Summer in February

This true tale of love, liberty, and scandal among the Edwardian artists’ colony in Cornwall has been made into a stunning film starring Dominic Cooper (Mama Mia) and Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey)

Sir Alfred Munnings, retiring President of the Royal Academy, chooses the 1949 Annual Banquet to launch a savage attack on Modern Art. The effect of his diatribe is doubly shocking, leaving not only his distinguished audience gasping but also many people tuning in to the BBC’s live radio broadcast. But as he approaches the end of his assault, the speech suddenly dissolves into incoherence when he stumbles over a name—a name he normally takes such pains to avoid—that takes him back 40 years to a special time and a special place. Summer in February is a disturbing and moving re-creation of a celebrated Edwardian artistic community enjoying the last days of a golden age soon to be shattered by war. It is a resonant, understated love story of beauty, deprivation, and tragedy.