Nation Gallery Anna Jameson Lecture 2026
- Region: London
- Type: Talk
- Cost: Free
‘Rachel Weeping for Her Children’: Memories of Massacre, Flight, and Refuge
Delivered by Dame Marina Warner
The Pigott Theatre, Sainsbury Wing (and online)
23 March 2026
6 – 8 pm, doors open at 5.45 pm
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).
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.
The lecture lasts for around an hour and is followed by an audience Q&A and a short drinks reception. You can join us in person or online by booking your ticket below.