The Arts Society North West Area is offering a holiday: 'Bavaria and Ludwig's Palaces' from 19th Sept 2026 for 6 days and 5 nights. The holiday will include flights from Manchester, half board 4*accommodation and a full itinerary of visits to castles, abbeys and pretty German towns. Cost £1689 pp

Booking is done via www.successtours.com or by phone 01225764205

Please see the Events Newsletter email you will have received for more detail of the holiday and how to book. 

Our first cinema club of the new season is:

MARY CASSATT: PAINTING THE MODERN WOMAN

Mary Cassatt made a career painting the lives of the women around her. Her radical images showed them as intellectual, curious and engaging, which was a major shift in the way women appeared in art.

Presenting her astonishing prints, pastels and paintings, this film introduces us to the often-overlooked Impressionist whose own career was as full of contradiction as the women she painted. Her artwork is some of the finest of the period.

She printed, sketched and painted dozens of images of mothers and children yet she never married or had children herself. She was a classically trained artist but chose to join a group of Parisian radicals – the Impressionists – a movement that transformed the language of art. She was as much a part of the group as Degas, Monet or Renoir.

The world’s most eminent Cassatt curators and scholars reveal a riveting tale of great social and cultural change; a time when women were fighting for their rights and the language of art was completely re-written. Mary Cassatt and her modern women were at the heart of it all.

Held in the upstairs cinema room at The Park Tavern, Park Lane, Macclesfield. 2pm . Refreshments included. Book your ticket at September's lecture. 

Friday 23rd and  30th Oct

RAPHAEL REVEALED

THE GREATEST EXHIBITION OF HIS WORKS EVER HELD

Marking the 500th anniversary of Raphael’s death, the greatest exhibition ever held of his works took place in Rome. Exhibition on Screen was granted exclusive access to this once-in-a-lifetime show. With over two hundred masterpieces, including paintings and drawings – over a hundred of which have been brought together for the first time – this major exhibition celebrates the life and work of Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino.

With unprecedented loans from the Louvre, Uffizi, National Gallery of Art, the Prado Museum and more, the exhibition and this film provide an unprecedented opportunity to see the breadth of Raphael’s skill, creativity and ingenuity. Award-winning director Phil Grabsky provides a fresh look at this giant of the Renaissance, and shows why he is considered one of the all-time greats. The film covers his life in Rome, and includes unique footage of the ancient Rome that was such a powerful influence, including rare footage of Nero’s Golden House that Raphael himself visited.

More than just a painter, Raphael was one of the most extraordinary artists of the Renaissance but is often misunderstood or mythologised. On the basis of this extraordinary exhibition in Rome, this film allows Raphael, for the first time, to be truly revealed.

Friday 27 Nov and 4 Dec

MY NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON

The National Gallery of London is one of the world’s greatest art galleries. It is full of masterpieces, an endless resource of history, an endless source of stories. But whose stories are told? Which art has the most impact and on whom? The power of great art lies in its ability to communicate with anyone, no matter their art historical knowledge, their background, their beliefs.

This film gives voice to those whose lives have been touched by the Gallery – from security guard to director, everyday visitor to celebrities and members of the royal family. Claudia Winkleman, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Jacqueline Wilson and HRH Princess Eugenie all let us in to their deeply personal connection with the National Gallery. Each interviewee identifies the one artwork which means the most to them, with this diverse cross section of society making surprising choices of both well-known masterpieces and hidden gems. These stories are used as a lens through which to explore the 200-year history of the National Gallery and what the future may hold for this spectacular space.

Cinema Club is held in the upstairs room of the Park Tavern, Park Lane, Macclesfield starting at 2pm.

Tickets can be booked for the upcoming film at that month’s lecture. Ticket price includes refreshments afterwards. Films are generally 90 minutes long.

Fridays 22nd and 29th January 2027

YOUNG PICASSO

Malaga, Barcelona, Paris. The path to genius.

Pablo Picasso is one of the greatest artists of all time. Many films have dealt with the later years – the art, the affairs and the wide circle of friends. But where did this all begin?

Too long overlooked, it is time to look at the early years of Picasso. What are the reasons behind Picasso’s rise to artistic greatness? Three cities played a key role: Malaga, Barcelona and Paris. Young Picasso visits each and explores their influence on Picasso, focusing on artworks from these early years. Looking carefully at two key early periods – the so-called Blue Period and Pink Period – the film takes us all the way to 1907 and the creation of a critical painting in the history of art; Les Demoiselles d’Avignon.

With privileged access to the Picasso Museums in Malaga, Barcelona and Paris this film, directed by award-winning filmmaker Phil Grabsky, explains how Pablo Ruiz Picasso became ‘Picasso’.

Cinema Club is held in the upstairs room of the Park Tavern, Park Lane, Macclesfield starting at 2pm.

Tickets can be booked for the upcoming film at that month’s lecture. Ticket price includes refreshments afterwards. Films are generally 90 minutes long.

Friday 26th February

TOKYO STORIES

A thrilling encounter with one of the world’s great art capitals.

Based on a major exhibition at the Ashmolean in Oxford, Tokyo Stories spans 400 years of incredibly dynamic art – ranging from the delicate woodblock prints of Hokusai and Hiroshige, to Pop Art posters, contemporary photography, Manga, film, and brand-new artworks that were created on the streets.

The exhibition was a smash-hit five-star success and brought a younger and more diverse audience to the museum. The film uses the exhibition as a launchpad to travel to Tokyo itself, and explore the art and artists of the city more fully.

A beautifully illustrated and richly detailed film, looking at a city which has undergone constant destruction and renewal over its 400-year history, resulting in one of the most vibrant and interesting cities on the planet…

Cinema Club is held in the upstairs room of the Park Tavern, Park Lane, Macclesfield starting at 2pm.

Tickets can be booked for the upcoming film at that month’s lecture. Ticket price includes refreshments afterwards. Films are generally 90 minutes long.

Friday 19th  March

EASTER IN ART

THE GREATEST STORY EVER PAINTED

The story of Christ’s death and resurrection has dominated western culture for the past 2000 years. It is perhaps the most significant historical event of all time, as recounted by the gospels but, equally, as depicted by the greatest artists in history. From the triumphant to the savage, the ethereal to the tactile, some of western civilization’s greatest artworks focus on this pivotal moment.

This beautifully crafted film explores the Easter story as depicted in art, from the time of the early Christians to the present day. Shot on location in Jerusalem, United States and throughout Europe, the film explores the different ways artists have depicted the Easter story through the ages and thus depicts the history of us all.

DA VINCI | REMBRANDT | CARAVAGGIO | MICHELANGELO | RUBENS | TITIAN | DALI

Cinema Club is held in the upstairs room of the Park Tavern, Park Lane, Macclesfield starting at 2pm.

Tickets can be booked for the upcoming film at that month’s lecture. Ticket price includes refreshments afterwards. Films are generally 90 minutes long.

Friday 23rd and  30th  April

THE DANISH COLLECTOR: DELACROIX TO GAUGUIN

For many years no-one was interested in the art of the Impressionists. Artists like Monet, Degas and Renoir were vilified, attacked, and left penniless as a result.

Then, something remarkable happened. A new breed of collectors emerged and, before long, they were battling to acquire any work by these new, radical artists that they could find. Amongst them was the visionary Danish businessman Wilhelm Hansen. It was an extraordinary moment in art history; full of drama, intrigue and subterfuge.

Some collectors we may recognise and some we may not, but Hansen amassed a remarkable collection housed at his summer home, Ordrupgaard, on the outskirts of Copenhagen. Exhibition on Screen tells his fascinating story and, with exclusive access to a sell-out exhibition at London’s Royal Academy, brings the extraordinary collection to the big-screen in glorious high-definition.

From Hansen’s beautiful house and gardens at Ordrupgaard to the streets of bohemian Paris, this film takes you on a journey to discover some of the best examples of 19th-century French art ever collected.

 Cinema Club is held in the upstairs room of the Park Tavern, Park Lane, Macclesfield starting at 2pm.

Tickets can be booked for the upcoming film at that month’s lecture. Ticket price includes refreshments afterwards. Films are generally 90 minutes long.