Author Description

The core of this book is a detailed examination of 100 British self-portraits in the remarkable Ruth Borchard Collection. The earliest include works by Raymond Coxon, Ithell Colquhoun, Carel Weight and Anne Redpath from the first half of last century, but most are from the 1950s and 60s, helping evoke an entire period in British art and its myriad developing strands. All kinds of artistic influences are to be seen here - art school academicism, Camden Town, Expressionism, the Euston Road School, Kitchen Sink, continental Existentialism. The Collection is full of revelations of once relatively obscure artists who have gone on to become critically appreciated, along with artists of stature who have been unfairly neglected. Each portrait is accompanied by a text discussing the work in some detail, the artist's background and development and any relevant writings. In all, self-portraits by 220 artists are illustrated, mainly in color.