Phaidon describe the new book as follows: “Great Women Painters is groundbreaking book that reveals a richer and more varied telling of the story of painting. Featuring more than 300 artists from around the world, it includes both well-known women painters from history and today’s most exciting rising stars.
Covering nearly 500 years of skill and innovation, this survey continues Phaidon’s celebrated The Art Book series and reveals and champions a more diverse history of art, showcasing recently discovered and newly appreciated work and artists throughout its more than 300 pages and images.
Other artists featured include: Hilma af Klint, Eileen Agar, Sofonisba Anguissola, Cecily Brown, Leonora Carrington, Mary Cassatt, Elaine de Kooning, Marlene Dumas, Nicole Eisenman, Jadé Fadojutimi, Helen Frankenthaler, Artemisia Gentileschi, Maggi Hambling, Carmen Herrera, Gwen John, Frida Kahlo, Tamara de Lempicka, Agnes Martin, Joan Mitchell, Alice Neel, Plautilla Nelli, Georgia O’Keeffe, Paula Rego, Bridget Riley, Jenny Saville, Dana Schutz, Lee Krasner and Yayoi Kusama.”
“This is Tomorrow: Twentieth-century Britain and its Artists” by Michael Bird, published by Thames & Hudson
Pauline Boty features on the cover and within the new book This is Tomorrow: Twentieth-century Britain and its Artists by Michael Bird, published by Thames & Hudson.
The publisher’s website describes the book as “A compelling and lively history that examines the lives of British artists from the late-19th century to today” and has the following Overview:
“In This is Tomorrow Michael Bird takes a fresh look at the ‘long twentieth century’, from the closing years of Queen Victoria’s reign to the turn of the millennium, through the lens of the artists who lived and worked in this ever-changing Britain. Bird examines how the rhythms of change and adaptation in art became embedded in the collective consciousness of the nation and vividly evokes the personalities who populate and drive this story, looking beyond individual careers and historical moments to weave together interconnecting currents of change that flowed through London, Glasgow, Leeds, Cornwall, the Caribbean, New York, Moscow and Berlin.
From the American James McNeill Whistler’s defence of his new kind of modern art against the British art establishment in the latter half of the 19th century to the Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson’s melting icebergs in London, he traverses the lives of the artists that have recorded, questioned and defined our times.
At the heart of this original book are the successive waves of displacement caused by global wars and persecution that conversely brought fresh ideas and new points of view to the British Isles; educational reforms opened new routes for young people from working-class backgrounds; movements of social change enabled the emergence of female artists and artists of colour; and the emergence of the mass media shaped modern modes of communication and culture. These are the ebbs and flows that Michael Bird teases out in this panoramic account of Britain and its artists in across the twentieth century.” . Further information is available here: [link]
About the author Michael Bird is a writer, broadcaster, and curator. His books include Artists’ Letters: Leonardo da Vinci to David Hockney, Studio Voices: Artand Life in 20th-Century Britain, and 100 Ideas That Changed Art. In addition, he has been the Goodison Fellow at the British Library, researching the Artists’ Lives archive.
Publisher: Thames & Hudson Format: Hardback [Ebook also available] ISBN 9780500024430 Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.3 cm Pages: 352 Illustrations: 81 Price: £30.00
Pauline Boty’s “Colour Her Gone”, 1962, at Wolverhampton Art Gallery’s “Pop Parade” exhibition. Photo by Bethany Williams.
A new permanent Pop art display entitled Pop Parade has been created at Wolverhampton Art Gallery, featuring Pauline Boty’s 1962 painting Colour Her Gone.
“The painting is a tribute to Marilyn Monroe and a firm favourite from the Gallery’s acclaimed Pop Art collection. The pioneering artist Pauline Boty was one of the founders of the British Pop Art movement and the only female painter within the British branch of the movement. Her work often featured individuals she admired and celebrated her self-assured femininity and female sexuality.
Her later paintings introduced more political themes and criticised the ‘man’s world’ in which she lived. Her art, together with her free-spirited lifestyle, has made her a herald of 1970s feminism.
Pop Parade is free to visit and is situated on the ground floor of the gallery.” [courtesy Wolverhampton Art Gallery Facebook page]
Marlborough will be showing Pauline Boty’s 1963 work Cuba Si at Frieze Masters 2022 in London from October 12–16.
The work is among a collection “celebrating the 1950s and 60s, one of the most prolific periods in the history of British art. Conceptualised in collaboration with writer and art critic Martin Gayford, whose 2018 publication Modernists and Mavericks provides a compelling account of the bustling London art scene from postwar Soho bohemia to the ‘Swinging 60s’, the presentation will highlight the plurality of artistic approaches at the time, with artists connected through personal relationships rather than distinct schools or manifestos.” [from the Marlborough Gallery London website].
Other artists exhibited by Marlborough at Frieze Masters will include Frank Auerbach, Gillian Ayres, Francis Bacon, Clive Barker, Frank Bowling, Reginald Butler, Patrick Caulfield, Maggi Hambling, Allen Jones, RB Kitaj, Leon Kossoff, Eduardo Paolozzi, Victor Pasmore, Joe Tilson and Euan Uglow.
“The Story of Art Without Men” by Katy Hessel, published by Hutchinson Heinemann
“The Story of Art Without Men Art” by Katy Hessel, a pioneering exploration of women artists from the past 500 years, is published by Hutchinson Heinemann and available now. The book includes a section entitled “Political Change and New Abstractions”, the Pop art chapter of which features Pauline Boty, Marisol, Evelyne Axell, Martha Rosler and others.
“In her new book, curator and art historian Katy Hessel challenges the canon as we know it and showcases the female and gender non-conformist artists who are so often excluded from the history books. Hessel shines a spotlight on the glittering paintings of Sofonisba Anguissola of the Renaissance, the radical work of Harriet Powers in the nineteenth-century US, the astonishing work of post-war artists in Latin America and the women artists defining art in the 2020s. From the Cornish coast to Manhattan, Nigeria to Japan, The Story of Art Without Men is the history of art as it’s never been told before.” [From Hutchinson Heinemann]
A spread from the book with left “The Only Blonde in the World”, 1963, and right “It’s a Man’s World I”, 1964, by Pauline Boty
To coincide with publication of the book, The Story of Art as it’s Still Being Written, is an exhibition at Victoria Miro, London, featuring artists from its final chapter. The exhibition will run from 8 September – 1 October 2022. Further information is available here: [link]
Katy is also conducting a series of book talks to discuss the work – further information available here: [link]
“It’s a long way before the balance is truly redressed but this is a good start.”Tracey Emin
“I was not aware how hungry I was for this book until I dropped everything and ate it from cover to cover. I was not aware how angry I was that this book did not exist until it existed. It’s an urgently needed, un-put-downable, joyful, insightful, glorious, perspective-shifting revision of the Story of Art.”Es Devlin
“Women artists currently make up just 1% of the National Gallery collection in London. This same museum only staged their first major solo exhibition by a historic female artist, Artemisia Gentileschi, in 2020, while 2023 will mark the first time the Royal Academy of Arts has ever hosted a solo exhibition by a woman in their main space.” Marina Abramović
A spread from the book showing part of its Timeline
About the author Katy Hessel is an art historian, broadcaster and curator dedicated to celebrating women artists from all over the world. In 2015, Katy founded the Instagram account @thegreatwomenartists, which has grown to almost 300,000 followers, and hosts a podcast of the same name with over 1.5 million listens. Katy has lectured at Tate, National Gallery, Christie’s and University of Cambridge; presented films for the BBC and Royal Academy; and collaborated with Dior on a podcast series featuring interviews with Tracey Emin and Judy Chicago. She lives in London and sits on the Board of Trustees at Charleston, the former home of the Bloomsbury Group.
Publisher: Hutchinson Heinemann Format: Hardback [Ebook and Audio Download also available] ISBN 9781529151145 Dimensions: 241mm x 32mm x 162mm Pages: 520 Price: £30.00
“Revisiting Modern British Art” edited by Jo Baring, published by Lund Humphries
“Revisiting Modern British Art”, edited by Jo Baring, accompanies exhibitions at The Higgins, Bedford (15th October 2022 – 16th April 2023) and The Lightbox (15th October 2022 – 8th January 2023) and is published by Lund Humphries on 10th October.
The book includes contributions by Harriet Baker, Elena Crippa, Aindrea Emelife, Laura Freeman, Alexandra Harris, Simon Martin, Hammad Nasar, James Purdon, James Rawlin, Natalie Rudd, James Russell and Laura Smith and alongside Boty features the work of artists including Paul Nash, Eric Ravilious, Eileen Agar, Ithell Colquhoun, Vanessa Bell, Francis Bacon, Barbara Hepworth, Margaret Mellis, Richard Hamilton and Kim Lim.
From the Lund Humphries website: “As the twenty-first century unfolds, notions of our cultural past and how our history has influenced our present shift almost daily. Within this, accepted artistic trajectories are being questioned and new connections made.
In this wide-ranging and thought-provoking publication, experts in their field address specific aspects of British art of the twentieth century. Presenting new perspectives on established narratives, subjects range from British Surrealism and the rise of corporate and private patronage, to nationality and British identity. Complemented by a range of striking images, this publication succeeds in showing the strength of the British artistic tradition while also encouraging the reader to rethink and explore the existing narrative.”
A spread from the book with left “Cover Girl” by Frank Bowling, 1963–4 and right “It’s a Man’s World II” by Pauline Boty, 1964–5
Jo Baring is a former Director of Christie’s and is currently Director of the Ingram Collection of Modern British and Contemporary Art. Jo is also the co-presenter and co-writer of the podcast, Sculpting Lives.
Publisher: Lund Humphries Publishers Ltd Format: Hardback ISBN 9781848225619 Dimensions: 260 x 210 mm Pages: 176 Illustrations: 100 colour and 10 b&w Price: £39.99
By pure serendipity I recently came across Christopher Skelton-Davies and his remarkable Country House Obsession Instagram account @country_house_obsession
Christopher had commented in a recent post “I also have the useless skill of being able to identify a house by only seeing a very small part, like a window, which my family and friends regularly test me on whilst watching TV. A lot of people contact me with their personal connections and stories with some of the houses I visit and I love to hear those stories so please DM and share” and I wondered if paulineboty.org might avail itself of his expertise to try and ascertain whether the buildings and landscapes Boty painted in It’s a Man’s World I and II were real or conjured up from her imagination?
Sure enough Christopher promptly replied that firstly the building at the top of It’s a Man’s World I is based on the Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi [one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy] in Northern Italy and that secondly the landscape at the bottom of It’s a Man’s World II shows the Pantheon at Stourhead in Wiltshire.
Please see below for images of Boty’s paintings followed by those of the locations.
Pauline Boty, It’s a Man’s World I, 1964Façade of the Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi. Photo by Paris Orlando via Wikimedia Commons
For further information on Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi please see here [link] and for visiting info here [link] [in Italian]
Further information on the individuals identified in the painting, including Marcel Proust, Federico Fellini and Marcello Mastroianni is available here [link]
Pauline Boty, It’s a Man’s World II, 1964/5The Palladian bridge and Pantheon at Stourhead. Photo by Hamburg103a via Wikimedia Commons
For further information about Stourhead please see here [link] and for visiting info from the National Trust here [link]
“Colours of Art: The Story of Art in 80 Palettes” by Chloë Ashby, published by Frances Lincoln
“Colours of Art: The Story of Art in 80 Palettes” by Chloë Ashby examines, in chronological order, 80 artworks and their palettes.
From the Quarto website: “Colour allows artists to express their individuality, evoke certain moods and portray positive or negative subliminal messages. And throughout history the greatest of artists have experimented with new pigments and new technologies to lead movements and deliver masterpieces. As something so cardinal, we sometimes forget how poignant colour palettes can be, and how much they can tell us.
Structured chronologically, ‘Colours of Art’ takes a fun, intelligent, visually engaging look at the greatest artistic palettes in history offering a refreshing and thoughtful primer for those who want to look at art through the ages from a different perspective. Spanning centuries and styles, from cave to contemporary art, Chloë Ashby invites you to navigate familiar and lesser-known works through a vibrant new lens.
‘When I was planning my chapters’ says Chloë, “some works came to me right away. Others, I discovered as I went along. This book isn’t definitive – how could it be, considering colour’s inexhaustible variety? Instead, it’s my attempt to capture and celebrate that variety on the page. Each artwork is accompanied by an infographic palette that’s intended to help you engage with the colours at play. My focus is on painting and colour is my jumping off point, but the art that does appear within these pages can be viewed through countless lenses.
The book’s Contents page
The story of art reads differently depending on where and when you’re doing the reading – this is just one version, told in 80 palettes. You can read it chronologically from start to finish, or you can dip in and out. Wherever you land, you’ll find yourself immersed in colour – rich, vital, chameleonic. For these pieces, colour is not only a tool (like a paintbrush or a canvas) but the fundamental secret to their success.’”
Chloë Ashby is a writer and editor. She studied at the Courtauld Institute of Art and has written about art and culture for numerous publications.
Publisher: Frances Lincoln Format: Hardback ISBN 9780711258044 Dimensions: 245 mm x 190 mm Pages: 256 Price: £25.00
Mono Media Films and Channel X have announced that they are currently in the process of conducting interviews for a forthcoming documentary on the life and work of Boty. They have previously produced programmes on, among others, Paul Weller, The Style Council and Peter Blake. You can see the original promotional video for “Pauline Boty: I Am The 60s” on Vimeo here [link] and keep up to date here via:
Antonio Canova’s Maddalena Giacente (Recumbent Magdalene), regarded as his lost masterpiece and completed shortly before his death, will be a star lot in the Old Masters Evening Sale on 7 July 2022 at Christie’s in London
At one stage the sculpture was located outside the front of the house in Addison Road owned by antique dealer Jon Manasseh which Boty shared with Celia Birtwell. Derek Boshier also rented a room as a studio there whilst Peter Blake stored his paintings. The sculpture even makes a brief appearance in Ken Russell’s 1962 documentary Pop Goes the Easel with an aerial shot of Blake seated on it whilst he, Boshier and Peter Phillips wait for Boty to respond to their ringing the bell to be let in.
Boty on the steps outside Addison Road [unknown photographer]
From the Christie’s website:
Having accidentally become an art world ‘sleeping beauty’ over the last 100 years – her authorship gradually forgotten and whereabouts unknown – this outstanding sculpture of Mary Magdalene in a state of ecstasy was commissioned by the Prime Minister of the day, Lord Liverpool (1812-1827). Recumbent Magdalene will be a star lot during Christie’s Summer edition of Classic Week in London.
Dr. Mario Guderzo, leading Canova scholar, former Director of the Museo Gypsotheca Antonio Canova and Museo Biblioteca Archivio di Bassano del Grappa commented: “It is a miracle that Antonio Canova’s exceptional, long lost masterpiece the Recumbent Magdalene has been found, 200 years after its completion. This work has been searched for by scholars for decades, so the discovery is of fundamental importance for the history of collecting and the history of art. It testifies to the intensive thought process of the work of the Italian sculptor who was a fundamental witness of his time: faithful to Pope Pius VII, sought after by Napoleon, beloved by the English sovereign George IV, esteemed by the world of European collecting and of critical importance for the restitution of works of art seized under Napoleon. The re-discovery of the Recumbent Magdalene brings to a conclusion a very particular story worthy of a novel, of a marble of significant historical value and great aesthetic beauty produced by Canova in the final years of his artistic activity.”
Details of work Antonio Canova (Possagno 1757–1822 Venice) Maddalena Giacente (Recumbent Magdalene), Marble, 1819–1822 75 x 176 x 84.5 cm (291⁄2 x 691⁄4 x 331⁄4 in.) Estimate: GBP 5,000,000–8,000,000
Further information on the work and sale, including a short film with Christie’s European Sculpture specialist Donald Johnston and art critic Alastair Sooke on its remarkable rediscovery, is available here: [link]
Pauline Boty 