Guildhall - City of London


Book Description

This is the first ever comprehensive history, guide and companion to the Guildhall, City of London.After the Romans deserted Londinium, where and when does Londons history restart? The answer lies within the highly visible, but rarely seen, ceremonial centre of the City of London: Guildhall.This fascinating complex of government buildings is central to Londons development, from Saxon times to the 21st century. It is the scene of royal banquets and historic trials, home to one of Londons finest art galleries and archive to the nations most comprehensive library of London books.Roman Londons only amphitheatre lies beneath, visible today and publicly accessible for the first time in seventeen hundred years. The City of London Police Museum relocated in 2016 to a larger, newly designed, accessible space within Guildhall Library.A history of Guildhall was last published in the 1920s. It was heavily bombed in 1940 and this will be the first book to record Guildhalls remarkable architectural and cultural resurrection since the end of the war. Photographs and images previously unpublished will be included and for the first time this book will also feature a comprehensive guide to Guildhalls many publicly accessible areas.Only one British building hosts banquets for British monarchs and visiting heads of state: Guildhall. Only one London building has a continuous story since Roman London: Guildhall. Only one building has governed the City and still directs its future: Guildhall. This illustrated history and companion to one of Londons most important and oldest buildings will prove indispensible to all interested in Londons history.







Guildhall Art Gallery


Book Description

Guildhall Art Gallery houses the City of London's art collection and is situated in the heart of the Square Mile. The collection is particularly rich in Victorian art, whose styles and themes range from the Pre-Raphaelites to the late 19th century fashion for all things Oriental. Scenes of London take visitors on a colorful journey into the City's past, covering dramatic events like the Great Fire of London to everyday street scenes. The Gallery also manages the archaeological remains of London's Roman Amphitheatre which lie underneath the exhibition floors.The Gallery's focus is to collect works of direct relevance to the capital, whether in relation to the artist or to the subject of the work. Within this, the Gallery endeavors to acquire works of art which are representative of Londoners, and to be an art gallery about London for London. In this book, the Gallery's Director Elizabeth Scott selects her personal favorites from amongst this eclectic range of works.




The Hammock: A Novel Based on the True Story of French Painter James Tissot


Book Description

THE HAMMOCK: A novel based on the true story of French painter James Tissot portrays ten remarkable years in the life of James Tissot (1836-1902), who rebuilt - and then lost - his reputation in London. THE HAMMOCK is a psychological portrait, exploring the forces that unwound the career of this complex man. Based on contemporary sources, the novel brings Tissot's world alive in a story of war, art, Society glamour, love, scandal, and tragedy.




The Road Untravelled


Book Description

The Road Untravelled is Sherin Aminossehe’s personal response to the COVID-19 lockdown, her art offering an imaginative escape for people unable to travel. The Road Untravelled began life as Sherin Aminossehe’s personal response to the geographical constraints of the COVID-19 lockdown – a drawing a day, providing relief from the daily routine of work and home-schooling. However, on a friend’s advice it became a much broader enterprise, as Sherin began to fulfil commissions in return for a charitable donation to SSAFA for people unable to travel, her art offering them an imaginative escape to the locations they longed for.This exquisite collection ranges from the United States to Nepal via London, Italy, Iran and many destinations besides. Alongside the drawings feature the personal responses of some of the people who commissioned them. Together they provide a moving record of the importance of place in our most precious memories and a testament to the consoling power of art in the most challenging times.Proceeds from the sales of The Road Untravelled will be paid in support of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity. SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, has been providing lifelong support to the UK’s Armed Forces and their families since 1885. Last year their teams of volunteers and employees helped more than 79,000 people in need, from Second World War veterans to those who have served in more recent conflicts or are still currently serving, and their families.




Nature Morte


Book Description

Thought-provoking and richly visual, Nature Morte brings together, for the first time, the poignant, provocative re-imaginings of the traditional still life by over 180 international contemporary artists. This visually stunning and timely book reveals how leading artists of the 21st century are reinvigorating the still life, a genre previously synonymous with the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Old Masters. Michael Petry's careful selection celebrates works by emerging and established artists alike, from all over the globe, including John Currin, Elmgreen & Dragset, Robert Gober, Renata Hegyi, Damien Hirst, David Hockney, Gary Hume, Sarah Lucas, Beatriz Milhazes, Gabriel Orozco, Elizabeth Peyton, Marc Quinn, Gerhard Richter, Sam Taylor-Wood and Ai Wei Wei. Short and compelling introductions begin each chapter and are followed by dramatic, visually led spreads that pair each work with a perceptive reading of its significance to the still-life tradition. Petry's engaging, provocative text reveals how contemporary practitioners are revisiting the major motifs of the still life and translating them for the modern world. Petry explores the timeless themes of life, death and the irrevocable passing of time in these new works for our modern world; artworks that invite us to pause and reconsider what it means to be human.




The Harold Samuel Collection


Book Description

The Harold Samuel Art Collection is a unique collection of 17th-century paintings from the Golden Age of Holland. Bequeathed to the City of London in 1987 by Lord Harold Samuel of Wych Cross, a wealthy property developer and entrepreneur, this remarkable collection of 84 works - the best collection of Dutch a nd Flemish art in Britain - enriches the splendor of the interior of the Mansion House, the residence of the Lord Mayor of London. The Merry Lute Player by Frans Hals is perhaps the best known picture in the collection, but Samuel also gathered truly outstanding examples of genre painting, indeed several of the finest works in existence by Nicolaes Maes, Jacob Ochtervelt, Adriaen van Ostade and Jan Steen. Eleven winter landscapes include such masterpieces as Hendrick Avercamp's large copper panel depicting a frozen river, and amongst the archtypical Dutch panoramas are exceptional works by masters of the genre, Philips Koninck and Jacob von Ruisdael.




Atkinson Grimshaw


Book Description




Home Chat


Book Description

I am shirking off the chains that have shackled me for so long – I have suddenly come to realise that I am a woman – a living, passionate, pulsating woman – it never occurred to me before. Janet Ebony and her best friend, Peter Chelsworth, are innocently sharing a sleeping compartment when their train to Paris is involved in a disastrous railway accident. Outrage and scandal ensue as Janet's husband, Paul, and her fearsome mother-in-law accuse Janet and Peter of adultery. Aghast at their families' accusations, Janet and Peter decide to take revenge by inventing an adulterous affair ... Written with Noël Coward's trademark wit and insight, Home Chat is a distinctly modern comedy about female sexuality and fidelity in a society rigidly governed by decorum and reputation. This edition was published to coincide with the first revival of the play since its premiere in 1927.