This richly illustrated publication explores the lasting influence of Gainsborough's Blue Boy on British art and culture Marking the return of Gainsborough's Blue Boy to the UK exactly 100 years since it left for the United States, this richly illustrated publication will explore the lasting influence of this iconic painting on British art and culture. During the nineteenth century, the painting's fame grew and full-length portraits by Gainsborough and his contemporaries became much sought after by wealthy American collectors. The sale of The Blue Boy to the American railroad magnate and collector Henry E. Huntington in 1921 was unsurprisingly viewed as a national tragedy-emblematic of a shift in economic and cultural power. However, its afterlife, as a permanent ambassador for British art, has undoubtedly fed into ideas of Britain and Britishness-its history, society, culture and character-that still resonate today. Including a select group of paintings that demonstrate the profound influence of Sir Anthony van Dyck and the old master tradition on Gainsborough's practice and identity, Gainsborough's Blue Boy will examine this masterpiece within the context of the National Gallery's collection. Published by National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University Press Exhibition Schedule: The National Gallery, London January 25-May 15, 2022

Over the past century, The Huntington has collected more than 12,000 drawings and watercolors by British artists from the late 16th to mid-20th century. Excursions of Imagination showcases 100 stunning works on paper from this "hidden museum", many of them never published before. This generously illustrated volume features landscape and figurative subjects by the acknowledged masters of the medium-J. M. W. Turner, Thomas Girtin, John Constable, and Henry Fuseli-as well as artists associated with the Pre-Raphaelite movement and such modernists as David Bomberg and Paul Nash. An introduction by curator Melinda McCurdy discusses the formation of The Huntington's British drawings collection. An essay by Ann Bermingham, a historian of British art, places The Huntington's collection within the context of the historical practice of drawing in Britain.