Events and conferences

LORD Ashcroft’s Victoria Cross collection – the largest in the world – is to go on public display following his £5m donation to the Imperial War Museum. The news comes as the museum has also received a donation from the Art Fund to purchase an important watercolur by Keith Vaughan (1912-1977) at auction.

THIS year’s Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors conference will be a two-day event running on Thursday and Friday, October 16 and 17, in south west London.

Swiss auctioneers Koller, who are celebrating 50 years of auctioneering with Jubiliee sales this September, are holding a two-day exhibition of highlights this week on July 9 and 10.

APPRENTICE Andy Cunningham will be among those displaying their skills at the Open Weekend being held at the Edward Barnsley Workshop near Petersfield from June 21-22.

Hedge funds operating in the art market are shifting their investments from the medium to the short term. That is the view of Randall Willette, managing director of Fine Art Wealth Management Ltd, who was a keynote speaker at the 2008 Art Investment Conference at the London Business School.

THIS week sees a three-day celebration of the art of the lathe organised by the Worshipful Company of Turners.

This year's annual Royal College Art graduate summer exhibition, entitled Show RCA, includes the work of over 400 contemporary art and design students, most of which will be for sale or available for commission.

At their annual conference in Warwickshire on May 16 the National Association of Valuers and Auctioneeers (NAVA) announced the launch of a new foundation degree in valuation and auctioneering which has just been validated by the University of Wolverhampton.

Stockspring Antiques will host a loan exhibition entitled The Early James Giles and his Contemporary London Decorators from June 5 to 17 at 114 Kensington Church Street, London.

Treasures of the English Church, an exhibition of more than 300 pieces of sacred silver and gold goes on show at the Goldsmiths' Hall in London from May 30 until July 12.

THE London Business School hosts the Second 2nd annual Art Investment Conference, The Science & Passion of Art Investing on Friday May 30.

Dreweatts have secured a preview for their forthcoming Urban Art sale at Selfridges.

Partridge Fine Art are to roll out a summer programme of exhibitions and other events at their Bond Street gallery, playing host to major names in the art and antiques trade in the process.

Around 260 people attended a champagne reception on Thursday, May 8 to mark the official opening of Sworders new saleroom in the presence of HRH Princess Michael of Kent.

The Harris Museum & Art Gallery in Preston, Lancashire will unveil a new Ceramics and Glass Gallery on May 14.

It’s hard to believe there are still undiscovered works by the most renowned artists hanging unnoticed in dusty corners of private houses. But that is what a Christie’s valuation team discovered last year.

AS part of this year’s 550th anniversary of hallmarking in Scotland, the National Museum of Scotland are hosting The Scottish Seminar from April 11-13.

Summers Place Auctions of Billingshurst, West Sussex, are to host The Glory Of The Garden in aid of St Catherine's Hospice, a Crawley-based charity, on May 16.

Anthony d’Offay’s decision to sell his art collection to the nation for a fraction of its value has sparked a new programme of acquiring and exhibiting works by contemporary artists for the nation.

THE International Association of Bookkeepers is running a touring programme of afternoon seminars to help with compliance on anti-money-laundering.