Professor Christine Casey will take part in the Paul Mellon Centre’s Book Night on Wednesday 26 November 2025 (5:30–8:00 pm, London).
The annual event celebrates the Centre’s most recent publications, bringing together authors to discuss their research and answer questions about their work. Professor Casey will speak online about her new book, Architecture and Artifice: The Crafted Surface in Eighteenth-Century Building Practice, published by the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art (New Haven and London, 2025).
The book has already received high praise:
Charles Saumarez Smith notes that it “...brilliantly explore[s] the role of the craftsmen who worked under the architects, how they were instructed, how much autonomy they were allowed in the details of construction, and how much the quality of early eighteenth-century buildings lies not in the overall design, but their surface quality.”
Country Life (1 October 2025) highlights that “There can be no buildings without materials and no materials without those who procure, transport and fashion them,” emphasising the central role of craftsmen in the built environment.
The review continues: “The equal attention she pays to the two countries is invaluable in showing how differences in local materials and practices gave slightly different characters to their linked architectures,” and praises Casey’s efforts: “Professor Casey has done sterling work ... to bring the background figures... into the limelight alongside the architects.”
Other speakers include Richard Ormond, Lynda Nead, Elizabeth Goldring and Sam Smiles. The evening will conclude with a drinks reception at the Paul Mellon Centre in Bedford Square, London.
Date: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Time: 5:30–8:00 pm
Venue: Paul Mellon Centre, London (Christine Casey participating online)
Book tickets: paulmelloncentre.ac.uk/events