British Murals & Decorative Painting 1920-1960: Rediscoveries and New Interpretations

The role of mural and decorative painting has been largely neglected in accounts of twentieth-century British art. In this collection of specially commissioned studies, leading experts shine the spotlight on some of the most important and enduring, along with neglected images of the period. These include previously unpublished Festival of Britain designs as well as little-known masterpieces from the first generation of Rome Scholars Colin Gill, Edward Halliday, Glyn Jones, Winifred Knights and Tom Monnington. Many of these works are reproduced in color for the first time.

More than 30 mural projects discussed and illustrated include Stanley Spencer's Sandham Memorial Chapel, Burghclere from the 1920s; Rex Whistler's Tate Restaurant; Edward Wadsworth's study for a mural at De La Warr Pavilion at Bexhill; Frank Brangwyn's Rockefeller Plaza, New York; The English Pub, by Edward Bawden; Telecinema Designs by John Armstrong; John Piper's The Englishman s Home; Thomas Monnington's ceiling for the New Council House, Bristol, and the Porthmeor Mural by Peter Lanyon, 1962/63.