In 1985, King Charles III, then Prince of Wales, asked the painter John Ward to accompany him on an official tour to Italy to make an artistic record of the visit. In so doing, he began an inspiring tradition that celebrates its fortieth anniversary in 2025, with forty-two different artists having accompanied the King on sixty-nine official tours to ninety-five different countries worldwide.

This book relates the extraordinary stories of these visits and celebrates the work of the tour artists. Their recollections are revealed in a series of individual interviews, and their anecdotes, personal reflections and glimpses behind the scenes provide a fascinating insight into the unique essence of life on a royal tour.

The book is both a celebration of the King’s initiative to support and encourage artists and a unique and compelling account of this very special royal tradition. Sumptuously illustrated with some of the many hundreds of works produced by artists who were inspired by the King’s generosity and his unswerving commitment to the arts, the book honours the power of an artist to record what a photograph never can, in the incomparable setting of a royal tour.

Published in association with Royal Collection Trust

The Uglow Papers is a celebration of Uglow’s art, life, and teaching, recounted by those who knew him as friend, colleague, or mentor. The book brings together anecdotes and opinions relating to the various decades of his life, from his years as a student in the late 1940s and early 1950s to his development and maturity as an artist and to his tragically early death. His life was a full one, devoted primarily to painting and drawing but also to teaching (mainly at the Slade School of Art) and to spending time with an unexpectedly wide circle of friends.

This is the first major monograph on Uglow. Profusely illustrated, it contains much new material about the artist, his teaching, and his friendships. Initiated and edited by Andrew Lambirth, who knew the artist well for the last decade of his life, and with contributions from Frank Auerbach, Sir Paul Smith, and Cherie Blair among others, this book sheds new light on Euan Uglow’s life and work and will be an invaluable source of reference for all those interested in modern art.

Our fascination with lost gardens is often fuelled by our interest in reconstructing worlds that supply us with a powerful means of making sense of the past, and a way of reading history. In this beautiful and evocative book, illustrated with a variety of images including watercolours, coloured engravings and photographs, Longstaffe-Gowan reminds us of what a precious asset gardened green space is, and how it has contributed over the centuries to the quality of life and well-being of generations of inhabitants of the Metropolis.

The book accompanies an exhibition at the Garden Museum, London, opening 23 October 2024 – 2 March 2025.

Distributed for Modern Art Press

Devoted exclusively to the artist’s works on paper, Bridget Riley Drawings: From the Artist’s Studio explores the importance of these works not only as a means of visual experimentation but as works of art in their own right. Throughout her working life, Riley has preserved works of particular significance, creating an archive that records her constant artistic inquiry and development. The studies presented in the book are drawn entirely from this personal collection, with Riley’s own input. They demonstrate the artist’s progression from early figurative works, through the monochrome geometry of the 1960s, to the examination of color that has characterized the second half of her long career. The choice of work explores the themes that have absorbed Riley in different periods and highlights key influences: the importance of life drawing to her and the significance of artists such as Seurat and Mondrian. The book illustrates-literally and figuratively-the story of a productive and constantly experimental career, underpinned by drawing.