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Celebrating the world of words

9th - 12th July 2026

Book Tickets
Great Art Explained – James Payne
Spend the evening with gallerist, curator, and writer James Payne during Newark Book Festival, reframing how we see art in his captivating talk, Great Art Explained.

Great Art Explained – James Payne

“Art should not be seen as a relic of the past, frozen in museums, but as a living, breathing conversation between generations” – James Payne 

Spend the evening with gallerist, curator, and writer James Payne, reframing how we see art. With a mission to democratise art and make it more accessible and entertaining, James started a YouTube channel, Great Art Explained, which now has over 60 million viewers worldwide. Drawing on his three decades in the art world, he challenges long-held assumptions about what art is, who it is for, and how we engage with it. Expect stories of Michelangelo to Basquiat, Velázquez to Kusama, delivered with clarity, wit, and passion.

Talk hosted by Dr Tim Rideout.

EVENT DATE & TIME

Ticket Prices

Festival Friends

£8.00

Adults

£10.00
Tickets purchased online for this event will be subject to a fee of £1.00 per booking (not per ticket), which is set by Palace Theatre, Newark.
Book Tickets

About the Author

James Payne’s stated mission is to democratise art, remove gatekeeping, and make complex art history accessible to all. Art, he believes, can be thrilling and can resonate to all of us on a deep personal level. He is a writer, historian, curator, TV presenter, and the creator of popular YouTube channels Great Art Explained and Great Books Explained. He has given several lectures for Google Arts and Culture, and talks in several countries, including the UK, the United States, India, South Korea, Portugal and Italy. In June he is touring China and South Korea on a book tour. In March he gave a TED talk in Philadelphia. As well as co-presenting “Beyond the Brush’ on Sky Arts, he is also the co-host of the podcast “Primo & Payne: Great Art Explained” Payne was also co-owner and Head Curator of PayneShurvell gallery (2010-14), which is now an art consultancy in London and Suffolk.

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Book Tickets

Please note: Advance tickets are available until 11 am the day before the event, unless the venue is the Palace Theatre or Tudor Hall, National Civil War Centre.

Box Office Information

All tickets are sold through Newark Palace Theatre unless otherwise stated.

View the terms and conditions of sale here.

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