La Folie Douce is coming to The Century for an unforgettable après-ski party—minus the skiing! Straight from the slopes of Courchevel, Méribel, and Chamonix, they’re bringing one of their iconic shows to Soho. Expect high-energy performances with live music, singers, dancers, and musicians handpicked by the talented Vanessa Mandito, artistic director of La Folie Douce.
Join us for an evening of pure Alpine revelry—think DJs, vibrant performances, and all the après-ski magic, right here at The Century. Members are invited for an extraordinary night of entertainment. Don’t miss out!
This event is open to members and up to 4 guests.
Uncle Vibes is a London born and raised DJ, radio host, music supervisor and lover of all things rooted in the groove, as a DJ he plays regularly at Ronnie Scott's, Spiritland and other esteemed London places and spaces.
His sets encompass anything from Lovers Rock to Rare Groove, Middle Eastern to Dancehall, Blue Eyed Soul to 90' R&B and everything in between.
This event is open to members and up to 4 guests.
“A warehouse of homicide…” With these words Orson Welles introduced his radio show “Tales from the Black Museum”. The Crime Museum, (aka the Black Museum) is a training collection located in New Scotland Yard, which is closed to the public. It contains objects connected to crimes dating back to the nineteenth century. The collection includes death masks, poisons, evidence from the crimes of Dr Crippen, the Krays, Neville Heath, Thomas Cream and John Christie. In the early twentieth century special guest visitors included Arthur Conan Doyle, Harry Houdini and one visitor who would later feature in the museum’s collection…
The museum details the methodology of how crimes are committed and investigated, including developments in forensics and technology, from the first conviction for murder using a fingerprint in 1905 to a recreation of a crime scene in miniature.
In this talk Clare Smith will talk about the founding and purpose of the museum, look at a selection of the infamous cases that are part of the collection and consider how the museum has appeared in popular culture. This talk will also look at the challenges of interpreting and caring for a collection that can include everything from weapons to a violin.
CLARE SMITH
Dr Clare Smith is the Curator of the Metropolitan Police Museum. Clare has over twenty years of museum experience. Her PhD examined the cinematic depiction of Jack the Ripper and the Whitechapel murders. Clare has published on masculinity and gender in cinema and depictions of victims and detectives on screen.
Anyone who frequented Soho in the 1990s and early 2000s will remember the dapper figure of Sebastian Horsley: elegant, handsome, invariably dressed in a Victorian frock coat, with his natural height enhanced by his trademark stovepipe hat. With his open advocacy of drugs and prostitutes he fused the images of Mayfair dandy and Soho roué. If any artist’s life could be said to be their work it was Sebastian’s. In 2000 he had himself crucified in the Philippines as part of a performance piece. His death in 2010 was as spectacular as his life, succumbing to a drug overdose a few days after the opening night of a play about him.
A selection of his paintings and installations, along with his renowned skulls artwork featured on the cover of his autobiography ‘Dandy in the Underworld’, will be exhibited in the Century Club Lounge. Selected pieces will be available for purchase, marking the return of the dandy’s spirit to Soho in this special showcase.
Please use the link below to view the exhibition catalogue. Non-members may see the show by appointment. Please email the curator at suzette@centuryclub.co.uk
ATTRIBUTED: Francis Bacon show opening in the Club Lounge in October 2024
In 1978, at a party in Rome, the artist Francis Bacon met Cristiano Ravarino, leading to a friendship and occasional romantic relationship that lasted until Bacon's death in 1992. During this period Ravarino claims Bacon gave him various drawings, pastels, and sketches, both out of generosity and to circumvent his controlling gallery. The Ravarino Collection, which includes small pencil sketches and large mixed-media collages, revisits Bacon's classic themes such as Popes, crucifixions, and distorted faces. While the collection has been exhibited globally, it remains controversial, with debates about the authenticity of the works. The collection has been declared genuine in a Bologna court case and has been supported by Italian art critics and the British art historian Edward Lucie-Smith, but it has never been authenticated by the Bacon estate or the author of the official Bacon catalogue.
We are proud to present this provocative collection at Century, inviting you to explore and draw your own conclusions about these compelling works attributed to Francis Bacon.
This show will open on the 17th October 2024. To register interest in attending the private view please email the curators here.
Jana Nicole's show opens in the Dining Room on the 1st May 2024
Jana Nicole, a US-born artist based in the UK, stands out for her vibrant mixed-media collages, blending papercutting and relief sculpture with pop art.
Her latest collection, Botanical Troupe, earned her the prestigious Prix Puvis de Chavannes from France's Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, marking her as the first non-French recipient. This collection combines photos and drawings with natural elements, delving into the unseen world of mosses, mushrooms, fungi, and the intricate mycelial networks linking nature.
Her earlier projects include Portraits of the Self, featuring interviews and personalized portraits of icons like Norman Cook and Joe Strummer, and Cirques Des Enfants and Animal Attraction, which highlight the magic of the circus and exotic, anthropomorphic figures, respectively.
Our membership is drawn largely from the arts, media and creative industries, but we welcome individuals from all walks of life. Century membership not only includes access to our club in London’s theatreland, but also opens doors to our roster of over 30 sister clubs around the world.
