26/05/2026
What makes art modern?
On Thursday 4 June, join us for a fascinating afternoon exploring Roger Fry: artist, critic, curator, Bloomsbury thinker and one of the great sparks behind modern British art.
At 2pm, writer and journalist Fiona McKenzie Johnston will discuss her new book, Roger Fry: Bloomsbury and the Invention of Modern Art, in conversation with Catherine Milner.
Fry helped bring the radical colour, form and feeling of Post-Impressionism to Britain, introducing audiences to artists including Cézanne, Van Gogh and Gauguin. His ideas shook up the art world, challenged old certainties, and opened the door to a new way of seeing.
The talk accompanies the current Roger Fry exhibition at The Museum of Somerset in Taunton, the first major show in more than 25 years to explore Fry as a painter, with vibrant portraits, landscapes and interiors revealing the artist behind the ideas.
Make an afternoon of it with lunch in The Restaurant before the talk, or stay on for dinner afterwards as we celebrate our new seasonal menu and evening dining, Wednesday to Saturday.
Expect Bloomsbury brilliance, modernist energy, stories of artistic rebellion, and a fresh look at the man who helped change the course of British art.
Thursday 4 June, 2pm
Tickets £5
Talk lasts approximately one hour
Book your talk ticket and restaurant table via the link in bio.
https://www.thesherborne.uk/whats-on/fiona-mckenzie-johnston-roger-fry-bloomsbury-and-the-invention-of-modern-art
Image credits: Portrait of Nina Hamnett, 1917, The Courtauld. Oil on canvas. Photo © The Courtauld. Portrait of Roger Fry by A.C. Cooper.
