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Writer and former director of the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum Sir Roy Strong talks about the second volume of his diaries that cover his life after he left the employment of the art world.

Strong embarked on a second career after leaving the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1987. In the period since, he has written on art, history and gardening, and published a first set of diaries marked by critical assessments of many figures in the arts and politics. He and his late wife designed one of the largest post-war formal gardens, Laskett Gardens, and he hosted a six-part reality TV series, The Diets That Time Forgot.

‘This volume of Strong’s diaries is chiefly notable as an unflinchingly honest appraisal of the change and decay its author sees all around him. We knew Strong had a lacerating wit and an elegant pen; here we see the depth of his humanity as he stares into the abyss of mortality.’ Richard Morrison, The Times

Strong became director of the National Portrait Gallery at 32 and doubled attendance by introducing regular new exhibitions. At 38, he became the youngest ever director of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

This event is part of a festival series on leadership sponsored by HSBC.