Leeds Art Fund

The Kitsons were an important Leeds industrial family whose works had built the locomotive Lion for Robert Stephenson. Dr Boswell's talk will focus on the third generation of the family - Robert, Sydney and Ina Kitson.

Robert became an artist, designed his own villa in Taormina, and was one of Frank Brangwyn's major patrons. The family were also key members of Leeds Art Collections Fund and Leeds Fine Arts Club, and were significant contributors to Leeds Art Gallery and Temple Newsam. Sydney and his partner were the architects responsible for some of the best Arts and Crafts houses in Leeds. He went on to publish what is still the definative life of John Sell Cotman.

As well as his extensive research into the Kitson family, Dr Boswell has written about John Sell Cotman, Leeds College of Art, Sir Frank Brangwyn and Leeds architects from the 18th to the 20th century.