explore the historic house and our current exhibition.

The talk with  James Cahill and Gemma Rolls-Bentley will take place in Leighton's studio from 7-8:30pm.

The authors will be signing books  from 8:30-9pm.

Doors close at 9pm.

A paid bar will be open throughout the evening.

Concession tickets are available for students, unwaged and RBCK residents.

Meet the speakers

Dr James Cahill is an author, critic and art historian. His debut novel, Tiepolo Blue was shortlisted in 2023 for the Author’s Club Best First Novel Award, and was selected in autumn 2024 for the Queen’s Reading Room, the book club of H.M. Queen Camilla.  He contributes to publications including Artforum, the Brooklyn Rail, The Burlington Magazine,  Los Angeles Review of Books, London Review of Books, The Spectator, The Times Literary Supplement and The Daily Telegraph. Based between London and Los Angeles, he is currently writing a book on David Hockney’s 1967 painting, Beverly Hills Housewife.

 

Gemma Rolls-Bentley has been at the forefront of contemporary art for almost two decades, working passionately to champion diversity in the field. Her debut book Queer Art; From Canvas to Club and the Spaces Between was published in Spring 2024 by Frances Lincoln and has been highlighted as a must-read by Them, Dazed, Timeout, The Guardian, Cultured and the FT. Her curatorial practice amplifies the work of female and queer artists and provides a platform for art that explores LGBTQIA+ identity. Gemma has curated for a range of international galleries and institutions and has taught at numerous institutions including the Royal College of Art, the Glasgow School of Art, and Goldsmiths.