Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Much admired as a realist painter, English artist Victor Pasmore surprised the art world in 1948 by suddenly directing his efforts toward the making of constructed abstract art. Pasmore was followed by Kenneth and Mary Martin, Adrian Heath, and the sculptor Robert Adams, and the group was later joined by John Ernest and Gillian Wise. This book follows the development of this major avant garde group and explores why they have received so little attention until now.

Alastair Grieve draws on personal discussions with these artists over many years and on extensive archival materials, including ephemeral catalogues which are difficult to find today. He offers much new information about the group and their theories, the Continental roots of their constructed abstract art, and their links with such contemporaries as American relief artist Charles Biederman and English constructivist Stephen Gilbert. The book features over 300 illustrations, many in color, and a full chronology and bibliography.

Published for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

In his introduction, Grieve, a specialist in 19th- and 20th-century British art, notes the tenor of the art world in post-WW II England. London critics and dealers in the early 1950s were looking favorably on neo-romantic and figurative art rather than the constructed abstractions being created by the nucleus of artists examined in this publication. The author looks closely at a 24-year period (1945-69) and the constructivist artwork developed and created by a group of nine often-overlooked British artists including Victor Pasmore, Gillian Wise, Adrian Heath, Robert Adams, John Ernest, and Kenneth and Mary Martin. This volume, featuring 300 illustrations, half in color, gives each artist critical consideration as an individual, and also analyzes how these abstractionists worked and exhibited together. The author's combined use of archival materials, personal interviews, and contemporary criticism creates a rich insight into the creative processes investigated by this group of constructivist artists and their influence upon one another. A chronology, both group and individual, outlines the artists' personal and professional lives. Notes. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. K. C. Lonbom Illinois State University

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Alastair Grieve is reader in the history of art, University of East Anglia, Norwich, England.