Anna Jameson Lecture 2026
'Rachel Weeping for Her Children’: Memories of Massacre, Flight and Refuge
Free
Please book a free ticket to attend this talk as spaces are limited. Please arrive in good time to access the building and make your way to the Pigott Theatre from the Sainsbury Wing Entrance.
About
The 2026 Annual Anna Jameson Lecture will explore the Massacre of the Innocents, the Flight into Egypt, and the representation of mothers in the search for safety. It will be 50 years since Marina Warner published her study of the Madonna (‘Alone of All Her Sex: The Myth and the Cult of the Virgin Mary’, 1976) and she will revisit the representation of the mater dolorosa drawing on Anna Jameson’s work, paintings in the National Gallery, and contemporary women artists (Paula Rego, Kiki Smith, Marcelle Hanselaar).
The lecture lasts for around an hour and are followed by an audience Q&A and a short drinks reception. You can join us in person or online.
Speaker
Marina Warner is a writer of cultural history, fiction and criticism. Her award-winning books explore myths, symbols and fairy tales. She has curated exhibitions, including ‘The Shelter of Stories’ at Compton Verney (23 October, 2025 – 22 February 2026), a show that explores many of the themes in her most recent publication, Sanctuary: Ways of Telling, Ways of Dwelling (2025). She is Professor of English and Creative Writing at Birkbeck College, a Distinguished Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, and a Fellow of the British Academy.
To learn more about Marina Warner, please visit her website: https://www.marinawarner.com/
Livestream
This lecture will be in the Pigott Theatre.
The lecture will also be livestreamed. If you would prefer to watch the livestream online, please book tickets here.
Supported by The Diane Apostolos-Cappadona Trust
The annual Anna Jameson Lecture, inaugurated in 2021, is supported by The Diane Apostolos-Cappadona Trust.