Nick Trend – författare

When was art's first kiss? Who painted the first ever smile and the first self-portrait? When did Western art first depict a Black person or approach feminism? And why were each of these firsts so important? This book answers all these fascinating questions and more.Art Firsts explores 30 groundbreaking works to piece together an original approach to looking at and appreciating art, as well as understanding where it has come from and how it relates to you. Each first is approachable and engaging, while each work is simply and satisfyingly explained. Every work is also fully illustrated, and its significance is shown through images of the subsequent artists directly inspired by them. This book offers a refreshing and fascinating narrative for those curious about why so-called 'masterpieces' are so important and how the story of art can be boiled down to flashes of fascinating brilliance.

The Art of Travel series showcases the world’s greatest artists, and the places where they lived and worked. See the sights through their eyes, and watch their masterpieces come to life. Transport yourself back in time to meet Caravaggio navigating the mean streets of 17th-century Rome. Or head to 18th-century Venice, where Canaletto paints supersized postcards for Grand Tourists. Or to medieval Florence, where Giotto is hard at work in the Bardi chapel. Wherever you're heading, the Art of Travel series takes you on a journey into the heart of Italy’s great cities, with its best-loved artists as your tour guides. With twelve chapters, each devoted to an artist or group of artists, and a dozen itineraries to choose from, you can immerse yourself in their world, wandering in and out of churches, palaces and grand residences to admire their work in situ – all from the comfort of your armchair. Each chapter begins with an illustrated map, featuring hand-drawn vignettes that bring to vivid life episodes from the artists' often turbulent lives, as well as key landmarks and local colour. Set off on your own Grand Tour for the 21st century.

The second volume in the Art of Travel series invites you to experience the cultural hotspots of France, with its best-loved artists as your tour guides. Imagine hurrying down the corridors of pre-revolutionary Versailles in the company of Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, the most sought-after portraitist of her day. Who will you meet as you drop in at her studio? The Duchess of Polignac, one of the great beauties of the Ancien Régime, or the ill-fated queen herself, Marie Antoinette? Or fast-forward to the 19th century, to the Provence of Cézanne and Van Gogh, before moving on to the French Riviera, where for six months Picasso made his home. With twelve chapters, each devoted to an artist or group of artists, and accompanying itineraries, you can immerse yourself in their world, wandering in and out of palaces, grand residences and artist's studios to admire their work in situ – all from the comfort of your armchair. A bespoke illustrated map with hand-drawn vignettes brings to vivid life episodes from the artists' often turbulent lives, as well as key landmarks and local colour. Set off on your own Grand Tour for the 21st century.

Art as life: Artemisia Gentileschi’s life story, told through her greatest works. The story of Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1654) is one of remarkable triumph of talent and force of personality over apparently insurmountable obstacles, and one of the most compelling in the entire history of Western art. Artemisia Gentileschi: A Life in Pictures traces the artist’s astonishing rise through twenty-eight defining works, revealing how her art was shaped by both the grandeur of Rome and the personal trials she endured. From early promise to international acclaim, each painting marks a moment of defiance, resilience or reinvention. Through this vivid, image-led journey, Artemisia emerges not only as one of the greatest painters of her age but also as a figure of extraordinary determination – transforming adversity into a body of work that still resonates with power, drama and emotional intensity today. Life in Pictures This title is part of the ‘Life in Pictures’ series, which offers a bold new way to discover the world’s greatest artists. Each book focuses on one iconic figure – from Munch to Monet, Cassatt to Caravaggio – with their life and work unfolding through a vivid, image-led timeline. Masterpieces take centre stage, presented in chronological order so readers can see how the art and the life intertwine. Featured artworks range from early sketches and self-portraits to intimate depictions of friends and lovers, pivotal paintings created at moments of personal or historical change, and the masterpieces that secured lasting fame. Accessible, engaging and visually striking, the series is both an essential introduction to the most celebrated names in art and a captivating showcase of their work.

Art as life: Vincent van Gogh’s life story, told through his greatest works. ‘How could a man who loved flowers and light so much and depicted them so well have managed to be so unhappy?’ So asked Claude Monet when reflecting on the contrast between the brilliance and positivity of Van Gogh’s art and the tragedy of his short life. Vincent van Gogh: A Life in Pictures sets out to answer that question, but not in the traditional way of recounting his biography and dropping in some paintings as illustrations. Instead, it puts the pictures front and centre, devoting each chapter to one of Van Gogh’s thirty key works. Van Gogh’s early self-portraits, for instance, take on new meaning when we realise they were painted at a time when he was uncertain about his future as an artist. The Sunflowers series was intended to decorate the bedroom in Arles where he hoped Gauguin would stay, while Irises was painted in the gardens of the asylum shortly after his admission for treatment. A few weeks later, Starry Night captured the view from the window of his room before dawn. Ultimately, Van Gogh’s extraordinary achievement and profound originality are best understood through close attention to the paintings themselves. As he wrote in a letter to his brother Theo – found unsent on his body after his death – ‘We cannot speak other than by our paintings.’ Life in Pictures This title is part of the ‘Life in Pictures’ series, which offers a bold new way to discover the world’s greatest artists. Each book focuses on one iconic figure – from Munch to Monet, Cassatt to Caravaggio – with their life and work unfolding through a vivid, image-led timeline. Masterpieces take centre stage, presented in chronological order so readers can see how the art and the life intertwine. Accessible, engaging and visually striking, the series is both an essential introduction to the most celebrated names in art and a captivating showcase of their work.

Discover the love affairs that inspired art's greatest masterpieces. Whether in the throes of passion, enduring the pain of unrequited love, or basking in the joy of a wonderfully supportive friendship, What Art Can Tell Us About Love explores the myriad ways love has influenced artists, shaped the work they created, and altered the course of art history. Beautifully illustrated with full-colour photographs of more than 70 artworks, this guide looks at how artists have painted, sketched and modelled their lovers - and how the theme of love has found its way into a broad range of works, from landscapes to still-life and self-portraits.Artists include: Caravaggio, Georgia O'Keeffe, Sarah Bernhardt, Picasso, Rembrandt, Frida Kahlo, Tamara de Lempicka, Clifford Prince-King, Chagall, Lotte Laserstein and Niki de Saint Phalle.