Christmas seems a long time ago and our next major celebration will be Easter in early April (3rd to 6th). However, we must not forget our participation in last year’s Lord Mayor’s Show or, as it was renamed, Lady Mayor’s Show with Dame Sue Langley as the newly elected Lady Mayor. 50 intrepid Lady Masters marched along the City’s streets to the Law Courts and then took a further different route back to the Mansion House.
Although the sun shone, we sported umbrellas with our name and logo and attracted much cheering and applause from the great many supporters lining the streets. All good fun. Virginia Bond, Maria Chanmugam and Deborah Pullen worked extremely hard to make it all happen and we are all very grateful to them.
Just recently, a talk was given by Clive Stewart-Lockhart, a renowned art adviser and appraiser of fine art, antique jewellery and collectibles. The subject was very dear to him as he spoke from the heart and with much enthusiasm about his great aunt Betty Joel. During a short career that spanned less than two decades, she worked at the forefront of the movement now known as Art Deco, acting as chief designer and figurehead for the eponymous brand she founded along with her husband David. She was one of the era’s foremost businesswomen, whose pioneering entrepreneurial spirit and keen eye for design led her to help define the look and spirit of the age, before suddenly turning her back on her career, never to re-visit it again. My thanks to Clive for an excellent insight.
I am looking forward to our annual lunch at Ironmongers Hall on 23 February – details have already been circulated – and we have a good turnout.
Members of the LMA are very welcome to join a service at St Mary le Bow on 9 March at 1.00pm to celebrate International Women’s Day and there will be a reception afterwards in the church (around 2.15pm). For catering purposes it would be helpful to know if you are likely to attend so please get in touch with Lis Goodwin.
Other future dates are the AGM which will be held on 20 April and our popular Wardens’ Evening on 18 May, both at the Guildhall. We are also planning a walk in Epping Forest for 13 May when the weather is/should be warmer and kinder and full details of all these events will be sent out in due course.
All that remains is for me to wish you a warm and sunny Spring to come and I hope to see as many of you as possible over these next few months.
With best wishes
Georgie Gough
chairman@ladymasters.org.uk
EXHIBITIONS
Rose Wylie OBE: Royal Academy 28 February to 19 April 2026
Marie Antoinette Style: Victoria and Albert Museum until March 2026
A View of One’s Own: Landscapes by British Women 1760-1860: Courtauld Institute 28 January to 20 May 2026
David Hockney: The Serpentine Gallery 12 March to 23August 2026
Andrea Mantegna: The Triumphs of Caesar at the National Gallery until 8 May 2026
Marilyn Monroe – A Portrait : National Portrait Gallery. 4 June to 6 September 2026
And don’t forget that the Bayeux Tapestry will be on view in September 2026 at the British Museum – more details to come.