Patrick Heron

Published to accompany the first major Patrick Heron retrospective in two decades, this book will feature the best of Heron’s paintings, from the 1940s to his late career, alongside thought-provoking text.

Patrick Heron (1920–99) held a unique position in twentieth-century art. As one of the first British artists to embrace abstraction, he played a major role in the development of postwar art. Heron welcomed the eruption of American art in the 1950s and was strongly affected by his first encounters with abstract expressionism yet European artists such as Matisse, Bonnard and Braque remained a fundamental influence on his work. This dialogue was played out in paintings that pursued the ideal of an art as pure visual sensation.

This illuminating publication will range from Heron’s paintings of the 1940s to his late career, showing the full evolution of his vibrant abstract language and offering a unique opportunity to explore the extent of this modern master’s sense of scale, colour and composition. Reflective analysis will introduce and explain Heron’s visual strategies including themes on autonomy, formal equality, edge consciousness, scale and asymmetry. This unique approach allows Heron’s practice to be reviewed from an entirely fresh perspective.

About the author

Andrew Wilson is Senior Curator, Modern and Contemporary British Art and Archives, Tate Britain. He previously curated and authored the accompanying book for the exhibition 'Conceptual Art in Britain 1964-1979'; (12 April-29 August 2016) at Tate Britain.

Sara Matson is Exhibition and Displays Curator, Tate St Ives. She previously co-edited Modern Art and St Ives, published by Tate.