Unicorn Publishing Group

Book SynopsisIn 1997 sixty-two containers fell off the cargo ship Tokio Express after it was hit by a rogue wave off the coast of Cornwall, including one container filled with nearly five million pieces of Lego, much of it sea themed. In the months that followed, beachcombers started to find Lego washed up on beaches across the south west coast. Among the pieces they discovered were octopuses, sea grass, spear guns, life rafts, scuba tanks, cutlasses, flippers and dragons. The pieces are still washing up today.

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Book SynopsisA collection of Rudyard Kipling''s articles describing Sikh soldiers'' experiences of the First World War. Published to coincide with the 150th anniversary of Rudyard Kipling''s birth.

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Book SynopsisJanet Leach’s childhood in Texas through the Roaring Twenties and the Depression imbued her with resilience and numerous practical skills, initially acquired on her grandparents’ self-sufficient farmstead. At nineteen she took a Greyhound bus to cosmopolitan New York and soon found work as a sculptor’s assistant. During the war she worked on Staten Island, welding the hulls of US-Navy destroyers. After discovering pottery, she met Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, before spending two years potting in Japan, where her love of pottery was sealed. Bernard and Janet planned to marry and build a pottery near Kyoto, but two years absence from St Ives obliged Bernard to return to Cornwall. A year later in 1956, Janet reluctantly left Japan, persuaded to join Bernard in a country completely unknown to her, England. There she stayed, becoming manager of the world-famous Leach Pottery for the next 40 years. This biography uses previously unpublished letters, notebooks and diaries and is a richly-informed portrayal of a pioneering potter.

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Book SynopsisThis is a biography lightened with the intimate tone of a social memoir, about a woman who was both a bystander and protagonist through some fifty years of twentieth-century British history. Pamela Berry was the daughter of the buccaneering and brilliant politician and lawyer, FE Smith, the first Earl of Birkenhead, and married the son of another self-made man, William Berry from South Wales, who became Viscount Camrose and the owner of a group of national newspapers, including the Daily Telegraph. She had an unusually glamorous and precocious childhood, spoiled by her adoring father, and much photographed by Cecil Beaton. In her prime she used her position as a newspaper proprietor's wife to become the most famous political and press hostess of her generation, harnessing her beauty and wit to influence successive governments, and was accused of wielding petticoat power' during the Suez crisis. She had a decade-long affair with Malcolm Muggeridge, became a vigorous promoter of British fashion, dragging it out of the dowdy fifties, and in later life was active in the museum world. Harriet Cullen has opened a window back into the remarkable story of her mother's life from a rich cache of family diaries and letters, interweaving them with many other unpublished sources. It is revealing, in turns scathing and admiring, but always entertaining.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a comprehensive collection and exhibition of Chen Yujun's art, thoroughly introducing the artist's creative philosophy, origins and stylistic changes to readers in the English-speaking world. With the theme of growth, Chen's art explores the mutual influence and intertwining of individuals, society, regions and civilisations, innovating and evolving through the exchange of civilisations. The book will accompany Chen Yujun's retrospective solo exhibition, which will be held at the Long Museum in Shanghai in the summer of 2025.

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Book SynopsisFew have heard of the Shakespeare Head Press, although it ranks alongside William Morris’s Kelmscott, Emery Walker and Cobden-Sanderson’s Doves, Eric Gill’s Golden Cockerel and St John Hornby’s Ashendene. Its origins date to the 1860s, when a young Arthur Henry Bullen, dreamt of printing the whole of Shakespeare. Making his dream a reality, Bullen founded the Shakespeare Head Press in 1904 in an old Tudor house, where Shakespeare would have been a guest. There are many backstories associated with the Shakespeare Head Press and of the perennial dashed hopes of small presses’, which plagued Bullen. When the Press passed to Basil Blackwell (1921), Bullen’s mantle was assumed by the scholar-printer Bernard Newdigate. For twenty years, he produced a series of finely printed books, yet these were not commercially successful. Blackwell blamed the commodification of literature, and the metamorphoses of books from handcrafted works of art to manufactured objects. A Short and Beautiful Life reconstructs the lives of Bernard Newdigate and A.H. Bullen, and that of the Shakespeare Head Press. For Sir Basil Blackwell, ‘the exact record of events was secondary to the universal truths it served to illustrate.’ And there is something remarkably contemporary about them.

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Book SynopsisShirley, The Life of a Botanical Adventurer is the remarkable story of Dr Shirley Sherwood, scientist, author, travel writer, gardener as well as mother and grandmother. Following the tragic death of her brilliant scientist husband, Michael Cross, in a freak air crash in 1964, she was left as a 30-year-old widow with two young boys aged four and three. For the next twelve years she worked as a key member of the Nobel Prize-winning team which developed Tagamet, the first block-buster drug (sales of over $1 billion a year). After her marriage to Jim Sherwood in 1977, she left science to concentrate full-time on the huge task of restoring the fabled Orient-Express train, probably the most luxurious and exotic form of travel ever devised. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, running between London and Venice, was relaunched in 1982, ninety-nine years after its first journey. Sherwood's history of the project sold more than 400,000 copies. The Orient-Express train was just the beginning. The Sherwoods went on to create the five-star Orient-Express Hotels company (now Belmond), which owned some of the finest hotels in the world, including the Cipriani in Venice, the Mount Nelson in Cape Town and the Copacabana Palace in Rio. They pioneered new train routes across the Alps, started the Eastern & Oriental Express running between Singapore and Bangkok- crossing over the Bridge on the River Kwai- opened up tourism in Myanmar with the first cruise ship to operate on the Irrawaddy, and took over the railways of Peru, which run all the way to Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca. Her most lasting achievement, the one of which she is proudest, is the Shirley Sherwood Collection of contemporary botanical art, which she started in 1990 and now includes over 1,000 paintings and drawings representing the work of more than 300 contemporary botanical artists from 36 countries. She has mounted exhibitions in many prestigious locations including the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, Kirstenbosch in Cape Town and the Real Jardin Botanico, Madrid. The Shirley Sherwood Gallery in Kew Gardens is the first museum to be dedicated to modern botanical art and her books, which often accompanied her exhibitions, have been largely responsible for re-establishing botanical art in its rightful place as an important art form. These are just some of the many achievements in a long and rich life, vividly described in this book.Trade Review"Shirley Sherwood put botanical art firmly back on the agenda with her incredible collection and her unremitting quest for only the very best." – Sir Roy Strong CH FRSL “A remarkable and sophisticated life of science, travel and passion for the best of contemporary botanical art." - Sir Peter Crane FRS "Shirley is an inspiration in how to use one’s gifts wisely and live life well. Her memoir is a delight." - Dame Mary Archer"this is a compelling tale of a life rich in incident and bravery" -- Steven Desmond

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Book SynopsisTime to Heal tells the story of the colourful life of a country doctor towards the end of his career. In turn shocking, sad and funny, they describe a doctor who feels poorly served by the conventional medicine of his time and finds new ways to relieve the suffering of his patients. This tale has a twist. Twenty-first century General Practice and its patients have been betrayed by top-heavy regulation, performance management and a blame culture. Young doctors no longer want to enter General Practice. The author explores why and how pandemics might provide the answers. ‘A fascinating look into life as a village doctor, with observations so profound it seamlessly becomes a thesis on humanity as a species. The local GP, not only a potential lifesaver but also a constant and friend in these ever-changing, isolated times has never been more needed. A beautiful and moving book.’ – Lady Sophie Windsor (nee Winkelman), Actress ‘A wonderful book, full of fascinating, engaging and timely stories. Michael Dixon reminds us of the importance of human medicine and the way in which communities can create health. He concludes with a new vision for health which blends the best of the past with the latest technology and science - and which will help us cope better with future pandemics.’ – Lord Nigel Crisp, Former Chief Executive and Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health ‘Time to Heal describes very human stories – entertaining, thought provoking, and eminently readable, whilst woven through the text is the insight that general practice is the human face of medicine.’ – Sir Denis Pereira Gray, Former Chair and President, Royal College of General Practitioners

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Book SynopsisThe Jewish Brigade, a unit of the British Army during WWII, played a crucial role on behalf of the Jewish People, in the fight against Nazi Germany. Formed in 1944, it consisted mainly of Jewish Volunteers from Palestine and was covertly commanded by Shlomo Shamir (Rabinowicz), Later Major-General in the IDF. The Brigade participated in the Italian Campaign, distinguishing itself in the battles along the Senio River. Beyond combat, the Jewish Brigade was the first to meet and look after survivors of the Holocaust, facilitating their illegaljourney to Palestine. Many of the Brigade members became leading figures in the fledgling Israel Defence Forces (IDF). Under Shamir's guidance/leadership, the Brigade symbolised both Jewish dedicated pursuit of military goals and national aspiration, proving that Jewish Soldiers could fight as a unified force against a well-trained enemy and win. Their experience and networks within the British Army were critical in shaping the future military and political landscape of the nascent Jewish State.

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Book SynopsisEmma Haworth is a painter of the urban scene. Her art is built upon meticulous observation of the ebb and flow of modern metropolitan life in the streets, the parks, the squares of London, New York, Paris and other great cities: it is a constantly shifting drama of moving people and changing light, played out in a great arena that is both architectural and natural. In To Everything There is a Season, Emma shows us an overview of her oeuvre and working practices.

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Book SynopsisGoddesses of sex and light, fully owning their own bodies and sexuality with innate empowerment. This is how photographer Elizabeth Waterman describes the female adult entertainers featured in Candyland, a series of colorful and vibrant portraits designed to capture the unique personalities of the subjects. The actresses were very much a part of the creative process, adding their own ideas to create playful images celebrating their individual beauty and charisma. Waterman's previous book, Moneygame, an acclaimed photographic depiction of the world of strip clubs across the USA, inspired her to invite some of America's leading porn stars to take part in a project which reflects them through a female lens, shot against vibrant, sunlit Southern Californian settings. I liked showing them in deliciousness, excess, and fun and glory, said Waterman. The porn stars that I photographed were happy to be doing what they were doing, they loved having sex and they were good at it.

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Book SynopsisChris Orr, the well known British painter and printmaker, takes us on a tour of his prodigious and penetrating vision of the world over the last twelve years.

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Book SynopsisHow did a marginal dialect spoken in the late ninth century by 200,000 people become the world's language spoken by 1.6 million people today?In Amorous or Loving? The Highly Peculiar Tale of English and the English, Sir Rupert Gavin charts the unique evolution of our language into the resulting hodge-podge that is now the lingua franca of the world. He argues that English is ideal as the global language, not just by accident of history, but by fundamental construction and constitution. Further, he examines how all of this was determined not just by our unique language, but also our geography, our weather, our religion, the extraordinary status of London, and by a handful of inspirational figures some well-known and some hardly known today at all.

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Book SynopsisBliss and Dance explores the four major ballets of composer Sir Arthur Bliss (18911975) who was at the centre of British musical life for over 50 years. Drawn to finding expression for drama and human emotion, Bliss composed an impressive range of instrumental, choral, opera, film and highly acclaimed ballet scores. He collaborated with pioneering choreographers De Valois and Helpmann on works for Sadler's Wells Ballet between 1937 and 1946, and with Lew Christensen for San Francisco Ballet in 1958. In twelve richly illustrated chapters, music and dance specialists delve into the artistic, cultural and socio-political context, creation and performance across several generations of these works, asking what they reveal about his story and the art dance then and now.

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Book SynopsisBernard Leach (1887-1979) was as renowned in Japan and the East as in Europe and America, both as an artist-craftsman and as a thinker. His interpretation of the traditions of the Orient in the making of pots - and in evolving a philosophy of life - was a lodestar for many potters in the West. Beyond East and West, first published in 1978, is more than an autobiography. Full of sharply- etched and amusing recollections, it contains much of Leach’s deeper thought and a great deal too about the practical application of his ideas. Its recurrent theme is the meeting of East and West at all levels - artistic, cultural, social, political.

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Book SynopsisIn Capital Offence award-winning investor Paul Musson shows how the world is becoming increasingly divided on many fronts. One of the root causes of this is that well-intended policymakers have drunk the something-from-nothing Kool-Aid and are convinced that there is such a thing as a free lunch. There isn't. They believe that debt-fueled spending is what leads to economic prosperity. It doesn't. The direct result of these central bank-supported policies is growing wealth disparity where some people are able to extract more from our economic system than they create, while others are left to foot the bill. Most books on this subject speak in a language understood only by those steeped in financial jargon; Paul Musson uses everyday language and analogies to help readers understand why the economy is moving in the wrong direction. The next generation is now poised to be worse off than its predecessors, not because they are less productive, but because older generations are benefiting at their expense an unsustainable and immoral reality. Paul Musson gives us steps for reform, and while the painful choices ahead are inevitable, facing them now will prevent even greater consequences later.

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Book SynopsisThis is the incredible story of why and how Winston Churchill in his mid-50s decided to write an autobiography designed to reshape his image and to reduce an overwhelming personal debt burden. The book, My Early Life, emerged from a truly Churchillian writing process that was both complicated and highly focused. An extensive dictation process using both external research and his own previously written materials created a rough draft. Then additional researchers, reviewers and publishers on two continents helped mold the final product. My Early Life is Churchill's Aeneid and many sections approach lyric poetry in the style of writing and in its visual and emotional impact. How all this came about is described and analyzed in this book. It further explores just how successful an endeavor this was and the global impact this book has had on literature and as a source for educational and literary publications.

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1956, Swifts in a Tower still offers astonishing insights into swifts' private lives along with thoughts about their life style and wider issues. Now more than sixty years later swifts have been studied even more thoroughly, with technology unimaginable in the 1950s. This continues to reveal even more of their secrets, so this edition, published in association with the RSPB for their Oxford Swift City project includes a new chapter by Andrew Lack, bringing the story of this remarkable bird into the 21st Century.

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Book SynopsisIn 1914, Princess Mary, the only daughter of King George V, was just 17. Yet with the world war two months old, the young princess was destined to make her mark. She would send a Christmas gift to all those serving in uniform, ‘afloat and at the front.’ With great determination, she set about her task to provide her gift to all those on active service. For Every Sailor Afloat, Every Soldier at the Front is the first time the full story of the princess’s gift has been told. Using original sources, texts and archives, and illustrating original surviving objects, this book unfolds the true story of the fund and its wider meaning, set, as it is, in the context of hope as provided by the unofficial Truce in No Man’s Land that has been so well documented. Princess Mary’s gift was extremely sophisticated; great pains were taken to ensure that the needs of its recipients were met, based on ethnicity, gender, religious observance and personal preference – the Gift Committee was way ahead of its time. By 1919, some 2.7 million people from across the British Empire had received the gift. Well-illustrated and fully sourced, this book will provide those interested in the first Christmas of the War a greater perspective of the achievements of its founder, of the meaning of the gift to the recipients, and of the nature of the gift itself, such that prevailing myths and misunderstandings of its constituents and recipients will be resolved.

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Book SynopsisThis lavishly illustrated book celebrates the life of Doris and Anna Zinkeisen, charting the rise of the sisters from a childhood in Scotland, to their emergence as amongst the most eminent artists of their day in London, to a quieter yet still highly productive life during their twilight years in rural Suffolk. During the golden age from the 1920s through to the 1950s, the Zinkeisen sisters enjoyed a huge success and won numerous accolades. Their paintings and design work, including posters, murals and luxury ocean liners, and costume designs for stage and film, are today emblematic of that period in British art.

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Book SynopsisEuphemia Lamb was painted and sculpted by many renowned artists during the period before the First World War, such as Augustus John, Henry Lamb, Ambrose McEvoy, Jacob Epstein and James Dickson Innes. She was at the vanguard of modern British art. She was also a literary muse for many leading writers of the period, including Virginia Woolf, Henri Pierre Roche and Aleister Crowley. Euphemia was the embodiment of the modern woman: sexually liberated, hard-working and ambitious. She used her connections in bohemian London and Paris to educate herself and advance the notion of what a woman could be in early twentieth-century British society. Euphemia was a pioneer who broke down barriers and her legacy survives in art and literature.

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Book SynopsisDr Henry Radcliffe (1819 1903) was a young Liverpool doctor, who joined the Californian gold rush in 1849, sailing to San Francisco via Cape Horn. He settled in Stockton where, when not prospecting for gold in the upper reaches of the San Joaquin River, he founded the first hospital in Stockton and became the proprietor and first editor of the Stockton Times, the first newspaper in Stockton. He was also one of the first trustees of the Stockton Methodist Church, the earliest (by a day) church in Stockton. The Doctor Digger is based on the letters of Dr Radcliffe, edited, with linking text, by his great, great, great nephew, John Radcliffe. Henry's letters describe expeditions to remote parts of the Southern Goldfields, encounters with indigenous tribes and tribulations with the Stockton Times, as well as his longings for home. The book also illustrates features of life in California, the Indian genocide, independence from Mexico and Statehood and the Mariposa War. When gold was discovered in Australia in 1851 Dr Radcliffe sailed for Sydney and made his way to the Victorian goldfields, finally settling in Ballarat. Later he became Honorary Physician at the Ballarat Base Hospital as well as maintaining a lucrative private practice. He died in 1903 a very old , but very alert man' and was buried next to the Eureka Soldiers Memorial in Ballarat Old Cemetery.

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Book SynopsisFrom the halls of Parliament to the depths of South-East Asian jungles, junior British MP Richard Reynolds embarks on a perilous journey that could alter the course of history. As the UK teeters on the brink of war, Richard uncovers a sinister conspiracy that threatens global stability. With dark forces at play both abroad and at home, he alone holds the key to preventing catastrophe. Driven by deeply personal stakes, Richard must navigate a treacherous path where failure is not an option.

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Book SynopsisLondon is full of landmarks that you'll be very familiar with. From the historic St Paul's Cathedral and Tower Bridge to the modern-day architecture of The Shard. It is a city that is forever changing and full of surprises around every corner. But there are a few corners you will never see without looking through the eyes of this book. It will show you a reimagined version of these famous landmarks that will make you question what you see and have you asking, what is real? In this book, London towers transform into giant robots, stars are born from flowers, gateways to other worlds open up through the London Eye and show you a different reality. Every image in this book will show you a surreal version of London, taking you on a visual journey through the city you thought you knew.Trade Review"Robert John’s images take you to a place that is somewhere between a sci-fi novel and reality. Beams of light and dark shadows transport you through thestructures and skyline of London where urban grit interfaces with nature.” — Tom Chambers, photographer

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Book SynopsisIn this new study of personal relationships within the British (including Canadian) Command in 21st Army Group during the campaign in North-West Europe in 1944-1945, Malcolm Pill considers the scope and depth of these relationships, ranging from those of the Secretary of State for War to the Corps Commanders. Montgomery is central. His great success in the management of his own multinational team is contrasted with the hostility created and lack of success achieved with those outside his team. Pill explores the importance of his great skill with the written word. The relevance of these personal relationships to the success of Britain’s last major campaign as a great power is assessed as are the post-war consequences for those involved.

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Book SynopsisThe postcards in It’ll All Be Over By Christmas paint a picture of the First World War as experienced by those at home, at the front, in training, in hospital and in convalescence. These personal messages were sent from fathers to their wives and children, sons to family, friends and loved ones – sharing their thoughts, hopes and worries as well as the lighter side of life. There are cards from those at sea, in prisoner-of-war camps and those of the Central Powers. Featuring over 150 illustrations, including some rare examples, the book also demonstrates how the postcard was ulitised to enlist volunteers and boost morale through humour, sentimentality and propaganda. Postcards encouraged support of the war effort through fundraising, sending ‘comforts’ to those on the front line and promoting practical roles for women. This fascinating book offers a profound insight into the experiences of war through postcards, as well the part that they played in promoting it.

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Book SynopsisMost guitarists today think of the USA as the land of the guitar. Classical guitars come from Spain but rock, jazz and folk guitars must surely be American? They know the great' names Gibson, Epiphone, Fender, Gretsch, Martin. How many of them know that Christian Friedrich Martin was born in Markneukirchen, Germany, in 1796 and emigrated to the USA at the age of thirty-seven? The Bate Collection is a museum of musical instruments in the University of Oxford and owns a collection of guitars donated by the author. Half of them were made by German-speaking Czech craftsmen expelled from their homeland after the Second World War, resettling in Bavaria; the other half by their former neighbours in Saxony, with whom they had worked closely for three centuries but who now found themselves behind the Iron Curtain. This book offers a summary of the socio-political background and the way it led to the decline and almost the extinction of what was once the most productive centre of stringed-instrument making in the world. Lavishly illustrated with photos of all of the carefully-researched instruments in the collection, plus a unique guide to help the collector to identify the maker of his instrument.

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Book SynopsisIn Real Vanilla, Nature's Unsung Hero LittlePod's founder Janet Sawyer tells of her company's mission over the last fifteen years to save real vanilla which was under threat of being lost within a generation. They have made a huge difference, encouraging the development of vanilla paste in a tube, supporting farming communities in the world's equatorial regions and educating consumers all around the world about the importance and value of vanilla to the planet. Through LittlePod supporting a pioneering polyculture orchard in Indonesia, it has helped educate future generations about a precious plant that is the essence of sustainability. This is a fascinating story of how a determined woman used the empty nest' time in her life to build a company whilst learning about biodiversity, supporting farmers' livelihoods and creating a family of human relationships fondly known as LittlePodders'.

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Book SynopsisIn Delightful, Enchanting' Annabel Fairfax shows us the vivid humour of her work, with oil and watercolour paintings from her many travels around the world to the peaceful haven of her studio on the Isle of Wight. Fairfax's art captures scenes as they are in the moment, with a painterly dexterity that deploys wit and imagination. Her paintings are an interpretation of the subject matter, the world seen through this artist's eyes and the results are works of art that are collected and hung by art lovers all over the world.

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Book SynopsisLife's Lessons Well Learned covers Martyn Bould's 60 years in the Cayman Islands as he helped it develop the islands time forgot' with a population of 10,000 into a thriving financial centre with a population of 80,000 from 130 different countries. He was the youngest developer of town houses as well as developing the Great House luxury condominium on Seven Mile Beach, introduced innovations from squash to cable TV. Life is of course a journey and not a destination, and Martyn Bould's autobiography includes many lessons from the ups and downs of life's twists of fate. The author's journeys include visiting 120 countries with his wife Vivian, meeting fascinating people along the way and climbing many figurative and literal mountains, including Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua in his 70s. He describes in detail his journey through life's successes and challenges, closely coupled with his cultural development journey of the talented Cayman society.

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Book SynopsisAfter The Dance delves into the intriguing life of South African artist Le Roux Smith Le Roux (19141963), a brilliant yet obsessive outsider who was appointed Deputy Keeper of the Tate Gallery in 1950 at the age of thirty-six. Renowned for his sharp intelligence and methodical approach, Le Roux boldly questions the price paid by Director Sir John Rothenstein for the Degas sculpture, Li le Dancer, Aged Fourteen. While Le Roux excels in his professional life, his personal relationships are chaotic. The biography unveils the complexities of a talented man whose life was tumultuous as it was remarkable. The narrative describes the Great Tate Affair (19521954), offering a fresh perspective that challenges the accepted narrative shaped by Rothenstein's flawed account. Through meticulous research and compelling storytelling, this book invites readers to reconsider one of art history's most controversial episodes.

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Book SynopsisFour popular novelists of the same generation each wrote a novel inspired by a holiday that the author spent in France. In the nineteen-fifties, Rumer Godden based The Greengage Summer on her recollections of her family’s 1923 battlefield-tour manqué in the Champagne region. Margery Sharp’s 1936 holiday in Southern France led to ‘Still Waters’ and The Nutmeg Tree: both the short story and the novel are set in and around the region of Aix-les-Bains. In 1955, Daphne Du Maurier first visited the department of Sarthe to research French family history; the novel The Scapegoat was the immediate result of the holiday. And in 1966, Stella Gibbons’ last trip to the continent took the form of a visit to an old friend in her summer home near Grenoble. The stay is obliquely reflected in The Snow-Woman, in which a similar holiday leads a never-married septuagenarian to experience a renaissance of sorts.Trade Review"This is a very original literary study of the work of four British writers who, though still remembered today, are not as celebrated or read as much as they deserve to be. Through the prism of visits to France in the novels and stories of these writers, Anne Hall explores the delicate and subtle interplay of relations between those two nations in fiction. It is elegantly written, illuminating and informative. There is some fascinating original scholarship here, but, above all, Four French Holidays is highly entertaining and tempts you to go and read for yourself (if you haven’t already) or re-read the works under consideration." Reggie Oliver, nephew and biographer of Stella Gibbons

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Book SynopsisCelebrating over 60 years of Interior and Garden Design Education.

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Book SynopsisHenri Matisse described the Chapel of the Rosary, the chief labour of his final years, as the 'gathering together' of his lifetime's work. Although widely known as 'Matisse's Chapel', the building's remarkable 'modern' design and decoration emerged from a surprising friendship and artistic engagement with a group of Dominican sisters and brothers keen to see the Church embrace 'Modern Art' and modern artists. With the advantage of hitherto unexplored archive and printed materials this study highlights that mutual encounter and explores how their shared artistic adventure became for Matisse himself an opportunity to express his 'religious' vision of art and to rediscover his natal Catholic Faith in its post-war avant-garde form.

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Book SynopsisNiko Pirosmanashvili comprehensively tells the story of the life and work of elusive Georgian painter Niko Pirosmanashvili (c.1866-1918), popularly known as Pirosmani, during one of the most interesting epochs in the history of Georgia. Key essays, both recollections by those who knew him and contemporary scholarship, explore his life as an impoverished artist living in Tbilisi. Charting his influence on the Georgian and Russian avant-gardists to the Modernists, including Picasso, and the parallels he holds with Henri Rousseau and Vincent Van Gogh, the artist''s wider cultural impact is also examined from Georgian and international perspectives, past and present. Illustrations of his artwork, alongside a wealth of photographs from Georgia from the beginning of the twentieth century, make this a richly visual resource. With a foreword by Orhan Pamuk, this evocative book is the result of a meticulous process of assemblage by two artists dedicated to broadening Pirosmanashvili's legacy an

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