Overview

Now available in an attractive paperback, Modernists and Mavericks is Martin Gayford's impressively researched and well-reviewed chronicle of postwar London painting. Modernists and Mavericks explores the development of painting in London from the Second World War to the 1970s based on an exceptionally deep well of firsthand interviews, with artists such as Victor Pasmore, John Craxton, Lucian Freud, Frank Auerbach, Allen Jones, R. B. Kitaj, Euan Uglow, Howard Hodgkin, Terry Frost, Gillian Ayres, Bridget Riley, David Hockney, Frank Bowling, Leon Kossoff, John Hoyland, and Patrick Caulfield. Gayford also teases out the thread weaving these individual lives together and demonstrates how and why, long after it was officially declared dead, painting lived and thrived in London. Simultaneously aware of the influences of Jackson Pollock, Alberto Giacometti, and the traditions of Western art, from Piero della Francesca to Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, the postwar painters were bound together by their confidence that this ancient medium could do fresh and marvelous things, and their urge to explore, in their diverse ways, the possibilities of paint.

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Reviews

A radical reassessment of the School of London canon... Engaging and erudite... Gayford offers a rethinking of his complex subject that is pluralistic and inclusive, nuanced in its examination of individual artists, and precisely attuned, from beginning to end, to today's critical issues. Absorbing and lavishly illustrated... encompasses art history and biography... But the main subject is painting itself, confounding and inspiring in 'its moral value and its sheer difficulty. Through interviews, anecdotes, and ample illustrations, Gayford brings to life London's art world... By focusing on the art, Gayford convinces readers that postwar-London artists were right: painting really can do marvelous things. [A] superb survey of British painting from 1945 to 1970, London... Gayford recounts the artists' lives and their travails with sympathy and understanding... [a] wonderfully accomplished book, full of anecdotes and aperçus. If you are interested in modern British art, the book is unputdownable. If you are not, read it. You soon will be. Martin Gayford has been talking with artists for 30 years. He doesn't just nip into the studio with a notepad: he has a gift for sustaining conversations that unfold across decades... Other studies have debated the effects of state art funding and cold war cultural politics; this one brings us the expression of Leon Kossoff as he moves through heaven and hell with each brushstroke, Bridget Riley introducing the whisker of white that makes a black painting live, Gillian Ayres and Howard Hodgkin talking hour after hour in the car down to Bath School of Art. Superb... Gayford deploys Bacon's voice to brilliant effect, and you hang on to every word... This is a book about community and influence; about the connections, sometimes powerfully strong and sometimes only thread-like, between artists of dizzying talent and wildly varying impulses. Well-researched... a fascinating look at postwar London artists, filled with entertaining figures. A masterpiece, a major work of modern art history... As [Martin Gayford] traces London's art scene from the 1940s to the 1970s, the configuration of friends and rivals he presents is as lucid as a family tree... filled with vivid anecdotes that might have otherwise disappeared into the Soho air.

Well-researched... a fascinating look at postwar London artists, filled with entertaining figures. If you are interested in modern British art, the book is unputdownable. If you are not, read it. You soon will be. Martin Gayford has been talking with artists for 30 years. He doesn't just nip into the studio with a notepad: he has a gift for sustaining conversations that unfold across decades... Other studies have debated the effects of state art funding and cold war cultural politics; this one brings us the expression of Leon Kossoff as he moves through heaven and hell with each brushstroke, Bridget Riley introducing the whisker of white that makes a black painting live, Gillian Ayres and Howard Hodgkin talking hour after hour in the car down to Bath School of Art. [A] superb survey of British painting from 1945 to 1970, London... Gayford recounts the artists' lives and their travails with sympathy and understanding... [a] wonderfully accomplished book, full of anecdotes and aper us. Superb... Gayford deploys Bacon's voice to brilliant effect, and you hang on to every word... This is a book about community and influence; about the connections, sometimes powerfully strong and sometimes only thread-like, between artists of dizzying talent and wildly varying impulses. Through interviews, anecdotes, and ample illustrations, Gayford brings to life London's art world... By focusing on the art, Gayford convinces readers that postwar-London artists were right: painting really can do marvelous things. Absorbing and lavishly illustrated... encompasses art history and biography... But the main subject is painting itself, confounding and inspiring in 'its moral value and its sheer difficulty. A radical reassessment of the School of London canon... Engaging and erudite... Gayford offers a rethinking of his complex subject that is pluralistic and inclusive, nuanced in its examination of individual artists, and precisely attuned, from beginning to end, to today's critical issues. A masterpiece, a major work of modern art history... As [Martin Gayford] traces London's art scene from the 1940s to the 1970s, the configuration of friends and rivals he presents is as lucid as a family tree... filled with vivid anecdotes that might have otherwise disappeared into the Soho air.

A radical reassessment of the School of London canon... Engaging and erudite... Gayford offers a rethinking of his complex subject that is pluralistic and inclusive, nuanced in its examination of individual artists, and precisely attuned, from beginning to end, to today's critical issues. Absorbing and lavishly illustrated... encompasses art history and biography... But the main subject is painting itself, confounding and inspiring in 'its moral value and its sheer difficulty. Through interviews, anecdotes, and ample illustrations, Gayford brings to life London's art world... By focusing on the art, Gayford convinces readers that postwar-London artists were right: painting really can do marvelous things. [A] superb survey of British painting from 1945 to 1970, London... Gayford recounts the artists' lives and their travails with sympathy and understanding... [a] wonderfully accomplished book, full of anecdotes and apercus. If you are interested in modern British art, the book is unputdownable. If you are not, read it. You soon will be. Martin Gayford has been talking with artists for 30 years. He doesn't just nip into the studio with a notepad: he has a gift for sustaining conversations that unfold across decades... Other studies have debated the effects of state art funding and cold war cultural politics; this one brings us the expression of Leon Kossoff as he moves through heaven and hell with each brushstroke, Bridget Riley introducing the whisker of white that makes a black painting live, Gillian Ayres and Howard Hodgkin talking hour after hour in the car down to Bath School of Art. Superb... Gayford deploys Bacon's voice to brilliant effect, and you hang on to every word... This is a book about community and influence; about the connections, sometimes powerfully strong and sometimes only thread-like, between artists of dizzying talent and wildly varying impulses. Well-researched... a fascinating look at postwar London artists, filled with entertaining figures. A masterpiece, a major work of modern art history... As [Martin Gayford] traces London's art scene from the 1940s to the 1970s, the configuration of friends and rivals he presents is as lucid as a family tree... filled with vivid anecdotes that might have otherwise disappeared into the Soho air.

Well-researched... a fascinating look at postwar London artists, filled with entertaining figures. If you are interested in modern British art, the book is unputdownable. If you are not, read it. You soon will be. Martin Gayford has been talking with artists for 30 years. He doesn't just nip into the studio with a notepad: he has a gift for sustaining conversations that unfold across decades... Other studies have debated the effects of state art funding and cold war cultural politics; this one brings us the expression of Leon Kossoff as he moves through heaven and hell with each brushstroke, Bridget Riley introducing the whisker of white that makes a black painting live, Gillian Ayres and Howard Hodgkin talking hour after hour in the car down to Bath School of Art. [A] superb survey of British painting from 1945 to 1970, London... Gayford recounts the artists' lives and their travails with sympathy and understanding... [a] wonderfully accomplished book, full of anecdotes and apercus. Superb... Gayford deploys Bacon's voice to brilliant effect, and you hang on to every word... This is a book about community and influence; about the connections, sometimes powerfully strong and sometimes only thread-like, between artists of dizzying talent and wildly varying impulses. Through interviews, anecdotes, and ample illustrations, Gayford brings to life London's art world... By focusing on the art, Gayford convinces readers that postwar-London artists were right: painting really can do marvelous things. Absorbing and lavishly illustrated... encompasses art history and biography... But the main subject is painting itself, confounding and inspiring in 'its moral value and its sheer difficulty. A radical reassessment of the School of London canon... Engaging and erudite... Gayford offers a rethinking of his complex subject that is pluralistic and inclusive, nuanced in its examination of individual artists, and precisely attuned, from beginning to end, to today's critical issues. A masterpiece, a major work of modern art history... As [Martin Gayford] traces London's art scene from the 1940s to the 1970s, the configuration of friends and rivals he presents is as lucid as a family tree... filled with vivid anecdotes that might have otherwise disappeared into the Soho air.

Well-researched... a fascinating look at postwar London artists, filled with entertaining figures. If you are interested in modern British art, the book is unputdownable. If you are not, read it. You soon will be. Martin Gayford has been talking with artists for 30 years. He doesn't just nip into the studio with a notepad: he has a gift for sustaining conversations that unfold across decades... Other studies have debated the effects of state art funding and cold war cultural politics; this one brings us the expression of Leon Kossoff as he moves through heaven and hell with each brushstroke, Bridget Riley introducing the whisker of white that makes a black painting live, Gillian Ayres and Howard Hodgkin talking hour after hour in the car down to Bath School of Art. Superb... Gayford deploys Bacon's voice to brilliant effect, and you hang on to every word... This is a book about community and influence; about the connections, sometimes powerfully strong and sometimes only thread-like, between artists of dizzying talent and wildly varying impulses. [A] superb survey of British painting from 1945 to 1970, London... Gayford recounts the artists' lives and their travails with sympathy and understanding... [a] wonderfully accomplished book, full of anecdotes and aper us. Through interviews, anecdotes, and ample illustrations, Gayford brings to life London's art world... By focusing on the art, Gayford convinces readers that postwar-London artists were right: painting really can do marvelous things. Absorbing and lavishly illustrated... encompasses art history and biography... But the main subject is painting itself, confounding and inspiring in 'its moral value and its sheer difficulty. A radical reassessment of the School of London canon... Engaging and erudite... Gayford offers a rethinking of his complex subject that is pluralistic and inclusive, nuanced in its examination of individual artists, and precisely attuned, from beginning to end, to today's critical issues. A masterpiece, a major work of modern art history... As [Martin Gayford] traces London's art scene from the 1940s to the 1970s, the configuration of friends and rivals he presents is as lucid as a family tree... filled with vivid anecdotes that might have otherwise disappeared into the Soho air.

Well-researched... a fascinating look at postwar London artists, filled with entertaining figures. Martin Gayford has been talking with artists for 30 years. He doesn't just nip into the studio with a notepad: he has a gift for sustaining conversations that unfold across decades... Other studies have debated the effects of state art funding and cold war cultural politics; this one brings us the expression of Leon Kossoff as he moves through heaven and hell with each brushstroke, Bridget Riley introducing the whisker of white that makes a black painting live, Gillian Ayres and Howard Hodgkin talking hour after hour in the car down to Bath School of Art. If you are interested in modern British art, the book is unputdownable. If you are not, read it. You soon will be. [A] superb survey of British painting from 1945 to 1970, London... Gayford recounts the artists' lives and their travails with sympathy and understanding... [a] wonderfully accomplished book, full of anecdotes and aper us. Superb... Gayford deploys Bacon's voice to brilliant effect, and you hang on to every word... This is a book about community and influence; about the connections, sometimes powerfully strong and sometimes only thread-like, between artists of dizzying talent and wildly varying impulses. Through interviews, anecdotes, and ample illustrations, Gayford brings to life London's art world... By focusing on the art, Gayford convinces readers that postwar-London artists were right: painting really can do marvelous things. Absorbing and lavishly illustrated... encompasses art history and biography... But the main subject is painting itself, confounding and inspiring in 'its moral value and its sheer difficulty. A radical reassessment of the School of London canon... Engaging and erudite... Gayford offers a rethinking of his complex subject that is pluralistic and inclusive, nuanced in its examination of individual artists, and precisely attuned, from beginning to end, to today's critical issues. A masterpiece, a major work of modern art history... As [Martin Gayford] traces London's art scene from the 1940s to the 1970s, the configuration of friends and rivals he presents is as lucid as a family tree... filled with vivid anecdotes that might have otherwise disappeared into the Soho air.

Author Information

Martin Gayford is a writer and art critic. His books include Man with a Blue Scarf: On Sitting for a Portrait by Lucian Freud; Modernists and Mavericks: Bacon, Freud, Hockney and the London Painters; A History of Pictures: From the Cave to the Computer Screen and Spring Cannot Be Cancelled: David Hockney in Normandy, both with David Hockney; Shaping the World: Sculpture from Prehistory to Now, with Antony Gormley; Love Lucian: The Letters of Lucian Freud, 1939-1954, with David Dawson; Venice: City of Pictures; and How Painting Happens (and why it matters).

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