Simon Grant – författare

In My View is a collection of reflections by 78 contemporary artists in which each artist reveals the influence and inspiration he or she has found in a particular artwork or artist. Among the artists are John Baldessari, Daniel Buren, Chuck Close, Michael Craig-Martin, Tacita Dean, Marlene Dumas, Antony Gormley, Susan Hiller, Thomas Hirschhorn, Candida Höfer, Vik Muniz, Jorge Pardo, Raymond Pettibon, Ed Ruscha, Bill Viola and Rachel Whiteread. The works chosen range from the fifteenth to the mid-twentieth century, some of them iconic, others lesser known. The accompanying essays are often very personal, recalling childhood memories and life-changing moments, and capturing the joy and excitement that come from encounters with great art. The stories show the profound connections that exist between artists past and present and offer an alternative look at art history from the 15th century to the 1960s, through the eyes of contemporary artists themselves. Simon Grant’s introduction identifies themes that emerge and contextualizes the history and practice of artists looking back at the work of others.

This book explains the motivations for building and using portfolio tools, and clarifies the principles and practice of using and developing them for assessment, recording personal information, self-presentation, personal and professional development, and for subtler and deeper aims of encouraging a reflective approach to learning, practice and life, developing personal identity, and ethical development towards moral agency. The book also offers a stimulating future vision to orient those with a longer-term perspective on the directions in which portfolio tools and related technology are advancing.

The art of Paule Vézelay (1892-1984), celebrated in this groundbreaking publication, is remarkable in its breadth. Over her long career she created an extraordinarily diverse output encompassing painting, collage, sculpture, constructions, illustration, textiles, photography, poetry, prose, critical writing and even a film script. As a mark of her considerable accomplishments, she was celebrated with a show at Tate in the year before her death.Setting out to bring this bold and accomplished artist to new audiences, this important publication focuses primarily on Vézelay's early years in Paris from the 1920s through to 1939, during which time her work moved from figuration to abstraction, for which she would become best known. The book also brings to light, for the first time in detail, her little-known period as a successful designer of textiles.Uncompromising and clear-sighted in her artistic ambitions, Vézelay became a formidable presence in the international avant-garde scene in Paris and continued to push artistic boundaries throughout her long career. This publication, which includes original research and previously unpublished works, extends our understanding, and appreciation of, this important British artist.