An account of the tumultuous nine weeks in which the famous nineteenth century artists Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin shared a house in the small French town of Arles. It is an exploration of a fragile friendship, art, madness, genius behind a shocking act of self-mutilation that the world has sought to explain.

An accessible and attractive beginner's guide to getting the most out of looking at pictures

Gainsborough is one of the most appealing artists of the 18th century. The author draws on recently discovered material to provide a fresh perspective on both the life and art of this master.

Richard Serra began making prints as early as 1972. For the past five decades he has consistently pursued the myriad possibilities of printmaking and created a graphic oeuvre as concentrated as it is rich and diverse. Even if the relationship between Serra's prints and his sculptural works cannot be denied-the exploration of form, establishing and testing the tension between positive and negative space, the dialogue between two- and three-dimensionality-the prints are an autonomous form of ex...

Philip Steadman investigates the claims that the 17th-century artist, Johannes Vermeer, used the camera obscura to create some of his artwork. this study reconstructs his studio, complete with camera. He asserts that that this experimentation with new technology enabled his style to develop.

Louise Nevelson (1899-1988) was, with Calder, Noguchi and David Smith, one of the great American sculptors of the 20th century. She created extraordinary work, from room-size installations composed of boxes to gnarled and majestic steel structures. This book tells her life story.

A new, significantly revised edition of Julian Bell’s 1999 book, taking a fresh, focused look at the situation of painting in contemporary culture.

Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) felt a profound empathy with the natural environment, and considered the spiritual essence of trees to be comparable with that of human figures. This book traces Van Goghs development as a painter of trees in the natural landscape from his home province of North Brabant, through Paris to Provence.