Comrades in Art by Andy Friend
'A triumph' TLS'Exemplary' Observer
Author and curator Andy Friend explores the legacy of the Artists International Association in a compelling group biography set against a background of resistance to the rise of fascism in Europe.
From the depths of the Slump in 1933 to the turning tide of war in 1943, the lives and work of British artists intersected with a world in crisis. A compelling group biography, Comrades in Art tells the fascinating, previously overlooked story of the political factions behind the development of modern art in Britain. It explores how, from student beginnings to the Popular Front through to war, an artists’ network opposing fascism generated work, ideas and actions that would help to shape the post-war world.
Featuring some of the best-known names in British and European art, such as Barbara Hepworth, Paul Nash, Edward Bawden, David Bomberg, Pablo Picasso, Oskar Kokoschka, Kurt Schwitters and Henry Moore, Comrades in Art is rooted in the lives of its diverse protagonists. Taking the first ten years of the Artists International Association as his point of focus, Andy Friend brings to life the captivating drama of the organisation as it rapidly grew to command the allegiance of a majority of Britain’s aspiring and established artists, offering new insights into art and culture during this decade of political extremes.
'The rise of the far right and authoritarianism in our own time makes this book vital reading for everybody concerned with visual culture' - Peter Kennard, Professor Emeritus of Political Art, Royal College of Art
Andy Friend is an author and curator who turned to writing after a long career leading major public and private organizations. His celebrated artist biographies, Ravilious & Co: The Pattern of Friendship and John Nash: The Landscape of Love and Solace, are both published by Thames & Hudson. Frances Spalding is an art historian, critic and leading authority on 20th-century British art. She is the author of many books, including the critically acclaimed The Real and the Romantic: English Art Between Two World Wars (Thames & Hudson, 2022).
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780500027417 |
| ISBN 10 | 0500027412 |
| Title | Comrades in Art |
| Author | Andy Friend |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Thames and Hudson Ltd |
| Year published | 2025-09-04 |
| Number of pages | 360 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |