Rather than write a long piece on the artists I like best, I thought I’d post a photo of my art books shelf with a few notes. Most of the artists I like are here – except perhaps Stanley Spencer and Lucian Freud. I’ve been lucky to see paintings by most of these artists. My biggest gripe has always been that on my only visit to Madrid (probably 1987) the Prado was on strike the whole three days I was there. I have never forgiven the Spaniards for this.
Among the books in the photo are:
Gauguin – No doubt the man who reinvented colour.
British Idiosyncratic Artists – Self taught British Artists. I recommend this book highly. Have no idea whether it's in print. Mine is a second-hand copy found at Camden Lock market.
Paula Rego – Portuguese figurative painter. Strangely I’ve never seen her work – not even in Portugal.
Gustav Klimt – I like some of his work.
Gaudi – I intend to visit Barcelona when they finish the Sagrada Familia…
New Objectivity – German art of the early twentieth century. Includes my favourite German artist from that era - Otto Dix.
Otto Dix – The book is in German so I never read it but the art speaks for itself.
Saw quite a bit of his work in Cologne.
Diego Rivera – The Mexican giant.
Balthus – One of the artists I can never quite pigeonhole. Atmospheric and strange.
Egon Schiele – Definitely Austria’s major contribution to modern art and figurative painting.
Edvard Munch – World class Norwegian artist. At his best dark, foreboding and always a sense of looming tragedy. I was lucky to see most of his best work in Oslo.
Yoruba – Sculpture of West Africa. We have become insensitive to this great art because of the availability of mass produced African knick-knacks everywhere in the Western world – but this is the real thing.
Marino Marini – His horse and rider series and his bust sculptures are awesome.
Fernando Botero – Never caught up with this Colombian artist.
Goya – The Spanish giant. I missed out on his best work…groan.
Bruegel – Always fascinating and his paintings still look and feel fresh and original.
Picasso – Admittedly there’s a lot of work I don’t like but there is no doubt he was probably the best draughtsman the planet has ever seen.
Bosch – I’ve seen so little of his work. Again I blame the Prado strike.
My other bookshelf has about five books by Ralph Steadman, some Gerald Scarfe, Steve Bell, almost all the volumes of The Far Side and a volume by the great Italian illustrator Tullio Pericoli. And last but not least, a whole lot of Dilbert books.
Among the books in the photo are:
Gauguin – No doubt the man who reinvented colour.
British Idiosyncratic Artists – Self taught British Artists. I recommend this book highly. Have no idea whether it's in print. Mine is a second-hand copy found at Camden Lock market.
Paula Rego – Portuguese figurative painter. Strangely I’ve never seen her work – not even in Portugal.
Gustav Klimt – I like some of his work.
Gaudi – I intend to visit Barcelona when they finish the Sagrada Familia…
New Objectivity – German art of the early twentieth century. Includes my favourite German artist from that era - Otto Dix.
Otto Dix – The book is in German so I never read it but the art speaks for itself.
Saw quite a bit of his work in Cologne.
Diego Rivera – The Mexican giant.
Balthus – One of the artists I can never quite pigeonhole. Atmospheric and strange.
Egon Schiele – Definitely Austria’s major contribution to modern art and figurative painting.
Edvard Munch – World class Norwegian artist. At his best dark, foreboding and always a sense of looming tragedy. I was lucky to see most of his best work in Oslo.
Yoruba – Sculpture of West Africa. We have become insensitive to this great art because of the availability of mass produced African knick-knacks everywhere in the Western world – but this is the real thing.
Marino Marini – His horse and rider series and his bust sculptures are awesome.
Fernando Botero – Never caught up with this Colombian artist.
Goya – The Spanish giant. I missed out on his best work…groan.
Bruegel – Always fascinating and his paintings still look and feel fresh and original.
Picasso – Admittedly there’s a lot of work I don’t like but there is no doubt he was probably the best draughtsman the planet has ever seen.
Bosch – I’ve seen so little of his work. Again I blame the Prado strike.
My other bookshelf has about five books by Ralph Steadman, some Gerald Scarfe, Steve Bell, almost all the volumes of The Far Side and a volume by the great Italian illustrator Tullio Pericoli. And last but not least, a whole lot of Dilbert books.
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