Catherine Daunt – författare

‘A fascinating catalogue, torqued around the notion of a film critic watching moving images by day and then focussing on still ones at night’ -- Irish Art ReviewIn 2004 the British Museum received a bequest of 211 modern and contemporary prints and drawings from the influential film critic Alexander Walker (1930–2003). Undoubtedly one of the most important bequests in recent years, the acquisition of these works has transformed and significantly expanded the Museum’s collection of modern and contemporary Western graphic art. Walker was born in Portadown, Northern Ireland but spent most of his career in London, writing weekly film reviews for the Evening Standard for over 40 years. He also wrote a number of highly successful books about film including the ground-breaking 1969 publication Sex in the Movies, a trilogy of books about the British film industry and numerous biographies of directors and actors including Stanley Kubrick, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Peter Sellers. Walker’s collecting began tentatively in the early 1960s but gained in momentum as his confidence grew and his disposable income increased due to the success of his books. In a letter to a fellow collector in 1996, Walker wrote ’Audrey goes on selling strongly and has enabled me to buy some things I could hardly have afforded a few years ago: a beautiful Matisse etching ..., a rare print by Morandi ... and a marvellous woodcut by ... Vija Celmins‘. He lived with his collection around him, using every inch of space in his modest London apartment including the walls of his bathroom and kitchen. Walker developed a network of art dealers, gallerists and publishers whom heviewed as advisors, mentors and friends. These trusted figures introduced him to the work of many of the artists represented in his collection and recommended books, exhibitions and museums to visit. Walker remarked of his collection to one art dealer: ‘It’s an eclectic one, I know, but everything in it has added to my pleasure (and education), and the sum total has introduced me to a vast range of new acquaintances...’. As part of the bequest, the British Museum obtained Walker’s complete archive of correspondence and paperwork relating to his prints and drawings collection, which this publication draws on in both the essay and the catalogue. As a result, Walker’s own voice is fully present in this book.

Picasso was one of the most creative and experimental talents ever to explore the medium of print. This book charts his career as a printmaker, which was characterised by close collaboration with skilled printers, through which extraordinary artworks were produced.Picasso was one of the most creative and experimental talents ever to explore the medium of print. This book charts his career as a printmaker, which was characterised by close collaboration with skilled printers, through which extraordinary artworks were produced. Together with a stunning selection of works on paper by Picasso, it also includes sculptures, drawings and prints by other artists and cultures of the kind that inspired Picasso. His prints often demonstrate his keen sense of belonging to an artistic lineage stretching back to antiquity (stemming from his kinship with the Mediterranean world of his birthplace, Málaga), as well as great artists of the past such as Raphael, Rembrandt and Ingres. One section explores the contradictions and controversies relating to Picasso’s relationships with his wives and lovers. The focus on Picasso as a printmaker will argue for the importance of this activity in his long artistic career, and his continued relevance as one of the most creative and experimental talents ever to explore the medium of print.

An illuminating guide to history’s most influential and inspiring artists – from Michelangelo to Frida Kahlo – and how they can teach us to see the world more clearly.How did the greatest artists in history look at the world through new eyes? And what can we learn from the imagination, boldness and originality of their art? From the allusive frescos of the Renaissance to the cool irony of conceptual art in the 20th century, this is the ultimate guide to the greatest artists of the human age.Curator and writer Catherine Daunt interweaves the lives and loves of these great artists with moving and enlightening descriptions of their most famous and important works. This book takes the reader on a whirlwind journey through the greatest art of all time, and shows us how we can understand and interpret them.Daunt re-examines the canon, traditionally dominated by Western, white and male artists, and makes space for major figures from other cultures and traditions, as well as those who have been traditionally overlooked because of their gender or class. Every artist in this book has made a revolutionary contribution to art, changing the way that we view, depict and navigate our world.