The first volume in over 20 years dedicated to Bacon's unconventional, psychologically trenchant portraits

Featuring works from the 1950s onward, this book explores the genre-defying portraiture of Irish British artist Francis Bacon (1909-92). It is the first publication in over 20 years dedicated to this facet of Bacon's practice. From his responses to portraiture by earlier artists to large-scale paintings memorializing lost lovers, these selected works showcase Bacon's life story. In addition to the artist's self-portraits, sitters include Lucian Freud, Isabel Rawsthorne and his lovers Peter Lacy and George Dyer.
From his renowned triptychs and paintings of ghostly figures to tender and psychologically revealing individual portraits, the figurative works displayed in this publication chart the development of a groundbreaking artist, highlighting the influence of his peers and other artists. Francis Bacon: Human Presence also features illustrated biographies of Bacon and his circle, bringing lesser-told stories to the fore.

Black figuration and portraiture as realized in the works of Amy Sherald, Jordan Casteel and other contemporary artists

There is never a time in the future in which we will work out our salvation. The challenge is in the moment, the time is always now, wrote James Baldwin. Published in conjunction with the eponymous exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, London, The Time is Always Now is edited by curator Ekow Eshun, former director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. The book brings together 22 contemporary African diasporic artists working primarily in the United Kingdom and the United States, whose practices--whether through painting, drawing or sculpture--foreground the Black figure. Acknowledging the paradox of race as both a socially constructed fiction and a lived reality, as Eshun writes, The Time is Always Now celebrates these Black figurative artworks against a background of heightened cultural visibility. Through a three-part structure, this book examines Black figuration as a means to address the absence and distortion of Black presence within Western art history. Each artist receives a detailed biographical profile alongside reproductions of their included works. The catalog is also supplemented by three original essays from Dorothy Price, Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art and Critical Race Art History at the Courtauld Institute of Art; Bernardine Evaristo, Booker Prize-winning author of Girl, Woman, Other; and Esi Edugyan, two-time Giller Prize winner for her novels Half-Blood Blues and Washington Black.
Artists include: Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Hurvin Anderson, Michael Armitage, Jordan Casteel, Noah Davis, Godfried Donkor, Kimathi Donkor, Denzil Forrester, Lubaina Himid, Claudette Johnson, Titus Kaphar, Kerry James Marshall, Wangechi Mutu, Chris Ofili, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Jennifer Packer, Thomas J. Price, Nathaniel Mary Quinn, Lorna Simpson, Amy Sherald, Henry Taylor, Barbara Walker.

From Holbein's portraits to Broadway musical costumes: an iconographic look at the legacy of six remarkable queens

The queen consorts of Henry VIII have come to be encapsulated in a succinct six-word rhyme: Divorced, beheaded, died / Divorced, beheaded, survived. But what were their real stories and legacies? Six Lives reveals the extraordinary worlds of Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Katherine Parr. This publication focuses on the material traces of these women and the court culture that shaped their lives, extensively illustrated with their letters, heraldic devices, love tokens and, of course, their portraits.
The book begins with an examination of the women as cultural phenomena, from Shakespeare's Henry VIII to the musical Six, and the role that portraiture has played in these retellings. An overview examines the queens' self-presentation through portraiture before individual chapters consider each of their relationships with the king, their social networks and their patronage. Thematic pieces take a closer look at a particular element of court culture, ranging from music and jewelry to pageantry and heraldry.

Enticing, ethereal photographs from two visionaries who used portraiture as an exploration of the dream space

Living and working over a century apart, British photographer Julia Margaret Cameron and American photographer Francesca Woodman experienced vastly different ways of making and understanding images. Yet the two share more similarities than expected. Both artists had brief careers lasting less than 15 years; while neither enjoyed popularity and success during their lives, they have posthumously received widespread acclaim. Their portraits feature ethereal, experimental qualities that connect them soundly across time.
The beautifully illustrated catalog, accompanying the exhibition of the same name at the National Portrait Gallery, London, includes Woodman's and Cameron's best-known photographs as well as less familiar images. The book begins with three feature essays that consider Cameron and Woodman simultaneously and moves on to 10 thematic sections interspersing works by the two artists. Portraits to Dream In makes new connections between the work of two innovative photographers who pushed the boundaries of the photographic medium and experimented with ideas of beauty, symbolism, transformation and storytelling to produce some of art history's most compelling and admired images.
Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-79) took up photography in the 1860s and was soon elected to both the Photographic Society of London and the Photographic Society of Scotland. She photographed her friends and family as well as notable figures of Victorian England, including Charles Darwin, Ellen Terry and Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
Francesca Woodman (1958-81) worked in both the United States and Italy and made her first mature photograph at the age of 13. Her lifetime exhibitions include the Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, Massachusetts (1976); Galleria Ugo Ferrante, Rome (1978); and the Alternative Museum, New York (1980). Her artist's book, Some Disordered Interior Geometries, was published by Synapse Press in 1981.

A lively and gift-worthy introduction to the biggest names and works in Black figuration

This visual gift book introduces readers to the field of Black figuration by highlighting key works from the National Portrait Gallery exhibition The Time is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure. The selections included in this brief introduction are beautiful, urgent works by 22 contemporary Black figurative artists that present the Black form with nuance and depth. Each artwork illustrated is accompanied by a short biography of the artist and quotes about their own creative proccess. Their quotes about their own creative process are juxtaposed with excerpts from influential Black writers such as Langston Hughes and W.E.B. DuBois.
This publication offers an opportunity for readers to experience some of the most exciting artworks by Black artists depicting the Black form. Within this context, the book takes on a dual role: as the accomplished work of individual artists on the one hand, and as a collective assertion of Black presence on the other.
Artists include: Hurvin Anderson, Michael Armitage, Jordan Casteel, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Noah Davis, Godfried Donkor, Kimathi Donkor, Denzil Forrester, Lubaina Himid, Claudette Johnson, Titus Kaphar, Kerry James Marshall, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Chris Ofili, Jennifer Packer, Thomas J. Price, Nathaniel Mary Quinn, Lorna Simpson, Amy Sherald, Henry Taylor and Barbara Walker.

Overlooked stories of the female painters and subjects of Pre-Raphaelite art

When the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood exhibited their first works in 1849, it heralded a revolution in British art. Think of the images created by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and others in their circle. In these images, however, it is not men but pale-faced young women with lustrous, tumbling locks that spring to mind, gazing soulfully from the picture frame or in dramatic scenes painted in glowing colors.
Who were these women? What is known of their lives and their roles in a movement that spanned over half a century? Some were models, plucked from obscurity to pose for figures in Pre-Raphaelite paintings, while others were sisters, wives, daughters and friends of the artists. Several were artists themselves, with aspirations to match those of the men: sharing the same artistic and social networks yet condemned by their gender to occupy a separate sphere. Others inhabited and sustained a male-dominated art world as partners in production, maintaining households and studios and socializing with patrons. Although their backgrounds and life experiences certainly varied widely, all were engaged in creating Pre-Raphaelite art.
Containing over 100 beautifully reproduced images, Pre-Raphaelite Sisters illustrates the often overlooked stories of some of the movement's most familiar faces.

A compact album presentation of Hockney's newest explorations in portraiture

This concise volume illustrates around 40 acrylic on canvas works painted by David Hockney (born 1937) at his Normandy studio--depicting his friends and visitors, as well as the artist himself. David Hockney: Normandy Portraits showcases a series of some previously unseen portraits, across 48 pages, uninterrupted by text, to allow readers to engage directly with the artworks.
These new works highlight the ongoing importance of portraiture within the artist's practice and demonstrate his sentiment that drawings and paintings ... are a lot better than photographs to give you a sense of the person.
Hockney returned to painting after an intensive period spent depicting the Normandy landscape using an iPad. The portraits were painted quickly and directly onto the canvas without underdrawing. As Hockney has said, to do a portrait slowly is a bit of a contradiction.
David Hockney (born 1937) is one of the most significant British artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. He attended the Royal College of Art in London and exhibited in one of the first British Pop art shows. In 1964 he moved to Los Angeles, where he lived for many years before returning to his native Yorkshire for a time. In addition to painting, Hockney has pursued photography, collage and printmaking, as well as digital illustration. He lives and works in Normandy, France.

Celebrating more than 60 years of intimate portraiture by David Hockney

Published to accompany a major international exhibition, David Hockney: Drawing from Life features Hockney's drawings from the 1950s to the present day, and focuses on his depictions of himself and a small group of sitters close to him: his muse, Celia Birtwell; his mother, Laura Hockney; and his friends, the curator, Gregory Evans, and master printer, Maurice Payne. In his portrait drawings of these figures, Hockney tries out new stylistic experiments and expresses his admiration for his artistic predecessors, from Holbein to Picasso.

Featuring 150 beautifully reproduced works from public and private collections across the world, this publication traces the trajectory of Hockney's drawing practice by examining how he has revisited these five figures throughout his career. Highlights include a series of new portraits, colored pencil drawings created in Paris in the early 1970s, composite Polaroid portraits from the 1980s and a selection of drawings from an intense period of self-scrutiny during the 1980s when the artist created a self-portrait every day for two months.

David Hockney (born 1937) is considered one of the most celebrated British contemporary artists. Hockney studied at the Bradford School of Art and the Royal College of Art with R.B. Kitaj, Allen Jones and Derek Boshier. Graduating with a gold medal, he became a leading figure in pop art. His work encompasses drawing, painting, printmaking, photography and stage design.

An affordable pocket introduction to the most constructive and creative influence on English taste between the wars

The Bloomsbury Group was a union of friends who transformed British culture with their approach to art, design and society. The group aimed to rebel and challenge what they felt were the religious, artistic, social and sexual taboos of Victorian England. Together they created a revolution in British style that resonates with contemporary painters, writers, actors, designers, fashion editors and publishers.

This book explores the impact of Bloomsbury personalities on each other, as well as their legacy to the 21st century. Author and acclaimed Bloomsbury expert Frances Spalding demonstrates how this network of artists, lovers and patrons recorded one another obsessively in both words and images. She presents 20 fascinating biographies, all of which are illustrated with paintings and intimate photographs created by members of the group. Highlighted in her revealing account are Virginia and Leonard Woolf, Vanessa and Clive Bell, Duncan Grant, Lady Ottoline Morrell, Roger Fry, J.M. Keynes, Lytton Strachey and Dora Carrington.

Portraits by and of Munch offer insight into the vibrant bohemian world of one of the great artists of the 19th and 20th centuries

Norwegian painter Edvard Munch (1863-1944), whose 1893 work The Scream has become one of Western art's most acclaimed images and who is widely regarded as one of the great artists of the 19th and 20th centuries, is less known for his portraiture--but his portraits are central to his art and vision. Edvard Munch Portraits, edited by Alison Smith, former chief curator at London's National Portrait Gallery, brings together more than 60 of Munch's most significant portraits, showcasing the wide array of styles, techniques and mediums that he employed.
During the course of Munch's long life, and working in a range of mediums that encompassed painting, drawing and print, he made hundreds of portraits of friends, patrons, models and, above all and unsparingly, himself. This book places his work in the cultural and historical background of his period, providing readers with a greater understanding of the time in which these portraits were produced. This publication offers deep insight into the artist's family and bohemian social circles, along with his German and Norwegian patrons and the friends who helped establish his reputation.

A luxurious visual guide to the past 500 years of the British monarchy

Public image has been a concern of every monarch since the dawn of visual culture, and depictions of rulers have consistently appeared through art history's various mediums. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the National Portrait Gallery, London's stunning collection of British royal portraiture. Through a continuous chronology spanning 500 years, from Henry VIII to Charles III, discover how kings and queens have positioned themselves to create images infused with strength, domesticity and love. Familiar pop culture subjects like Queen Charlotte and Princess Diana take their places among lesser-known figures of the British crown. Works are accompanied by captions that detail reigns, relationships, biographies and legacies. An introduction by curator Rab MacGibbon explains the history of the British royal family and its role in today's society. The Royals is the newest addition to the National Portrait Gallery's collection of books on British royalty.

A jaunt through the art-inspired cocktail menu from the National Portrait Gallery's glamorous new speakeasy

Experience iconic works from the National Portrait Gallery's Collection and the cocktails inspired by them in the menu for the gallery's award-winning underground speakeasy, Larry's, by the Daisy Green Collection. From the regal gin cocktail The Cecil Beaton to the experimental, colorful gin fizz The Yevonde and the award-winning McBean dirty martini, these fabulous cocktails evoke bygone eras and the creative spirit of London's West End, which is known for its hub of creativity and pioneering jazz scene. This beautiful hardback publication begins with an introduction to Larry's Bar and the story of its namesake, the actor Sir Laurence Olivier. It then showcases each of Larry's bespoke cocktails, telling the stories behind their inspiration, ingredients and design. Each story is illustrated with portraits of iconic figures from the National Portrait Gallery's Collection, ranging from Audrey Hepburn to Francis Bacon.

The stylish and extravagant world of the Bright Young Things of 1920s and '30s London, seen through the eye of renowned British photographer Cecil Beaton

In 1920s and '30s Britain, Cecil Beaton used his camera and his larger-than-life personality to mingle with that flamboyant and rebellious group of artists, writers, socialites and partygoers who became known as the Bright Young Things. Famously fictionalized by the likes of Evelyn Waugh (in Vile Bodies), Anthony Powell and Henry Green, these men and women cut a dramatic swathe through the epoch and embodied its roaring spirit.

In a series of themed chapters, covering Beaton's first self-portraits and earliest sitters to his time at Cambridge and as principle society photographer for Vogue and Vanity Fair, over 50 leading figures who sat for Beaton are profiled and the dazzling parties, pageants and balls of the period are brought to life. Among this glittering cast are Beaton's socialite sisters Baba and Nancy Beaton, Stephen Tennant, Siegfried Sassoon, Evelyn Waugh and Daphne du Maurier. Beaton's photographs are complemented by a wide range of letters, drawings, book jackets and ephemera, and contextualised by artworks created by those in his circle, including Christopher Wood, Rex Whistler and Henry Lamb.

Cecil Beaton (1904-80) is one of the most celebrated British portrait photographers of the 20th century and is renowned for his images of elegance, glamour and style. Beaton quickly developed a reputation for his striking and fantastic photographs, which culminated in his portraits of Queen Elizabeth in 1939. Also well known as a diarist, Beaton became a society fixture in his own right. His influence on portrait photography was profound and lives on today in the work of many contemporary photographers.

Celebrating the incredible legacy of an influential British style magazine through a quarter century of its most iconic portraits

Groundbreaking British youth culture and style magazine The Face established the careers of generations of photographers, journalists, designers and models. Founded in 1980 in London by English journalist Nick Logan, it is known for its distinctive, radical and of-the-minute design and its unflinching attitude. The magazine originally focused on music but branched into fashion and culture more widely, as well as encompassing political and social commentary. Initially running from 1980 to 2004, its strong inclusive stance, bold design and experimental approaches to photography still feel fresh and relevant today. In 2019, the magazine was relaunched for a new generation, while staying true to Logan's original vision.
This volume celebrates the ongoing legacy of The Face in British art, design and culture through some of the most iconic portraits from the magazine's first 25 years. It showcases striking portraits taken by the likes of Miles Aldridge, Elaine Constantine, Corinne Day, David LaChapelle and Juergen Teller. The photographs feature such iconic figures as Kate Moss, Annie Lennox, Kurt Cobain, Iggy Pop, Snoop Dogg, David Bowie, Ewan McGregor, Madness, The Clash and Kylie Minogue. The book also includes selected covers and spreads from the original print magazine, complemented by words from key contributors to the original magazine. Published to accompany the eponymous exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London, this volume is a critical tool in understanding the astounding influence of The Face on style photography as well as the magazine's enduring impact on visual culture in Britain and beyond.

Portraits of British royalty, spanning 500 years of painting and photography

This publication explores five British royal dynasties, from the Tudors to the Windsors, drawing on the Collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London, which embraces over 500 years of British history. It includes paintings and photographs by many of the most important artists to have worked in Britain, from Peter Lely and Godfrey Kneller to Cecil Beaton and Dorothy Wilding.

A number of features on topics such as Royal Favorites, Royal Weddings, Satire, Royals at War and Royal Fashion provide insights into particular aspects of royal portraiture and trends within the genre. Tudors to Windsors also considers how each dynasty has been perceived and interpreted subsequently, with reference to popular culture and contemporary sources.

The publication includes a foreword by the Gallery's Director, a fully illustrated introductory essay discussing royal patronage and key artists in royal portraiture, and an essay by David Cannadine on the historical role of the monarchy in Britain.

The first comprehensive monograph on the forgotten radical innovator of color photography and mythic, surreal portraiture

The British photographer Yevonde was a businesswoman and tireless creator; as an innovator committed to color photography when it was not considered a serious medium, her work is significant in the history of portrait photography. Yevonde's portraits embody glorified tradition countered with a desire for the new; her most renowned body of work is a series of women dressed as goddesses posed in surreal tableaux from the 1930s. Yevonde championed photography during a time when there were few women photographers working professionally, and this book tells the story of her life, her works and her 60-year career.
Yevonde: Life and Colour brings the photographer's works together for the first time in 20 years. With an abundance of reproductions, and featuring previously unpublished works, the book showcases her experimentation with a range of techniques and genres including color photography, portraiture, still lifes, solarization and the Vivex color process, and repositions her as a key modern artist of the 20th century. It also provides in-depth context for Yevonde's images, considering their aesthetic and mythic references.
Yevonde (1893-1975), also known as Madame Yevonde, was a London-based photographer of portraits and still lifes whose motto was be original or die.

A visual chronology of women's accomplishments over the past century

This volume showcases 123 women from 1900 to the present day who have made significant contributions historically, culturally, socially and academically in Britain and beyond--among them, Annie Kenney, Katherine Mansfield, Claudia Jones, Ray Strachey, Zadie Smith, Tessa Jowell, Jane Goodall, Olive Morris, Malala Yousafzai and Bernardine Evaristo.
The book is structured around a timeline that focuses on one woman per year, reflecting significant events in their careers and lives, which are discussed in extended captions and illustrated with portraits. This accessible presentation of the content helps readers contextualize the work of these women in history.
Contributors punctuate this timeline with essays highlighting the role of women in fields including science, design, literature and activism, in addition to essays on self-portraiture, celebrity culture and photography. Women at Work also features quotes from some of the women featured, including excerpts from poetry, lectures and interviews.

Drink like one of the Bright Young Things with Cecil Beaton's Cocktail Book

Cecil Beaton (1904-80) was one of the most celebrated British portrait photographers of the 20th century, so renowned for his images of celebrities and high society that his own name has become synonymous with elegance, glamour and style. In the 1920s and '30s, Beaton used his camera, his ambition and his larger-than-life personality to mingle with a flamboyant and rebellious group of artists and writers, socialites and partygoers whose spirit and style cut a dramatic swathe through the epoch. Canonizing the era's Bright Young Things in his distinctive brand of opulent studio portraiture, Beaton worked his way up from middle-class suburban schoolboy to glittering society figure.

This miniature cocktail book features a delightful array of recipes inspired by the decadent drinks of Beaton's youth, and the fabulous friends and celebrities whom he photographed. Period classics such as the Hanky Panky, Manhatten, Negroni and Sidecar are given contemporary twists by the Head Bartender and Mixologist of the world famous Claridge's Hotel in London, which played host to some of the most extravagant Bright Young gatherings. It is illustrated with the artist's own photographs and the witty and distinctive drawings he produced throughout his life, recording people, travels and experiences, which were featured in Vogue magazine. A must-have for every well-appointed bar cart, Cecil Beaton's Cocktail Book brings to life a deliriously eccentric, glamorous and creative era.

Oscar Rejlander, Julia Margaret Cameron, Lewis Carroll and Clementina Hawarden embody the very best of Victorian photography

The work of Oscar Rejlander (1813-75), Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-79), Lewis Carroll (1832-98) and Lady Clementina Hawarden (1822-65) embodies the very best of photography from the Victorian era. These giants of 19th-century photography experimented with new approaches to picture-making and shaped attitudes toward photography that have informed artistic practice ever since. Discover the images that made the case for the photograph as a work of art in this beautiful book.

These four artists--a Swedish migr with a mysterious past, a middle-aged Ceylonese expatriate, an Oxford academic and writer of fantasy literature, and a Scottish countess--formed the unlikeliest of schools. Both Carroll and Cameron studied under Rejlander briefly, and maintained a lasting association based around intersecting approaches to portraiture and narrative. Influenced by historical painting and working in close association with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, they formed a bridge between the art of the past and the art of the future.