Published in 2010, this book radically re-examines a crucial period of modern British and Irish art, from a historical viewpoint. It demolishes the idea that control of the art world passed after the War from rich individuals to faceless state institutions.

Through detailed analysis of unpublished private letters and manuscripts, the machinations of committees, and contemporary newspaper reports, it emerges that the public school and Oxbridge elite retained its hold upon the levers of power within the new state-run art institutions.

By studying the intricate mechanisms whereby artists turned oil on canvas into money – or not – the book explains how artists’ reputations were made or broken. Individual artists discussed include Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Henry Moore, John Piper, Graham Sutherland, Gerard Dillon, Robert Colquhoun, Paul Nash and many more. Readers will be startled and intrigued to find how such artists fought to survive amid the network of powerful individuals, critics and gallery owners that controlled their destinies.

Contents

Chapter 1: The Artistic Scene

The Painters
Centres
Groups

Chapter 2: Selling, Buying and Exhibiting
Galleries

Institutions
Art Schools
Public Galleries and Museums

Chapter 3: Private Patronage and Collecting

Patrons
Collectors

Chapter 4: Artists’ Lives

Money
The Art Market
Foreign Trips

Chapter 5: Artistic Reputations

Newspapers
Journals

Chapter 6: Changing Fashions

Analysing Reputations

Chapter 7: The Judgments of 1951

Planning the Festival of Britain

Chapter 8: Conclusion

Appendix: Members of the British and Irish Art Worlds 1945-51

Part A: Key Individuals
Part B: Key Individuals in Key Purchasing Institutions
Part C: Schools Attended
Part D: Oxford Colleges Attended
Part E: Cambridge Colleges Attended
Part F: Key Individuals at Key Public Institutions

Reviews

Reviews of British and Irish Art 1945-1951 appeared in various publications, including the following:

Martyn Anglesea in The Irish Arts Review (Winter 2010)

Huon Mallalieu in Country Life (7 July 2010)

Julian Freeman in The Art Book (November 2010)

Duncan Macmillan in The Scotsman (8 September 2010)

Oliver Lange in The Artist (October 2010)

Shaun Traynor in The Irish World (16 October 2010)

Andrew Lambirth in The Art Newspaper

John McEwen in The Tablet

The author was interviewed for a piece in the Ham and High by Bridget Galton and a review by Martin Hammer appeared in April 2011 in The Burlington Magazine