Print Publications

With home offices established and the continuing uncertainty around the global situation integrated into daily routines, our publishing programme pressed onwards into the Covid era. In the early months of the pandemic, the biggest uncertainty for the list was the fate of those books already on press in China. As time went on, it was increasingly difficult to source illustrations, with museums, galleries and picture libraries closed and staff furloughed. But with careful planning, some ingenuity and a measure of good luck – and aided by strong relationships with freelancers and suppliers – the list was kept on track throughout, and a full complement of innovative and engaging new titles emerged into an unsettled and unfamiliar world.

Distinguished monographs on major artists have been a feature of the PMC’s list since its foundation, and this year we were delighted to continue that tradition by publishing Matthew Craske’s ground-breaking work on Joseph Wright of Derby. This year’s list also featured an investigation of William Blake’s highly regarded monoprints and a study of J. M. W. Turner’s audacious and compelling late works.

Martin Myrone’s biographical survey of almost 1,800 students at the Royal Academy of Arts was the basis for his exploration of the historical genesis of the figure of the artist; while Melody Deusner shed new light on the Aesthetic Movement and the production and circulation of artworks. This year’s distinguished team of authors also produced a scintillating study of Mod culture’s dynamic impact on post-war British art; an illuminating account of the gifted designer and brilliant art entrepreneur Daniel Cottier; a longawaited investigation of the 1st Duke and Duchess of Northumberland and their extraordinary campaign of patronage; and a deeply researched exploration of the life and work of the celebrated eighteenth-century artist, explorer, naturalist and author Mark Catesby.

We also continued our contribution to Yale’s Art & Architecture ePortal, with four more historic books appearing on the platform this year. We have been highly gratified to see the growing number of people encountering these important titles in a new way, and look forward to seeing that continue over the coming years.