Frederic Leighton’s masterpiece, Flaming June, has become one of the icons of nineteenth-century painting. This lecture returns the work to its original context in Leighton’s studio and home, and to the hothouse atmosphere of London’s Aesthetic Movement with its creed of “Art for Art’s Sake.” Leighton was one of the artists who inspired the critic Walter Pater to write, “All art constantly aspires towards the condition of music.” This lecture, including musical examples, will explore the confluence of sound, painting, and the decorative arts in Leighton’s London studio-house, and will propose a new interpretation of Flaming June in that context.
Flaming June will be on view in OKCMOA’s galleries this summer! Plan your visit to our special exhibition, The Sense of Beauty: Six Centuries of Painting from Museo de Arte de Ponce, opening June 20. The exhibition has been organized by the Museo de Arte de Ponce in collaboration with the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.
Save the date! | PUBLIC LECTURE TICKETS AVAILABLE APRIL 20
James C. Meade Lecture Series tickets are $15 for the public and $5 for OKCMOA Individual, Dual, and Fellow members. Reserve your tickets online or by calling 405.278.8207 to guarantee your seat.
EXCLUSIVE BENEFITS FOR FRIEND AND SUSTAINER MEMBERS
OKCMOA members at the Friend and Sustainer levels are invited to join us at 5 pm for a private reception prior to the lecture and can register for the Annual Friends’ Dinner immediately following the lecture. For questions about the private reception or Annual Friends’ Dinner, please contact rsvp@okcmoa.com or 405.278.8207.
Learn more about member levels and benefits at okcmoa.com/membership.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Tim Barringer specializes in the art of Britain and the British Empire, notably the Pre-Raphaelites, and American Painting. He has curated exhibitions including American Sublime (Tate Britain, 2002), Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Avant-Garde (Tate Britain, 2012), Thomas Cole’s Journey (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2018)  , Victorian Radicals (US tour 2020-3), and Frederic Church: Global Artist (2025). His books include Reading the Pre-Raphaelites (Yale, 1998), Men at Work: Art and Labour in Victorian Britain (Yale, 2005), and David Hockney (Royal Academy, 2016). He is completing a book titled Broken Pastoral: Art and Music in Britain. Other co-edited collections of essays include Frederic Leighton: Antiquity, Renaissance, Modernity , and Victorian Jamaica.
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Frederic, Lord Leighton (England, 1830-1896), Flaming June (detail), 1895, oil on canvas, 46 7/8 x 46 7/8 in. (119.1 x 119.1 cm), Museo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation, Inc.
