Book cover - The Invention of British Art by Brendor Grosvenor

The Invention of British Art

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Britain has produced some of the world’s most famous artists and paintings. But what made British art ‘great’? Was it the individual genius of artists like Hogarth and Constable? Or were their careers shaped by a distinctly ‘British’ society, culture and history? And if so, why has that distinctiveness been overlooked, and why have we ignored so many of the characters who helped create the story of British art?

In The Invention of British Art, Bendor Grosvenor (presenter of BBC’s Britain’s Lost Masterpieces) embarks on a journey of discovery through an incredible array of artworks and artists from 10,000 BCE to the nineteenth century, revealing how the art from these isles was created, what made it distinctive, and why it took so long to emerge. From folk art to the role of female artists, from the influences of invaders to the colonised territories of the British Empire, the book embraces previously overlooked contributions to the story of British art and explores the cultural, political and economic factors that helped to shape it. Beautifully illustrated throughout, The Invention of British Art is a provocative and captivating survey of the glories of British art.

DR BENDOR GROSVENOR is an art historian specialising in Old Masters and British art. Best known from the BBC series Britain’s Lost Masterpieces and Fake or Fortune?, he has discovered a number of important paintings by prominent artists including Van Dyck, Rubens, Titian, Gainsborough, Beale and Lawrence. He previously worked in the London art trade, and is now based in Scotland.
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Elliott & Thompson
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 10 Oct. 2024
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1783968095
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1783968091
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 1.47 kg
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 18.9 x 0.35 x 24.6 cm

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The Invention of British Art
£40.00

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For November and December our UK inland standard processing and fulfilment time is 5-7 working days. 

Our team is very small and we work on dispatching orders in date order, as they are received. Only orders that have FedEx shipping applied can be shipped as priority.

We cannot promise delivery for Christmas where orders are placed after our last order dates shown below. Royal Museums Greenwich cannot accept responsibility for late delivery.

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Last UK order date for FedEx delivery is Friday 18 December 2026. 

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