The Dramatic Art of the London Underground
Lecture on Monday 3rd November 2025 at 2:15PM
Lecturer: Mike Grundy
Venue: Larruperz Centre
An exemplar of ground-breaking poster art and graphic design in the first half of the 20th century, London Underground went on to launch a programme of installing permanent, large-scale artworks across its stations.
Leading and aspiring artists have been asked for over 50 years now to create works on themes associated with the location of stations, and with the history of the area each serves. This lecture takes the audience on a guided tour of station art, travelling under the West End from Waterloo to Mornington Crescent, followed by a review of "the best of the rest".
This selection amply demonstrates how the artworks of the Underground are providing passengers with a stimulating, pictorial guide to the history of London, its people and culture, its achievements and its tragedies.
Mike is a highly experienced speaker, having given lectures, presentations and training courses throughout his business career and latterly working as an academic lecturer. This latter role entailed the development and provision of study days and 7 to 10-week courses for the WEA as well as providing 1 to 2-hour lectures to the U3A and other community organisations throughout the south-east of England.
Mike’s educational record includes a First-Class Honours Degree in Mathematics from University College London in 1968 and an MBA from Henley Management College in 1998.
Throughout a career in the IT industry he was engaged in major projects and systems consultancy, working in the UK, the Continent and the USA. From 1998 to 2006 he acted as the prime public speaker for his company at major business events and conferences. Appointed in 1998 to serve in the IT Industry trade body “Intellect”, he led and promoted its campaign into Government for improving the delivery record of major public sector IT programmes.
In 2006 Mike left his IT career to pursue a life-long interest in art and architecture. He gained a diploma in the History of Art and Architecture from Birkbeck College London and was appointed as a tutor for these subjects by the WEA. In this role he maintained an intensive programme of research, course development and teaching. His subject knowledge ranges across European art and architecture, with specialist expertise in the art of European Metro systems and the art of war.