What a wonderful way to get into the festive spirit, pairing jolly Christmas carol The Twelve Days Of Christmas with classic art. The Turner House welcomes back Morgan Haigh, a historian at the Courtauld Institute Of Art, this December for a lecture that will pique art lovers’ interest while tempting them with mulled wine and mince pie.

With his illuminating talk, Haigh will use such examples as Matisse’s Music and Vermeer’s The Milkmaid with the cumulative song to expose secrets and relationships. Buzz asked Haigh why he’s tying in paintings to the popular ditty.

“My approach to the lecture stems from the fact that Christmas, as we know and celebrate it today, hardly appears in art (with the exception of religious paintings of the nativity). Yet the words to The Twelve Days Of Christmas are literally a list of strong visual images. So, the idea is to see if I can find examples of those images in the history of art and then use the lecture as an opportunity to explore those works, their stories, and their creators.”

Turner House Gallery, Penarth, Thurs 9 Dec. Tickets: £8/£5 (sold out – check with venue for returns). Info: here

words RHONDA LEE REALI