History & Criticism
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Yves Klein
In the mid-1950s, Yves Klein (1928–1962) declared that “a new world calls for a new man.” With his idiosyncratic style and huge charisma, this bold artist would go on to pursue a brief but bountiful career, producing more than 1,000 paintings over seven years in an oeuvre now considered a mainstay of postwar modernism.
Klein made his name above all with his large monochrome canvases in his own patented hue of blue. International Klein Blue (IKB), composed of pure pigment and binding medium, is at once rich and luminous, evocative and decorative, and was conceived by Klein as a means of evoking the immateriality and infinitude of the world. The works of this “Blue Revolution” seem to draw us into another dimension, as if hypnotized by a perfect summer sky. Klein was also renowned for his deployment of “living brushes,” in which naked women, daubed in International Klein Blue, would make imprints of their bodies on large sheets of paper.
This Basic Art introduction presents key Klein works to introduce an artist who was at once a showman, inventor, and pioneer of performance art. With page after page of the ever-alluring International Klein Blue, it is both an essential guide to a modern art master and a meditation on the unique effects of a single color.
About the series
Born back in 1985, the Basic Art Series has evolved into the best-selling art book collection ever published. Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art series features:
a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance
a concise biography
approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions
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£11.40£14.30Yves Klein
£11.40£14.30 -
Rothko
Resisting interpretation or classification, Mark Rothko (1903–1970) was a prominent advocate for the artist’s consummate freedom of expression. Although identified as a key protagonist of the Abstract Expressionist movement, first formed in New York City, Rothko rejected the label and insisted instead on “a consummated experience between picture and onlooker.” Following a repertoire of figurative works, Rothko developed his now iconic canvases of bold color blocks in red, yellow, ochre, maroon, black, or green. With these shimmering, pulsating color masses, Rothko stressed that he had not removed the human figure but rather put symbols or shapes in its place. These intense color forms contained all the tragedy of the human condition. At the same time, Rothko explicitly empowered the viewer in the expressive potential of his work. He believed “A picture lives by companionship, expanding and quickening in the eyes of the sensitive observer.” From his early development through to his most famous color fields, this book introduces the intellect and influence of Rothko’s dramatic, intimate, and revolutionary work.
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£11.40£14.30Rothko
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Warhol
Andy Warhol (1928–1987) is hailed as the most important proponent of the Pop art movement. A critical and creative observer of American society, he explored key themes of consumerism, materialism, media, and celebrity.
Drawing on contemporary advertisements, comic strips, consumer products, and Hollywood’s most famous faces, Warhol proposed a radical reevaluation of what constituted artistic subject matter. Through Warhol, a Campbell’s soup can and Coca Cola bottle became as worthy of artistic status as any traditional still life. At the same time, Warhol reconfigured the role of the artist. Famously stating “I want to be a machine,” he systematically reduced the presence of his own authorship, working with mass-production methods and images, as well as dozens of assistants in a studio he dubbed the Factory.
This book introduces Warhol’s multifaceted, prolific oeuvre, which revolutionized distinctions between “high” and “low” art and integrated ideas of living, producing, and consuming that remain central questions of modern experience.
About the series
Born back in 1985, the Basic Art Series has evolved into the best-selling art book collection ever published. Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art series features:
a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance
a concise biography
approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions
Read more
£11.40£14.30Warhol
£11.40£14.30 -
L.S. Lowry: Going to Work Jigsaw (1000-piece jigsaws): 1000-piece Jigsaw Puzzles
Part of an exciting series of sturdy, square-box 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles from Flame Tree, featuring powerful and popular works of art. This new jigsaw will satisfy your need for a challenge, with L.S. Lowry’s Going to Work. This 1000 piece jigsaw is intended for adults and children over 13 years. Not suitable for children under 3 years due to small parts. Finished Jigsaw size 735 x 510mm/29 x 20 ins. Now includes an A4 poster for reference.
This painting is an example of one of L.S. Lowry’s famous crowd scenes. The colour palette is unusually light and airy for the artist, with pink and gold-tinged buildings lifting the atmosphere. Lowry said of this painting, ‘To say the truth, I was not thinking very much about the people … They were part of a private beauty that haunted me!’ In his many depictions of north-west England Lowry makes industrial scenes his own, showing how industry had affected the landscape and how the inhabitants of the urban areas lived out their daily lives. Marches, evictions, accident s, illness, relaxation at the park or the fair, going to work, coming out o f school and going to the football match were all subjects for Lowry’s brush or pencil. His works were created in his own unique style, poetic yet not sentimental, compelling, even at times disturbing, but never judgemental.
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£11.30£12.30 -
Lee Krasner: A Biography
The first full length account of Lee Krasner’s colourful lifeIn Gail Levin’s riveting biography, Lee Krasner emerges as a significant artist who richly deserves her place in the 20th century’s cultural lexicon. Drawing on new sources and numerous personal interviews – including with Krasner herself – Levin has created a dynamic and moving portrait of a brilliant woman, and in so doing recovers Krasner’s voice and allows us to understand how her life intersected with and informed her art.
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£11.20£12.30Lee Krasner: A Biography
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Eric Ravilious Masterpieces of Art
The Art of Fine Gifts: Twentieth-century painter, designer and wood engraver Eric Ravilious was responsible for a fascinating range of different works, from illustrations for books to designs for ceramics for the established Wedgwood pottery firm. This gorgeous new book features beautiful woodcut images of countryside life, watercolours of rolling landscapes and many of Ravilious’ acute and profound war paintings.Read more
£11.20£12.30Eric Ravilious Masterpieces of Art
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L.S. Lowry Masterpieces of Art
Renowned for his paintings of the industrial towns of North West England, Lancashire born Lowry had a distinctive and enchanting style, depicting the everyday life of the world around him. In association with The Lowry, which houses over 400 of Lowry’s works, this exceptional book portrays a selection of his paintings, sketches and other works, with subjects gleaned from urban landscapes teeming with his iconic ‘matchstick men’ to haunting unpopulated scenes. Often neglected by the elite of the art world his work has received much greater recognition in recent years.Read more
£11.20£12.30L.S. Lowry Masterpieces of Art
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Ciprian Muresan: Drawings, 2015-2004
Never employed as an instrument for direct notation, for Ciprian Muresan (*1977 in Dej) drawing functions in equations that envelop this mode of production in a reflection on visibility and loss, on historical suspension, and ways in which the past is retrieved. Based on the artist’s diverse artistic output, the volume surveys the forms in which drawing recurs in Muresan’s practice. It foregrounds lines of continuity between earlier works, such as cheat sheets onto which The Gospel of John has been transcribed, and recent projects in which, for instance, all of the reproductions in books on Antonello da Messina or Kasimir Malevich are copied onto a single sheet of paper. Essays contextualize Muresan’s drawings in their fraught relation to art history, remembrance, and conservation as well as against shifting notions of labor.Read more
£10.60£17.10Ciprian Muresan: Drawings, 2015-2004
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Creative Inspiration: Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh’s paintings are amongst the most iconic and admired in the world. The trials of his life and health are endlessly discussed but the extraordinary richness of his writings and depth of his thinking on creativity, art and beauty is less explored.In Creative Inspiration, Van Gogh’s writings have been edited and selected to create an enlightening, uplifting and helpful book for art lovers and creatives – amateurs and professionals alike.
150 carefully selected images illustrate these quotes, focusing on the sketches and drawings that reveal the rigour and ambition with which he approached his work.
The book is thematically divided – from Beginnings to Routine to Beauty – and his determination and charisma are shared through words and pictures.
A beautiful, and delightfully handy, art book that is designed to inspire.
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£10.50£12.30Creative Inspiration: Vincent Van Gogh
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Paul Klee Wall Calendar 2024 (Art Calendar)
Paul Klee was one of the most inventive artists of the twentieth century. Influenced by Surrealism, Cubism and Impressionism, he had an undoubtedly distinctive style. A keen student of colour theory, his works are powerfully effective, and this calendar features a fantastic selection, including pieces such as Red Balloon, Castle and Sun, and Falling Bird. Informative text accompanies each work and the datepad features previous and next month’s views. Printed on FSC-certified paper, with plastic-free packaging.Read more
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A Beginner’s Guide to Chinese Brush Painting: 35 Painting Activities from Calligraphy to Animals to Landscapes
A Beginner’s Guide to Chinese Brush Painting teaches this ancient art form in an easy-to-understand way―no prior experience necessary!As one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world, Chinese brush painting has been used for thousands of years to create images that harness the imagination, and capture the inner spirit of a subject―be it an animal, landscape or tree. All you need for this simple, but beautiful, art form is black watercolor paint, white paper, a brush and some creativity!
An introduction tells you about the history of brush painting, and also gives tips for holding your brush, achieving different shades and collecting your materials. After that, the book takes you step-by-step through more than 35 hands-on activities―including basic strokes, putting them together to create an object or scene, the importance of leaving open space and even writing some Chinese calligraphy.
With the help of this book, artists of all ages can learn to paint:
- Bamboo stalks, branches and leaf clusters
- A knotted pine tree and its delicate needles
- A snail with a spiral shell and little body peeking out from underneath
- A waterfall gliding down the side of a mountain
- And much more!
You’ll find that this activity will help you learn to center your mind and thoughts, and your masterpieces will be inspiring decorations or great gifts for friends and family. Get started learning this ‘soft martial art!’
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£9.60£10.40 -
Wassily Kandinsky Wall Calendar 2024 (Art Calendar)
Wassily Kandinsky was a renowned Russian-born painter who is often regarded as one of the earliest pioneers of abstract art. This art calendar brings together some of his most striking works. Informative text accompanies each work and the datepad features previous and next month’s views. Printed on FSC-certified paper, with plastic-free packaging.Read more
£9.60£10.40 -
Michael Jackon 2024 Calendar A3, month to View, Official Product: Original Danilo-Kalender [Mehrsprachig] [Kalender]
2024 Michael Jackson A3 Calendar. Each month features iconic images of Michael Jackson also known as the King of Pop. There is also plenty of room for all your notes and appointments in the large monthly date panels provided.
Product Dimensions: 420 X 297 MM
Danilo is the leading publisher of officially licensed calendars, diaries, greeting cards, gift wrap and gift bags in the UK. We are a family run company that’s been operating for more than 40 years. Our licenses range from baby to adult. All the paper we use is responsibly sourced and we only work with suppliers and manufacturers that meet our stringent ethical requirements.
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£9.60£10.40 -
Japanese Art: Close-Up
Beautifully illustrated with an array of Japanese art, this book offers a closer look at the rich variety of styles, decoration, motifs and patterns – and the sheer craftsmanship – of Japanese culture. Opening with an introduction that asks ‘What is Japanese art?’, this book presents a selection of striking and fascinating art from Japan, organised into a series of thematic chapters in which the author provides cultural context while pointing out exceptional features. By showing the complete artwork alongside enlarged details – sometimes virtually invisible to the naked eye – intriguing comparisons can be drawn between seemingly unrelated pieces. The selection of illustrations evokes the hand and eye of the most accomplished Japanese craftsmen and women past and present. Offering a superb insight into a wide array of Japanese art, the book highlights – close up and in colour – outstanding examples of design and craft in prints, paintings and screens, metalwork, ceramics, wood, stone and lacquer and will provide endless creative inspiration.Read more
£9.50£12.30Japanese Art: Close-Up
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Novelist as a Vocation: ‘Every creative person should read this short book’ Literary Review
A unique look at the craft of writing from a bestelling master of storytelling.
In this engaging book, the internationally best-selling author shares with readers what he thinks about being a novelist; his thoughts on the role of the novel in our society; his own origins as a writer; and his musings on the sparks of creativity that inspire other writers, artists, and musicians.
Readers who have long wondered where the mysterious novelist gets his ideas and what inspires his strangely surreal worlds will be fascinated by this highly personal look at the craft of writing.
‘An insightful collection of essays on his work and methods… You end this collection of beautiful essays vowing to never let life, or writing, get so complicated again’ Guardian
‘Murakami is like a magician who explains what he’s doing as he performs the trick and still makes you believe he has supernatural powers’ New York Times Book Review
‘A fascinating glimpse of the peculiar writerly life’ Sunday Times
** A TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES and NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR**
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£9.20£10.40 -
Foreign Devils on the Silk Road: The Search for the Lost Treasures of Central Asia
The Silk Road, which linked imperial Rome and distant China, was once the greatest thoroughfare on earth. Along it travelled precious cargoes of silk, gold and ivory, as well as revolutionary new ideas. Its oasis towns blossomed into thriving centres of Buddhist art and learning. In time it began to decline. The traffic slowed, the merchants left and finally its towns vanished beneath the desert sands to be forgotten for a thousand years. But legends grew up of lost cities filled with treasures and guarded by demons. In the early years of the last century foreign explorers began to investigate these legends, and very soon an international race began for the art treasures of the Silk Road. Huge wall paintings, sculptures and priceless manuscripts were carried away, literally by the ton, and are today scattered through the museums of a dozen countries. Peter Hopkirk tells the story of the intrepid men who, at great personal risk, led these long-range archaeological raids, incurring the undying wrath of the Chinese.Read more
£9.00£10.40 -
Femina: The instant Sunday Times bestseller – A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
LONGLISTED FOR THE CUNDILL HISTORY PRIZE‘Revelatory’ GUARDIAN
‘A firecracker somehow captured between two covers’ LUCY WORSLEY
An instant bestseller and one of the most celebrated history books of the year, Femina reveals the power and influence of medieval women who have been written out of our history. From royalty and religion to fame and fury, see the medieval world – and the women erased from it – with fresh eyes.
‘Absolutely brilliant and highly recommended’ CAITLIN MORAN
‘Femina is a ground-breaking history of the Middle Ages’ SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE
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£9.00£10.40 -
100 Books from the Libraries of the National Trust (The National Trust Collection)
The National Trust looks after almost half a million books and manuscripts held in libraries across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This beautifully illustrated volume brings together a selection of 100 rare and fascinating examples spanning the 8th to the 21st centuries.100 Books from the Libraries of the National Trust includes illuminated medieval manuscripts; the Trust’s oldest atlas, with maps of the ancient world; a volume from Henry VIII’s library; a book inscribed in blood; an Arabic manuscript on horsemanship; a very early book on swimming; the largest volume of botanical drawings ever produced; marches by Joseph Haydn; a library of miniature children’s books; Dame Ellen Terry’s annotated working copy of Shakespeare’s Macbeth; the first book ever printed in Antarctica; Virginia Woolf’s handwritten manuscript for her novel Orlando; and John Lennon’s treasured childhood copy of Richmal Crompton’s William the Gangster.
Chosen by National Trust curators from collections at more than 160 properties, the featured books are arranged chronologically, each accompanied by beautiful photography and an illuminating, easytoread caption. The book concludes with a handy glossary of terms and a gazetteer of important National Trust libraries.
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£8.70£9.50 -
I Paint What I Want to See: Philip Guston (Penguin Modern Classics)
Illuminating reflections on painting and drawing from one of the most revered artists of the twentieth century
‘Thank God for yellow ochre, cadmium red medium, and permanent green light’
How does a painter see the world? Philip Guston, one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, spoke about art with unparalleled candour and commitment. Touching on work from across his career as well as that of his fellow artists and Renaissance heroes, this selection of his writings, talks and interviews draws together some of his most incisive reflections on iconography and abstraction, metaphysics and mysticism, and, above all, the nature of painting and drawing.
‘Among the most important, powerful and influential American painters of the last 100 years … he’s an art world hero’ Jerry Saltz, New York Magazine
‘Guston’s paintings make us think hard’ Aindrea Emelife, Guardian
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£8.70£9.50 -
A Little Feminist History of Art
Emerging in the late 1960s as women artists struggled to de-gender their work to compete in a male-dominated arena, the feminist art movement has played a leading role in the art world over the last five decades. Using the female gaze to articulate socially relevant issues after an era of aesthetic formalism, women artists, working in a variety of media, have called to attention ideas around gender, identity and form, criticising the cultural expectations and stereotyping of women, women s struggle for equality, and the treatment of the female body as a commodity. This little book is a short and pithy introduction to some of the most important artworks borne out of this movement. Fifty outstanding works from the late 1960s to the present reflect women s lives and experience, as well as the changing position of women artists, and reveal the impact of feminist ideals and politics on visual culture. Exploring themes such as gender inequality, sexuality, domestic life, personal experiences and the female body, A Little Feminist History of Art is a celebration of one of the most ambitious, influential and enduring artistic movements to emerge from the twentieth century.Read more
£8.60£9.50A Little Feminist History of Art
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Basquiat
An icon of 1980s New York, Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988) first made his name under the graffiti tag “SAMO,” before establishing his studio practice and catapulting to fast fame at the age of 20. Although his career lasted barely a decade, he remains a cult figure of artistic social commentary, and a trailblazer in the mediation of graffiti and gallery art.
Basquiat’s work drew upon diverse sources and media to create an original and urgent artistic vocabulary, biting with critique against structures of power and racism. His practice merged abstraction and figuration, poetry and painting, while his influences spanned Greek, Roman, and African art, French poetry, jazz,and the work of artistic contemporaries such as Andy Warhol and Cy Twombly. The results are vivid, visceral mixtures of words, African emblems, cartoonish figures, daubs of bold color, and beyond.
This book presents Basquiat’s short but prolific career, his unique style, and his profound engagement with ever-relevant issues of integration and segregation, poverty and wealth.
About the series
Born back in 1985, the Basic Art Series has evolved into the best-selling art book collection ever published. Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art series features:
a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance
a concise biography
approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions
Read more
£7.60£11.40Basquiat
£7.60£11.40 -
The Simple Chinese Cookbook: 50 Essential Chinese Recipes You Need To Have
DISCOVER AMAZING CHINESE RECIPES WITH THE AMAZING SIMPLE CHINESE COOKBOOKTODAY!
Without Delay, You Will Find Amazing Recipes In This Book Such As:
★ Hot & Sour Soup
★ Wonton Soup
★ Honey Walnut Shrimp
★ Steamed Fish
★ Stir-Fried Shrimp & Scallions
★ Kung Pao Chicken – Keto-Friendly
★ Orange Chicken
★ Chinese Pork BBQ (Char Siu)
★ Chinese Pork Dumplings
★ Chop Suey
★ Easy Moo Shu Pork
★ Peking Pork Chops – Slow-Cooked
★ Crispy Tofu With Sweet & Sour Sauce
★ Shiitake & Scallion Lo Mein
And Much Much More!
Pick up your copy of the book right now by clicking the BUY NOW button at the top of this page!
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£6.00£23.80 -
BLM-Black Lives Matter-BLM
Black Lives Matters Diary + Journal, 8-1/2″ x 11″ Green Cover, 101 Sheets with lines to record your day to day activities and journal your thoughts.Read more
£5.50 -
Making Sense of Islamic Art & Architecture
Making Sense of Islamic Art & Architecture is designed to equip the cultural tourist and art student with the means to interpret each painting, building, or artifact in terms of the iconography and symbolism of Islam. With reference to 100 clearly illustrated and diverse historical works, readers will learn to identify the telling details that mean so much to Muslims. The book’s layout is both visually striking and accessible. Each double-page spread features a full-page colour photograph of either a detail of the work or its context, depending on the subject, with a second photograph chosen to illustrate important aspects of the work. Alongside is a detailed exposition of the work’s significance in Islamic art history and philosophy, with key historical facts about the work, including where it may be seen today. By tracing the paths between Islamic belief and artistic intention, this book will deepen understanding not only of Islamic art and architecture but also of Islam itself.Read more
£5.10£9.50Making Sense of Islamic Art & Architecture
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The Marriage Portrait: the Instant Sunday Times Bestseller, Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2023
Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2023
A Reese’s Bookclub December Pick (2022)
An Instant Sunday Times, New York Times and Irish Times Bestseller (August 2022)
A Guardian and LitHub Book of the Year (December 2022)‘Every bit as evocative and spellbinding as Hamnet. O’Farrell, thank God, just seems to be getting better and better’ i newspaper
‘Her narrative enchantment will wrest suspense and surprise out of a death foretold’ Financial Times
‘Ingenious, inventive, humane, wry, truthful . . . better than her last novel’ Scotsman
‘Finely written and vividly imagined’ Guardian
‘In O’Farrell’s hands, historical detail comes alive’ Spectator
Winter, 1561. Lucrezia, Duchess of Ferrara, is taken on an unexpected visit to a country villa by her husband, Alfonso. As they sit down to dinner it occurs to Lucrezia that Alfonso has a sinister purpose in bringing her here. He intends to kill her.
Lucrezia is sixteen years old, and has led a sheltered life locked away inside Florence’s grandest palazzo. Here, in this remote villa, she is entirely at the mercy of her increasingly erratic husband.What is Lucrezia to do with this sudden knowledge? What chance does she have against Alfonso, ruler of a province, and a trained soldier? How can she ensure her survival.
The Marriage Portrait is an unforgettable reimagining of the life of a young woman whose proximity to power places her in mortal danger.
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£4.80£9.50 -
Butterfly Coloring Book for Adults: Beautiful Butterfly Designs with Lovely Flowers, Cute Butterflies’ and Relaxing Nature Scenes for Stress Relief and Relaxation for men and women
Butterfly Flower Coloring Book for Adults
Discover the amazing selection of Simple Flowers and Butterflies coloring pages and get hours of relaxation and stress relief.This coloring book has 50 straightforward but lovely patterns. Ideal for older people, beginners, or anyone searching for soothing coloring sheets that aren’t overly complicated. Spend hours having fun while relaxing and engaging in brain exercise. The ideal present for older folks on holidays, celebrations, and birthdays.
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Public, Art, Space
Traditionally thought of as a way to satisfy the ego of heads of businesses or public sector organisatio ns, works of art seen in public spaces are now enjoying moun ting popularity as younger artists see their creation as an opportunity to make a mark. ‘Read more
£3.20Public, Art, Space
£3.20
