Roll over image to zoom in
John Craxton: A Modern Odyssey
£28.50
A celebration of the life and work of the artist John Craxton, a rebellious figure in British art history
Spanning a rich variety of works from the 1940s to the 2000s, this book celebrates the life and work of the British artist John Craxton (1922–2009). It charts the development of Craxton’s work from the poetic, melancholy images created in wartime Britain to the vibrant paintings and drawings produced in his adopted homeland of Greece. The book revisits the artist’s early life and looks at the influence of British Romantic art and the landscape of England and Wales on his work, while also exploring themes around LGBTQ+ identity, his relationship to significant modern British and international artists, and the historical context of mid-century Britain and Greece.
Featuring short essays and texts from contributors including Sir David Attenborough, Ian Collins, Simon Martin, Miriam O’Connor Perks, David Mellor, Edmund White, Hilary Spurling, and Tacita Dean―covering subjects across Craxton’s career, including book illustration, landscape, ballet design, ceramics, and tapestry―this lively account showcases the diverse artistic output of this key figure in British art history.
Exhibition Schedule:
Pallant House Gallery, Chichester
(October 28, 2023–April 21, 2024)
Spanning a rich variety of works from the 1940s to the 2000s, this book celebrates the life and work of the British artist John Craxton (1922–2009). It charts the development of Craxton’s work from the poetic, melancholy images created in wartime Britain to the vibrant paintings and drawings produced in his adopted homeland of Greece. The book revisits the artist’s early life and looks at the influence of British Romantic art and the landscape of England and Wales on his work, while also exploring themes around LGBTQ+ identity, his relationship to significant modern British and international artists, and the historical context of mid-century Britain and Greece.
Featuring short essays and texts from contributors including Sir David Attenborough, Ian Collins, Simon Martin, Miriam O’Connor Perks, David Mellor, Edmund White, Hilary Spurling, and Tacita Dean―covering subjects across Craxton’s career, including book illustration, landscape, ballet design, ceramics, and tapestry―this lively account showcases the diverse artistic output of this key figure in British art history.
Exhibition Schedule:
Pallant House Gallery, Chichester
(October 28, 2023–April 21, 2024)
Read more
Additional information
| Publisher | Pallant House Gallery (24 Oct. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 144 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1869827716 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1869827717 |
by Venerable Bede
Craxton painted for most of his life in Crete. His pictures capture the essence of light and life. This book is beautifully illustrated and interesting to read.
by Mrs Hilary Marshall
Very enjoyable book, full of anecdotes and illustrations plus good reproductions, whch helps to establish John Craxton as a significant artist of the 20th Century.
by Caroline
So pleased to get this for the price I paid as it is very expensive to buy at galleries/museums. Was worried it would not come up to scratch but it arrived in very good condition; only the front cover was very slightly faded but hardly noticeable. The book is beautifully illustrated and the content/biography of Craxton very interesting. He deserves to be much more widely known than he is. Just wish I could afford one of his paintings.
by dickye1
Being a passionate follower of xx century art I found interesting compare the manner and inspiration of this great artist with italian art production of the same period.
Llightness and romantic attitude somehow opposite to the concreteness and sometimes consciously dullness of back to order italian artist between the two wars.
So many suggestions also come from the view of intense social life of young Craxton.
A great enrichment!
by Irene S.
Saw John Craxton’s stunning exhbition at the Fitzwilliam in Cambridge. Just has to have Ian Collins’ book. Saved £7 on the gallery price by purchasing it from Amazon.
Really pleased with it.
by Henry’s Cat
Another surprising book. John Craxton is one of those artists who came from the Samuel Palmer stable, following on from Graham Sutherland. Similar in my opinion to John Minton, this book shows the development of Craxton’s work from his youth, time in the Mediterranian and later career. Plenty of full colour illustrations, this would be a great book for art students interested in British landscape painting, looking for a subject to do their dissertation on.
by T. L.
A really nice book of this very interesting British artist that spent much of his life in Greece during the 50’s/60’s. The influenced of Picasso is present in his work. Good illustrations throughout.
by Mrs. L.E.C
An artist who I came across after the British Museum Charmed Lives in Greece. Love his work and his Greek influences. Super book with loads of pictures of his works. In colour.