The poet was also well known as a witty and acerbic critic of art; his focus here are Delacroix and Ingres in particular, and the pursuit of the ideal. A new addition to the colourful 'Exphr... read more
Hockney self-isolated through 2020 at his home in Normandy, and corresponded the while with his art critic friend Gayford. Their conversations reveal Hockney's optimism and his wonderful att... read more
Definitive biography of this determinedly figurative painter whose 20th century life, through suffrage to feminism, won her a major retrospective at the Whitney, New York in 1974.
Traces Napoleon's accrual of the spoils of war: the negotiated, carefully targeted removal of Renaissance masterpieces including works by Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael, as well as the ... read more
A learned study of the history of the altarpiece in Renaissance Italy from the 13th to 17th century. Accompanied with beautiful images, DE discusses the development and narrative categories ... read more
A cultural history through seven coloured lenses. Its broad frame of reference encompasses Shakespeare, Goldfinger (first name Auric), Goethe, Roman marbles, Bronze Age gold, Mayan jade... C... read more
Numerous contributors discuss different aspects of seafaring in the spread of Islamic culture, from its origins to the present. Well illustrated and fascinating.
A gorgeous, illustrated study of the ways in which shells were circulated, depicted, collected and valued during a time of remarkable global change, by aristocrats and apothecaries, scholars... read more
"John seemed only to float in a current of pleasure as reflected in his pictures. But hedonism, always a sturdy attribute, acquires a heroic quality with age...": Ian Collins' biography of C... read more
Exquisite paintings of birds' nests - she is careful in her obsession never to disturb the inhabitants, depicting only those from which the birds have flown or have been displaced by wind an... read more