'Ciphers to a Great Accompt’: Two Decades of Theology & the Arts at King’s - Professor Ben Quash

24th June 2026 - 5pm, Safra Lecture Theatre

In this Valedictory Lecture, Ben Quash will reflect on two decades of groundbreaking work at the intersection of Christian Theology and the Arts at KCL. He will argue that at the heart of this enterprise is a shared revitalization of what the Chorus in Shakespeare’s Henry V calls our 'imaginary forces’, to which art and sacred tradition can contribute in profound ways, in service of new articulations of where blessing lies. The lecture and reception will be an opportunity to celebrate (and celebrate with) some of the exceptional scholars who have pioneered that work at King's, the visionary partners who have collaborated in supporting it, and the students who have been its lifeblood.

The event will be followed by a drinks reception in the Somerset Room.

Ben Quash came to King’s College London as its first Professor of Christianity and the Arts in 2007.

Prior to that, he was a Fellow of Fitzwilliam College and then of Peterhouse, Cambridge. He is Director of the Centre for Arts & the Sacred at King’s (ASK), as well as general editor of The Visual Commentary on Scripture (TheVCS.org), a pioneering open-access collaboration between theologians, art historians, and biblical scholars from all around the world. He runs an MA in Theology, Bible, and the Arts in association with the National Gallery, London, broadcasts frequently on BBC radio, and has made three series of films introducing key biblical figures through works in major art collections in London and Berlin. He is a Trustee of Art + Christianity, and Canon Theologian of both Coventry and Bradford Cathedrals. 

His publications include Abiding: The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book 2013 (Bloomsbury, 2012) and Found Theology: History, Imagination and the Holy Spirit (T&T Clark, 2014). His recent book Theology, Modernity and the Visual Arts (co-edited with Chloë Reddaway) came out in July 2024. In October 2026 he will take up the position of Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge University. 

Banner image credits: Duccio di Buoninsegna, The Healing of the Man Born Blind, 1307/8–11. Egg tempera on wood (probably poplar), 45.1 × 46.7 cm. National Gallery NG1140.