Jon Sleigh

Beautiful day with friends at the National Portrait Gallery exploring connection, huge thanks to all for joining me! My lunchtime treat was the Cecil Beaton exhibition - lavish, elegant and punctuated with some very tender / human moments.

The Stuarts: The Fall, Rise and Revolution of a Dynasty, 1603-1714 This course investigates the story of the Stuarts (1603 to 1714) in the context of the political, social, religious, economic and cultural history of seventeenth century England.

Fancy spending the summer at the University of Oxford learning about the Stuarts? Look no further! My summer course is now open for applications ⬇️

The Stuarts: The Fall, Rise and Revolution of a Dynasty, 1603-1714

lifelong-learning.ox.ac.uk/courses/the-...

Beautiful day working with my friends at Sheffield Museums on exhibtion development / consultation. Head full of ideas, heart full of sharing and my belly…. full of tea and biscuits 🤓huge thanks to all who joined us today.

Had THE loveliest time working with my friends at The National Gallery tonight 🙌I was such a lucky chap to be in conversation with Verity Babbs celebrating her wonderful, funny and deeply kind new book.

Uplifting and emotional day with my friends at Culture Leicestershire filming for a piece on the exhibtion ‘Villiers Relvealed’. Could not be more proud to have been its guest curator as I reflect on two years of work, progress and friendship 🥹

Meaningful day working at the National Portrait Gallery on forthcoming exhibtions 🙌 tea, biscuits and ending the day on gallery daydreaming with one of my favorites in the collection - unknown artist c1613 Princess Elizabeth Stuart. I’m always struck by the likeness to her father king James here 👌

Very meaningful day working with colleagues at York Museums Trust. Fascinating and important conversations I was honoured to be part of. Plus a wander around the city with a coffee being an architecture detective ☕️ I felt at times like a character in a novel 🤓

Inspiring morning interviewing the magical duo of artist Jermeny Deller and curator Emily Stone to explore the recent piece ‘The Triumph of Art’ c2025 at The National Gallery. A mindful conversation covering folk art, festivals, belonging, class, landscapes and our bodies 🤓🙌

Utterly joyful day working with my friends at Sheffield Museums on an exhibition consultation, using art to express identity. Of the many masterpieces I got to use my hands down favorite is this cheeky Satyr cup, c19 century maker unknown. What a face! 👌thanks to all who joined us

Beautiful day hosting ‘Silver Sunday’ at The Wallace Collection - craft, conversation and a tour from me in the Great Gallery set to music and storytelling. I was so moved at how many came and deeply engaged with us, massive thanks! My art highlight today has to be Van Dyke’s Paris c1628 🤓

Thanks and you all too - huge fan of the institute and the beautiful work you do ❤️👏

Beautiful experience today interviewing acclaimed artist Robert Taylor reading Queerness, class and belonging in uk art collections. Revisiting ‘Permissable Beauty’ c2023 at Historic Royal Palaces was deeply moving, as was our piece in focus ‘Ebony Rose Dark’ picture here ❤️

If you literally look beyond the politics it’s a reminder of the STUNNING artwork the government has at Chequers 🙌

A short lived vogue of the Jacobean court was to have it that low it showed the areola - 1610’s 🤓

Lovely day working with my friends at the National Portrait Gallery full of wonder and sharing 🙌 the ‘magic’ time for me though is wandering the galleries at lunchtime, seeing works and spaces that feel like old chums I’m reunited with ❤️

Dreadful visually and sloppy too, may have an emotional significance though to the painter or tomb? 🤔

This looks awesome 👏 🤓’saucy saints’ is genius bab 👌

Really special morning interviewing the brilliant artist Sunil Gupta exploring the intersection of social class, ethnicity, sexuality and belonging. Our starting point was the deeply moving Untitled #02 from the ‘London 1982’ series pictured at the Government Art Collection pictured here 🙌

2/2 at the Wallace it’s 2-4 - 30 / mins on gallery storytelling with object handing/ sensory interactions (last time studying light we used kaleidoscopes on the chandeliers) then an hour arts with breaks /tea and biscuits. Moving between galley and workshop takes 20 mins roughly but we never rush 😎

1/2 aww thanks lovely 🥰 they are wonderful and such a mix of emotions - spaces to be playful, laugh and be cheeky, but also spaces to be honest, emotional, reflective at times - mostly kind I hope

Very mindful and full of kindness - the defo ion of art working for people 🤓thankyou!

Session 3/4 of my dementia friendly storytelling residency at The Wallace Collection ❤️ such a mindful afternoon of discovery around Jan Van Huysum ‘Flowers in a Vase’ c1726 pictured here, lovingly remade in clay over tea and laughter ⭐️

This looks BRILLIANT 🤓🙌🌈

Oohh beautiful thanks so much for sharing ! 🤓🙌

LGBTQ+ magic last night with my friends at The National Gallery delivering a members talk on coded messages in art 🌈 a stand out in terms of emotion with the audience was Minerva and Mercury conduct the Duke of Buckingham to the Temple of Virtue Peter Paul Rubens before 1625

My lovely dementia friendly residency at The Wallace Collection continues - today an exploration of Rembrandt, light and emotion. Then playful use of pastels and blending. Such a nice vibe! Thanks to our lovely group for joining us in the storytelling and making ⭐️

A delightful morning interviewing Dame Kelly Holmes exploring being a sitter for the National Portrait Gallery 💖 together we spoke of becoming national art history, LQBTQ+ togetherness, a shared history of grown up working class, representation and uplifting others.

Villiers Revealed Digital Exhibition Virtual Tour

Find out more about artist Aaran Sian: www.instagram.com/aarancyan/?h...

If you are not able to visit in person, you can view every phase of the exhibition, including the previous iteration co-curated by @jonsleigh.bsky.social, in this interactive digital exhibition:
villiers.digital-exhibition.uk

Two places of worship visited this weekend - both sensational x

Heartwarming day at The Wallace Collection delivering our relaxed dementia friendly opening of the exhibition ‘Delusions of Gradure’ by Grayson Perry - delighted by how many joined us and the emotion we found in the storytelling 🥰 having the gallery to ourselves a huge luxury 🙌