The Geometry of Beauty: The Not Very British Art of Six British Artists

(Hardback)

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James Bartos offers a compelling account of the rich history and enduring aesthetic power of geometric abstract art. Writing with the passion of a committed collector and the sensibility of an art historian, Bartos doesnt just chart his subject, he defends its place within the contemporary art world and provokes larger questions about what makes art meaningful. All this is only the backdrop to the real subject of his book, the six not very British artists who are presented through a series of insightful new interviews with the artists and their gallerists. Bartoss unusual combination of art history, critique and artist testimony thoroughly reinvigorates ones appreciation of geometric abstract art today. Barnaby Wright, Deputy Head of The Courtauld Gallery and Daniel Katz Curator of 20th Century Art
In this deeply personal study, James Bartos situates British geometric abstraction within the context of a broader international movement which spanned the course of the twentieth century, and which continues into our own time. The authors thoughtful consideration of Alan Reynolds, Peter Joseph, Marc Vaux, John Carter, Callum Innes, and Luke Frost six artists whose beautiful and deeply intelligent work Bartos reveres and collects examines why geometric abstraction developed as a side-stream to figuration in British art, appreciated more enthusiastically abroad than at home. Interviews with the artists and those who knew them, illustrated with fine examples across a range of media, explore what drew each to pursue a means of expression that developed against the grain of British modernism. These thoughtful conversations press for a serious reconsideration of the artists work, and of British geometric abstraction more generally. Amy Meyers, Director, Yale Center for British Art

Reviews

"A lucid and informative overview of art produced over roughly the last 60 years. . . . A welcome and accessible introduction to the life and work of a group of contemporary British artists who deserve to be better known. Recommended."-- "CHOICE"
"Cannot recommend it highly enough. A work of understated beauty." -- "Saturation Point"

Author Bio

James Bartos had a legal career that took him from his native New York to London in 1987. He has looked at, been a patron of, and occasionally collected art for most of his life. He has a particular passion for abstract and geometric art.