Ben Nicholson (1894 -- 1982) was one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century. A pioneer of abstract art in Britain, he first came to prominence with his famous 'white reliefs', but he also maintained a lifelong attachment to landscape and still-life forms, and in a career of over sixty year[...]

This updated edition, which includes a new chapter about art in the 1980s, explores artwork of the 20th century, from 1900 to the present day. The text examines the motives behind the main developments, and argues that they are serious and intelligent attempts to make art honest and significant. The[...]