First published a quarter-century ago in German, Dietrich Seckel’s essay remains a vital contribution to a much-debated feature of Buddhist art, its aniconism, its aversion to depicting spiritual entities of the very highest order. More
Greg Tricker is a stone carver and painter. His profound and simple style of painting is deeply rooted in a mystical tradition of art. Qualities of myth, an innocence of spirit akin to the folk art tradition and a powerfully theatrical element feature in his work. This inspiring collection of over 50 of his paintings and stone carvings portrays the suffering, joy and innocence of St Bernadette, a poor shepherdess who had miraculous visitations from the Virgin Mary at Lourdes in 1858. More
Almost 200 years ago, William Hunter (1718–1783), founder of the Hunterian Museum, Glasgow, was one of a small number of British art collectors to acquire works by his contemporary Jean-Siméon Chardin. Among these, Woman taking Tea (1735) has become something of an iconic image of French art from this period. It has a pair in a near contemporary painting Madame Boucher (1743) by François Boucher in the Frick Collection, New York. Accompanying an exhibition at the Wallace Collection, this catalogue will seek to examine relationships between these two works and their creation... More
AVAILABLE SPRING 2010. This radical re-examination of one of the crucial periods of modern British and Irish art demolishes the idea that control of the art world passed after the War from rich individuals to faceless state institutions. More
This latest publication from The Twentieth Century Society covers many aspects of the architecture and designs of the 1930s, from the influence of sculpture and photography, through the work of iconic architechts like Lubetkin, to the impact of new housing models on their inhabitants. More
The ancient kingdoms of the Cameroon Grassfields are famous for their splendid artworks – thrones ornamented with precious European beads, wooden figures sculptured by unknown masters, enormous drums, finely carved jewellery made from ivory and brass, as well as fabulous masks. This exhibition catalogue presents 150 impressive masterpieces from the courts of the Grassfield kingdoms. More
AVAILABLE MARCH 2010. This book examines the collecting practice and patronage of Camillo Massimo (1620–1677) in the context of the society that produced him, and demonstrates how his importance lies not simply in his own activities as a patron and collector, but in his role as an active force promoting particular artists and enterprises in Rome and in his legacy and impact on the following century. More
Together with important First Nations material, the Thomson Canadian Collection is the largest of all private holdings of Canadian art. There are rare and incomparable examples of Northwest Coast Aboriginal art. Krieghoff’s inspired accounts of life in the Canadas, prior to Confederation, bring the light and atmosphere of history fully into the present. A staggering power to capture the fleeting and the fugitive in paint still distinguishes the work of the early 20th-century painter Morrice... More
Seldom has there been a gift of equal magnificence. In 1947 the 7th Duke of Wellington presented to the nation his London residence – Apsley House – together with a large part of its contents, the collection of the 1st Duke. Among the paintings are some of the finest canvases from the Spanish Royal Collection, captured by the 1st Duke of Wellington from Joseph Bonaparte in 1813. There are also important seventeenth-century Dutch paintings bought by the 1st Duke himself, as well as a series of French and British portraits of his illustrious contemporaries and depictions of battle scenes, which provide a visual record of the Napoleonic period. More
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 2010. Paul Cézanne’s famous series of paintings of peasants playing cards has long been considered among his most important and powerful works. The image of seated peasants, still and seeming silent, concentrating on their game of cards, can be seen as the human counterpart to the landscapes of Cézanne’s home countryside, notably Montagne Sainte-Victoire, which held such iconic significance for him. More