Antiques Roadshow's Marc shares his treasures on new free digital show

Antiques Roadshow regular and expert Marc Allum is the next guest on new free digital platform The Arts Society Connected.

From Greece to South America, and the Cotswolds, at a time when we are not able to travel, Marc brings history to life and takes us on a virtual Grand Tour on Tuesday June 2.

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This is an opportunity to join Marc in his home as he shows off his cabinet of curiosities, exploring some of the fascinating objects that he has collected over the years, writes Sue Wilkinson.

Given the harsh realities of lockdown Marc is lucky enough to live in a lovely old house full of interesting things.

It’s filled with a collection which may seem a rather randomly curated gallimaufry of material, but there are some important art historical themes and unbelievable finds, of which Marc has picked a few favourites .

These include a Wedgwood vase, a picture by Hans Feibusch which, to Marc, symbolises the age-old struggle of expression against the suppression of human rights and political expression.

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Additionally, Marc will reveal a particularly interesting find from his very own garden, a replica of the 1st century Samian ware bowl.

“I gave up apologising for collecting a long time ago. I just can’t help myself,” said Marc.

“That interest now provides the fuel for my life. I’m very lucky to make a living out of my hobby.”

The Arts Society is among the UK’s leading arts education charities that is free to Art Society’s 90,000 members as well as the general public.

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“The platform continues to help people stay connected, educated, entertained and informed, especially those hit worst by the current crisis - those aged 60 and above - through the power of the arts,” said Florian Schweizer, chief executive of the Arts Society.

The Arts Society is working with its directory of accredited lecturers to create exclusive video lectures for the new platform.

Lectures will be uploaded every other Tuesday at 11am.

Members will be encouraged to take part in a community moment, when anyone planning on watching the talk can make a cup of tea at home and join the community forums online for a chat before and after the lecture.The lecturer will also be available to answer questions in the community forums following their lecture.

The next lectures are:

Tuesday June 16: Nicola Moorby Specialism: British art of the 19th and early 20th centuriesAn independent art historian specialising in British art of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. She studied at the University of York and Birkbeck College, London. Formerly a curator at Tate Britain she has curated a number of exhibitions and has published widely on JMW Turner, including contributions to the forthcoming online catalogue of the Turner Bequest. She is also co-editor and author of How to Paint Like Turner. She has also published on Walter Richard Sickert and is co-author of Tate’s catalogue of works by the Camden Town Group.

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Tuesday June 30: Dr Jacqueline CockburnSpecialism: Spanish art and architectureDr Jacqueline Cockburn is an art historian and linguist. She is managing director of Art and Culture Andalucía running residential courses in Southern Spain in the art and culture of the region. She was head of art history at Westminster School and lectured undergraduates at Birkbeck College, University of London for 20 years, as well as teaching MA and PhD courses.

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