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DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260507T103000
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SUMMARY:Virginia Robinson Gardens Lecture
DESCRIPTION:VICTORIA KASTNER\npresents \nBECOMING FRED ASTAIRE\nMay 7\, 2026 \n10:30 a.m. \nat \nTHE VIRGINIA ROBINSON GARDENS\n  \nThough born in Omaha\, Nebraska\, and raised in New York City\, dancer Fred Astaire spent a significant portion of his early career in the United Kingdom. From 1922 to 1932\, he and his sister Adele captivated London audiences in three wildly popular West End musicals\, sparking a sensation so intense that critics dubbed it “Astairia.” During his time in London\, Astaire immersed himself in British culture\, studying music theory at London’s Guildhall School of Music alongside Noël Coward and socializing with the aristocracy. After a decade in London\, Adele retired from the stage to marry Lord Charles Cavendish\, the second son of the Duke of Devonshire\, and moved to Lismore Castle in Ireland. The pair’s decade of dancing and performing in London had an equally profound effect on Fred. With his new dance partner\, Claire Luce\, he expanded his repertoire\, incorporating sweeping\, romantic movements as well as an English sense of style. His impeccable fashion sense\, effortless charm\, and refined elegance—so central to his legendary dance films of the 1930s through the 1950s—were deeply influenced by the customs and style he observed while mingling with British high society and even the royal family. Victoria Kastner will explore the profound impact of Astaire’s years in the UK\, revealing how his time on the London stage helped shape the dancer\, actor\, and icon the world came to adore. \nVictoria Kastner is the leading scholar and author about the architect Julia Morgan as well as about Hearst Castle\, where she worked for 30 years as historian. She is the author of Hearst Castle: The Biography of a Country House\, published by Harry N. Abrams in 2000; Hearst’s San Simeon: The Gardens and the Land\, May 2009; and Hearst Ranch: Family\, Land and Legacy. She co-authored The Beverly Hills Hotel: The First 100 years with Robert Anderson. In 2022\, Victoria published; Julia Morgan: An Intimate Biography of the trailblazing architect. Ms. Kastner has lectured extensively on Julia Morgan\, Hearst’s art collection\, and the history of collecting for many museums and groups: including at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; the Museum of Fine Arts\, Boston; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the American Museum in Britain in Bath; and the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. She has also written for The London Telegraph\, the American Institute of Architects\, Oxford University’s Journal of the History of Collections\, and The Magazine Antiques.\n \nMore Information to follow.
URL:https://victoriakastner.com/event/virginia-robinson-gardens-lecture/
LOCATION:The Virginia Robinson Gardens\, 1008 Elden Way\, Beverly Hills\, CA\, 90210\, United States
CATEGORIES:Lecture
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