Spotlight Tours – Early Spring 2025
17 February - 10 April 2025Spotlight Tours include tea and cake in the Terrace Cafe, followed by a tailored tour of the Living Area.
Refreshments served from 10.30am, with tour starting at 11.00am
Total cost, including the tour and refreshments, is £6
Numbers are limited and booking essential
Early Spring 2025 Spotlight Tours
Encore! New for Spring 2025. Thirteen of our most popular tours return for those who missed them.
Each tour highlights one aspect of the iconic Living Area collection, from artist, to region, or medium. Come along to learn of the stories behind our objects and discover unexpected connections between works!
Spotlight Tours include a hot drink and cake in The Terrace, followed by a tailored tour of the Living Area. Please arrive from 10.30am to enjoy refreshments before the tour begins at 11.00am. Tickets cost £6 and pre-booking is essential.
Body pARTs
Tuesday 11th March
Heads, shoulders, knees, and toes…
Many of the objects in the Sainsbury Collection are representations of the human body in a wide variety of styles and from numerous different civilisations. We will look from top to toe at some of these, including a man without a torso, one with missing fingers and some challenging physiques!
With volunteer guide Polly Gould.
Artworks from the Andes
Thursday 13th March
Gold, silver, and ceramics in Ecuador and Peru.
‘Chorrera’ ceramics from Ecuador and ‘Moche’ metalwork from Peru and the short-lived ‘Inca’ cultures have resulted in beautiful, precious, and highly skilful works of art. This tour explores the best of these works from the Sainsbury Collection in the context of ritual, sacrifice and the impact of European raiders.
With volunteer guides Amanda Braden and Georgie Livingstone.
Watch the Birdie
Thursday 20th March
Birds across all ages and cultures.
Birds, either as objects or as ornamentation, dating from ancient Egypt to modern works by Elisabeth Frink form part of our collection. See some of them in a tour which is expected to include the Raven Rattle from the North-West Pacific coast, Egyptian ibis amulets and a Fisherman’s Hunting Hat from the Aleutian Islands.
With volunteer guides Chiara Borelli and Dave Johnson.
Bucket Man and Others
Friday 28th March
Exploring the work of artist John Davies.
Bucket Man steps towards us, ghostly, partially dressed and a bit threatening! What’s happening here? Why is he carrying empty buckets? Who are the strange ‘others’ hidden behind screens beside him? Join me to investigate the intriguing, enigmatic work of artist John Davies and his relationship to the Sainsbury Collection.
With volunteer guide Bo Davis.
Is a Fragment a Work of Art?
Thursday 10th April
Beautiful but damaged, incomplete or decayed.
Many works in the Sainsbury Collection are no longer the same as their makers originally intended, so look different. Does this add to or diminish their meaning and beauty? Starting with the Khmer Female Torso we will explore our responses to a variety of works that have altered over time.
With volunteer guide Linda Chapman.