‘Funny, clever and unexpectedly profound – I couldn’t put it down’ Helena Attlee

‘It is remarkable how much information she can convey about Kitty’s life . . . solely using wall labels’ Independent

Prized, collected, critiqued. One Woman Show revolves around the life of Kitty Whitaker as she is defined by her potential for display and moved from collection to collection through multiple marriages. Christine Coulson, who has written hundreds of exhibition wall labels for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, precisely distils each stage of Kitty’s sprawling life into that distinct format, every brief snapshot in time a wry reflection on womanhood, ownership, value and power.

Described with wit, poignancy and humour over the course of the twentieth century, Kitty emerges as an eccentric heroine who disrupts her privileged, porcelain life with both major force and minor transgressions. As human foibles propel each delicately crafted text, Coulson playfully asks: who really gets to tell our stories?

‘Heartbreaking and funny . . . truly masterful and patient and insane, in the best way’ Leanne Shapton

‘Wry, humorous, poignant’ Spectator

‘Where the collection really takes off is the interviews with younger artists, which are sensitive,
unpatronising, genuinely questioning and fundamentally challenging….Indeed, this collection’s strength ultimately lies in the fact that it reveals nothing more than a battlefield in its quest to establish what contemporary art is all about.’ – ArtReview

The authors of the Sunday Times bestseller Talk Art: Everything you wanted to know about contemporary art but were afraid to ask, have brought together 24 of the most profound, moving, funny and informative interviews from the wildly popular Talk Art podcast.

These curated excerpts explore the inspirations, art experiences and favourite artists of a fascinating range of creative people from Grayson Perry to Elton John, from Tracey Emin to Paul Smith, and from Wolfgang Tillmans to Sonia Boyce, accompanied by images of the artworks that they have created or that have influenced them.

The interviews featured include:

– Jerry Saltz
– Laurie Anderson
– Stephen Fry
– Elton John
– Tracey Emin
– Paul Smith
– Sonia Boyce
– Chila Burman
– Rachel Whiteread
– Wolfgang Tillmans
– Pierce Brosnan
– Grayson Perry

Did you know that the ultramarine that shimmers at the centre of Vermeer’s Milkmaid connects that masterpiece with 6th-century Zoroastrian paintings found on the walls of cave temples in Bamiyan, Afghanistan? Or that the surging waves that crest and curl in Hokusai’s perilous Great Wave off Kanagawa owe their absorbing blue lustre to an alchemist who was born in Frankenstein’s Castle in 1673? And were the Pre-Raphaelites really obsessed with a murky brown hue derived from the pulverized remains of ancient mummies? (Spoiler: they were.)

Invented by prehistoric cave-dwellers and medieval conjurers, cunning conmen and savvy scientists, the colours of art tell a riveting tale all their own. Over ten scintillating chapters, acclaimed author Kelly Grovier helps bring that tale vividly to life, revealing the astonishing backstories of the pigments that define the greatest works in the history of art. Interwoven between these chapters is a series of features focusing on key moments in the evolution of colour theory – from the revelations of the Enlightenment to the radicalism of the Bauhaus – while reproductions of carefully selected artworks help illuminate the narrative’s twists and turns.

The history of colour is an epic saga of human ingenuity and insatiable desire. Read this book and you will never look at a work of art in quite the same way.

Why do we reach for the red rose on Valentine’s day? Where did the owl gain its reputation for wisdom? Why should you never trust a fox? In this visual tour through art history, Matthew Wilson pieces together a global visual language enshrined in art: the language of symbols.

Symbols exert a strong hold in the image-saturated 21st century, and have done so for thousands of years. From national emblems to corporate logos and emojis, our day-to-day lives abound with icons with roots in the distant past. Expert art historian Matthew Wilson traces the often surprising trajectories that symbols have taken through history, from their original purposes to their modern meanings, identifying the common themes and ideas that link seemingly disparate cultures. Thus we meet the falcon as a symbol of authority from the ancient Egyptian pharaohs to the medieval aristocracy; the dog as stalwart companion from the classical era to the Renaissance; and the mythical phoenix as a symbol of female power connecting a queen in England with a goddess in China. We also see moments of radical reinterpretation and change: the transformation of the swastika from an auspicious symbol of hope to one of hate.

From Palaeolithic cave paintings to contemporary installations, Wilson deftly guides us through this world of symbols, showcasing their enduring ability to express power, hope, fear and faith, and to create and communicate identities, uniting – or dividing – the people that made them.

John Piper (1903-1992) is renowned for his extraordinarily diverse practice that embraced landscape, architectural and abstract compositions, as well as his theatre and stage sets for Benjamin Britten and his stained-glass windows. The exhibition at Tate Liverpool is the first to examine Piper’s role in European modernism, presenting major works by Piper alongside selected works by artists including Jean Hélion and Alexander Calder.

The book contains works by Piper including painting, relief, collage and photography and also presents comparative works and information compiling over 70 images. The book is divided into the following sections:

1. Introduction

2. Early Paintings & Drawings

3. Going Abstract

4. Picturesque Landscapes & War Artist

5. The Postwar Landscape

Accompanying the exhibition, this book offers an innovative look at the work of an incredibly versatile artist, evidencing how Piper’s work fused the creation of the European avant-garde with a powerful sensitivity to Britain and its history.