A symposium on the subject of painting today and the Inaugural John Golding Lecture Series will be held at Messums West on 27 July 2024. Leading artists, academics, curators and art historians will explore contemporary painting dialogues including concepts of abstraction and discussing the current position of abstract painting. The day will be divided into two parts, the first of which will consider concepts of abstraction and the role of abstract painting and a second session focusing on figuration, landscape and the environment. The event is in honour of the artist and art historian, John Golding, whose writing and practice represent a framework for analysing and discussing the abstract language. The Inaugural John Golding Lecture Series will conclude the day of talks and reflect on his legacy. The event is launched in conjunction with Messums ORG representation of Golding’s estate and dedicated to understanding and updating consideration of abstraction in painting. Golding’s seminal publication Paths to the Absolute (2000) continues to inform thinking on abstract art today.

The afternoon session forms part of our representational painting review series and will address the relationship between figuration, landscape and the environment in contemporary painting practice. Academics, established artists, and the next wave of young painters choosing representational painting as their language examine and share insights into current preferences and practices to understand its vitality and direction. This session will include a panel discussion to debate ideas and open up the conversation with the audience. The finale of the day will be the Inaugural John Golding Lecture Series with the curators of the current John Golding retrospective in Mexico, Dawn Ades and Brenda J. Caro Cocotle, in discussion together with the wider curatorial team from Mexico joining online for the Q&A.