Hello and welcome
A short introduction …
I’m a writer – author of more than a dozen books, and many articles and essays. In one way or another, most of my work concerns modern art and artists, but there is always a focus on the wider cultural setting. I write for children as well as adults – one reason why art became my subject may be because it speaks to everyone’s inner six-year-old.
Teaching has always been an important aspect of my work. I regularly give talks and lectures. From 2018 to 2021, I was Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus, and I am currently involved in RLF’s Bridge programme of writing development for post-16 students.
When I get the chance, I also enjoy working in radio, and with galleries and museums, as an adviser or guest curator.
You’ll find information in these pages about my books and other projects. I try to keep it up-to-date – but for the latest activity, please follow me on Instagram @image_and_word
My most recent new books are This is Tomorrow: Twentieth-century Britain and its Artists (Thames & Hudson, 2022), Matt Rugg: The Many Languages of Sculpture (Lund Humphries/University of Newcastle, 2023), and the children’s book Dear Vincent, a collaboration with illustrator Ella Beech (Thames & Hudson, 2024).
I’m delighted that Lund Humphries have recently reissued two of my earlier books, The St Ives Artists: A Biography of Place and Time and Sandra Blow, first published in 2008 and 2005 respectively.
If you’d like to get in touch, please use the email contact form below. For professional enquiries, please contact Felicity Bryan Associates, where I am represented by Catherine Clarke.
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