Gavin Plumley on the Turbulent Birth of Expressionism
This month's talk hosted by The Arts Society SW London
Left: Munch’s The Scream. Right: Max Halberstadt’s portrait of Sigmund Freud
October 2, 2026
The Arts Society SW London is preparing to welcome writer and broadcaster Gavin Plumley to Putney for an evening devoted to the turbulent birth of Expressionism. The lecture, titled The Echoing Scream: The Birth of Expressionism, will take place on Monday 12 October at the Community Church on Werter Road, running from 8pm to 9pm, with doors opening at 7.30pm.
Plumley, known for his work on Central European culture and modernism, will guide the audience through the artistic and intellectual forces that shaped one of the most emotionally charged movements of the early twentieth century. His talk promises to weave together the work of painters such as Kandinsky, Klee and Schiele with the ideas of Nietzsche, Freud and Schoenberg, showing how artists and thinkers across Europe grappled with anxiety, upheaval and the search for new forms of expression.
The event is free to attend, with donations from non-members welcomed at the door. Organiser Gill Grunwald says the society is looking forward to an evening that brings complex ideas to life in an accessible way, offering Putney residents a chance to explore the roots of a movement that continues to shape how we understand art, emotion and the modern world.
The Arts Society SW London is part of the wider national Arts Society network, a charitable organisation dedicated to enriching lives through the arts. The SW London branch has built a reputation for welcoming, high-quality cultural events that bring together people with a shared interest in art, history, music and design.
If you have never attended an Arts Society lecture before you are urged to join and find out about your local Arts Society.
Visit the society’s website for further details.
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