Open Studio & Talk: The Citizen Artist

Topolski Studio, the historic artist studio in the arches beside Hungerford Bridge, brings together sociologist Professor Jo Littler and artist and architect Louis Pohl Koseda for an evening of conversation, exploring the legacy of the artist Feliks Topolski RA.

The open studio evening centres on Topolski’s monumental Cavalcade of the Commonwealth, commissioned for the Festival of Britain in 1951, alongside his influential 1954 essay The Citizen Artist, originally presented at the House of Commons.

In The Citizen Artist, Toplski argues that art should be integrated into everyday structures, and that artists should be treated like other publicly necessary professions, with ongoing responsibilities such as designing public spaces, documenting national life,
and working alongside architects. Interestingly, the Festival of Britain itself presented a vision of national renewal and creative possibility, but also revealed tensions between artistic ambition and political reality.

The evening also includes a viewing of mural sections and archival material, introduced by the current custodian of this unique artistic space, Lucien Topolski.

Tickets are free and can be booked online.