As the twenty-first century unfolds, notions of our cultural past and how our history has influenced our present shift almost daily. Within this, accepted artistic trajectories are being questioned and new connections made. In this wide-ranging and thought-provoking publication, experts in their field address specific aspects of British art of the twentieth century. Presenting new perspectives on established narratives, subjects range from British Surrealism and the rise of corporate and private patronage, to nationality and British identity. Complemented by a range of striking images, this publication succeeds in showing the strength of the British artistic tradition while also encouraging the reader to rethink and explore the existing narrative.

Hughie O’Donoghue (b. 1953) explores themes of universal human experience, ideas of truth and the relationship between memory and identity. Often standing apart from his contemporaries in the scale and ambition of his paintings, O’Donoghue’s work addresses the need to learn the lessons and complexities of recent history through the lens of the often overlooked and anonymous individual. Beautifully illustrated, encompassing four decades of work, this major publication is the broadest survey of the artist to date. Including new writing from the artist alongside four commissioned essays by leading art historians and critics, with a preface by the poet Tom Paulin, this comprehensive book documents O’Donoghue’s ambitious vision.