The Pre-Raphaelites: A Catalogue for the Tate Exhibition

Tracing the Pre-Raphaelite movement through its chronological development rather than by artist, this volume concentrates on the vital years from 1848 (when the Brotherhood was formed) to 1860, but also includes a substantial group of works from the following 20 years - a period during which the movement took new directions. The full range of Pre-Raphaelite painting is represented, from the hard-edged style of Millais's early work to the sensuousness of Rossetti's and Burne-Jones's painting in the 1870s. Altogether 250 works from collections all over the world are illustrated and discussed by scholars such as Mary Bennett, Judith Bronkhurst, John Christian, Alastair Grieve, Benedict Read and Malcolm Warner. In his introduction, Sir Alan Bowness surveys the development of Pre-Raphaelitism and examines to what extent it was ever a shared style. The chronological arrangement of the book is designed to focus on the same question and to suggest the numerous cross-currents of the movement.