A symposium for Scandal ’63 Revisited will be held at Leicester Gallery on Friday, April 14th, ahead of the exhibition’s last day on Saturday. Tickets are free but must be reserved in advance here. (The flyer image seen above shows an outtake from Christine Keeler’s iconic photo shoot with Lewis Morley, who later recreated her most famous pose with the Leicester-born playwright and provocateur, Joe Orton.)
- 10:20 – 10:30 am: Introduction by Leicester Gallery manager Hugo Worthy and symposium co-curator Steve Chibnall.
- 10:30 – 11:15: Portraits of a Scandal: The Art of Stephen Ward – Steve Chibnall considers the paintings and sketches of Dr. Ward, society osteopath and celebrated portraitist, in relation to his “less salubrious practices of espionage and seduction.”
Cathy Lomax, If…. (2023); Fionn Wilson, Christine mesmerises (2016)
- 11:15 am – 12:15 pm: Creative Writings: Christine as Muse – opens with ‘Christine Keeler in the Court of Public Opinion‘ by writer Caroline Collett. Featuring talks and readings by four poets who also contributed to the 2019-20 exhibition, Dear Christine: Sarah Caulfield, Guinevere Clark, Mari Ellis Dunning and Gemma June Howell.
- 12:15 – 1:00: Christine Keeler and Fashion in the Early Sixties – a talk by film historian Melanie Williams. Followed by a 40-minute lunch break.
Stella Vine, Christine, burn, baby, burn (2012); Sadie Hennessy, Synecdoche (Christine Keeler Cake), 2018
- 13:40 – 14:15: Gallery visit and informal ‘Meet the Curators’ with Fionn Wilson and Steve Chibnall.
- 14:15 – 15:00: Girl Trouble: 1963 in Context – a talk by cultural historian Carol Dyhouse, who wrote about Christine and Mandy Rice-Davies in her 2013 book, Girl Trouble: Panic and Progress in the History of Young Women.
Dameon Priestly, Well, he would, wouldn’t he? (2016); Sal Jones, No Regrets (2023)
- 15:00 – 15:45: The Profumo Scandal in Popular Culture – a talk by film historian Richard Farmer.
- 15:45 – 16:15: Q&A with Christine Keeler’s son, Seymour Platt – talking about his fight to clear his mother’s name of her unjust perjury charge, and answering questions from the audience. Followed by a 15-minute coffee break.
Natalie d’Arbeloff, The Game (2018); Marguerite Horner, Paparazzi (2017)
- 16:30 – 17:10: Pauline Boty’s ‘Scandal ’63’ and the Politics of Gender – a talk about Boty’s infamous lost painting inspired by the Profumo Affair, given by Dr. Sue Tate, who curated the 2013 exhibition, Pauline Boty: Pop Artist and Woman.
- 17:10 – 17:50: I AM WHORE – A talk and Q&A session with artist Caroline Coon, examining themes including “the shaming of women in a misogynist culture.”
- 17:50 – 18:30: In Conversation: Cathy Lomax, Dameon Priestly and Marguerite Horner – Three of the key artists involved in the exhibition discuss their different approaches to painting. Hosted by Hugo Worthy.
Caroline Coon, Christine Keeler: Anger, Blame, Shame, Ruin, Grief (2019); Sadie Lee, Scandalous (2019)