About the Author

Laura Cumming is art critic for the Observer. Previously, she was Arts Editor for the New Statesman and Arts Producer for the BBC.

Reviews

‘Deserves a place of honour on every art lover’s shelf…Tenderly, creatively written, jargon- and waffle-free, the book wears deep learning with an unaffected grace but touches…on truths beyond the protocols of art criticism.’ Boyd Tonkin, Independent ‘Intelligent, humorous, swinging freely between erudition and colloquialism. I immediately found myself at home in this book, feeling as though I’d been reading and thinking about this subject all my life.’ Jonathan Coe ‘Positively fizzes with ideas; just about every single paragraph contains a fresh observation’ Nick Hornby, Observer, Books of the Year ‘A literary as well as an artistic triumph’ David Cox, Evening Standard, Books of the Year ‘Laura Cumming combines great clarity of style with a wide range of taste. All aspiring critics of any art form should take a look at how much she can say in a short space.’ Clive James ‘A beautiful and intriguing book…though Cumming’s book is stacked with visual masterpieces, it is her writing that most claims admiration. She notices every detail in a painting, the way a carpet folds, the varying textures in a dog’s fur, and registers them with a poet’s precision…she relies on keen observation, linguistic power and lots of knowledge. It adds up to the most enjoyable art book I have read for years’ John Carey, Sunday Times