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Modernists & Mavericks: Bacon, Freud, Hockney and the London Painters

Martin Gayford

4.22 · Rating details · 181 ratings · 27 reviews

The development of painting in London from the Second World War to the 1970s has never before been told before as a single narrative. R. B. Kitaj’s proposal, made in 1976, that there was a “substantial School of London” was essentially correct but it caused confusion because it implied that there was a movement or stylistic group at work, when in reality no one style could ...more

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Paperback, 392 pages

Published July 4th 2019 by Thames and Hudson Ltd (first published April 17th 2018)

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Jul 16, 2018 Tosh rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-bought

Martin Gayford, the author of "Modernists and Mavericks," is a terrific writer on the arts, and this book is the obvious and organic meeting of author and its subject - The London artists of the post-war years. For one, Gayford knows David Hockney and Lucian Freud, and he also interviewed all the living artists that are in this book. It's not a book of gossip, but a survey approach to artists who worked in London from the end of World War II to the early 1970s.

I became familiar with some of the Martin Gayford, the author of "Modernists and Mavericks," is a terrific writer on the arts, and this book is the obvious and organic meeting of author and its subject - The London artists of the post-war years. For one, Gayford knows David Hockney and Lucian Freud, and he also interviewed all the living artists that are in this book. It's not a book of gossip, but a survey approach to artists who worked in London from the end of World War II to the early 1970s.

I became familiar with some of these artists through the art collection of the late David Bowie. When the family auction off his works, I did go see paintings by Frank Auerbach, David Bomberg, and others of that world. What's interesting is that these artists worked in London, a city that was on the surface, destroyed by the ravages of bombings and the war, yet, it became a visual playground for the great post-war painters. Freud always worked with a model in front of him, in his studio, Auerbach worked in the same format using the same model painting after painting, and Bacon's world was basically Soho London and its citizens. So, the world of the London painter was a small one, but a very intense series of moments, months, and years working on their art. As well as having sex, drinking and socializing within their world.

Gayford captures the London painters in a moment where they did talk about their fields of interest, which was painting, but also I didn't realize that there was a sizable female presence in the painting world as well, regarding Paula Rego, Bridget Riley, and others. Gayford brings up a lot of painters working in that era, who are not as famous as Hockney and company. I have been pretty much drawn to the medium of paint, due to its placement within a frame, and the texture of various colors and brushes. I like the communication between the artist's hand and what appears on their canvas. The importance is not that these artists all lived and worked in London, but their ability to transform their space, time, and presence in such a location that was limited at the time. Across the pond was New York City, and beyond that, for Hockney Los Angeles, still the majority of the London Painters stayed at home and reflected on their world with high intensity and feeling. "Modernists and Mavericks" is a very solid art history book, with some excellent paintings within its pages. I enjoyed Gayford's book immensely. ...more

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Aug 05, 2018 Robert Boyd rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: art, history-biography

Quite enjoyable but Gayford tries to cram too much into one book. It doubtless made sense to Gayford to discuss painting in London after WWII as a single phenomenon, but there are too many conflicting visual ideas. Sure one can lump Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon and Frank Auerbach together, but trying to connect them to Gillian Ayers or Patrick Caulfield or Bridget Riley, etc., seems like an unbridgeable stretch. The further along in the 1960s that Gayford goes, the more this feeling of the fundam ...more

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Nov 08, 2020 Moritz Mueller-Freitag rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: pandemic-book-club

Modernists and Mavericks is a superb group biography of post-war British painters, with emphasis placed on Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud (not so much David Hockney, despite his mention in the subtitle). Gayford, who sat for portraits by Freud and Hockney, draws on extensive interviews with the artists to paint an intimate portrait. He’s a marvelous writer of scholarly, yet jargon-free art books.

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May 14, 2018 Vincent Thurgood rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book is an engaging survey of artists working in London between 1945 and 1970 that uses unpublished interviews as source material. It devotes a lot of space to Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud, not uncritically, as well as many perhaps less familiar names but is best where it talks about general movements of ideas in art at the time and how each one tended to trigger a counter reaction. Because of the number of artists covered in a relatively small space (340 pages) some people get a fleeting ...more

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Oct 04, 2019 Jeff Howells rated it liked it · review of another edition

There’s no denying that this is an interesting book, covering at it does the proliferation of artists who lived & worked in post war London. A lot of artists are covered - most notably Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon. However I will say that the book is a bit misleading. Taking pride of place on the front of the paperback edition is a picture of David Hockney - however he is an absence rather than a presence. Freud & Bacon, being older, are covered earlier and more in depth. Hockney - when he fin ...more

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Feb 10, 2019 Mary Rose rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: history-20th-century, history-england, art-history, to-buy

I loved a lot of this book. I loved the subject matter, the writing, and the analysis. There are great points made in here that I think only someone with Gayford's background could make, like the differences between American pop-art and British pop-art. I don't think it's for someone to whom this would be a first introduction to the period, and here's why:

My primary criticism is the organization of the book. I've noticed on quite a few other reviews that people have found this book had too much I loved a lot of this book. I loved the subject matter, the writing, and the analysis. There are great points made in here that I think only someone with Gayford's background could make, like the differences between American pop-art and British pop-art. I don't think it's for someone to whom this would be a first introduction to the period, and here's why:

My primary criticism is the organization of the book. I've noticed on quite a few other reviews that people have found this book had too much going on. Essentially the book dances around the maypoles of Bacon, Freud, and Hockney's careers during the 1940s-1960s. However, it also introduces and then immediately drops biographies of lesser-known artists who brush up next to the "big three" (my words, not his) over the course of their careers. This can be very confusing, especially when an artist is discussed, say, during the period of the 1940s and then dropped again and re-introduced a decade later. It just jumps all over the place and can be hard to follow. While I feel that each of the artists was interesting, I had trouble keeping track of how each of them was supposed to be tying into the big picture.

That's where the problem really stands with me. The "big picture" is very ill-defined.

Gayford makes disclaimers at the front and back of the book that the idea of the "London painters" is difficult because post-war London was a period where artists scattered in dozens of different directions in terms of style, theme, and influences. However, I found this to be a very unsatisfying explanation. I thought that the reader would have benefitted from Gayford making an effort to address why he focused primarily on Bacon, Freud, and Hockney. What made him focus on their work and what about them justifies writing about them in the same book? This would have gone a long way towards helping contextualize the other artists who dip in and out of the story and help to answer the "so what?" that I thought the book lacked. I was missing something to bring it all together and I thought the book suffered from that loss. ...more

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Jun 08, 2020 Tony rated it really liked it

I enjoyed this book, which is a fine introduction to a collection of artists who - as Gayford himself says - don't necessarily have much in common as artists but were all working in and around each other in post-war London.

The book's subtitle obviously focuses on the big three: Francis Bacon, Lucien Freud, and David Hockney but covers many other artists: Bridget Riley, Howard Hodgkin, Gillian Ayres, R. B Kitaj, Paula Rego, Robyn Denny, etc. It talks about how they approached art, their influenc I enjoyed this book, which is a fine introduction to a collection of artists who - as Gayford himself says - don't necessarily have much in common as artists but were all working in and around each other in post-war London.

The book's subtitle obviously focuses on the big three: Francis Bacon, Lucien Freud, and David Hockney but covers many other artists: Bridget Riley, Howard Hodgkin, Gillian Ayres, R. B Kitaj, Paula Rego, Robyn Denny, etc. It talks about how they approached art, their influences, and what made the period such an interesting one from an artistic perspective.

I hadn't been to see much art until 2003/4. Despite living in London and surrounded by Museums and Galleries I spent most of my life, between 1993 and 2003, in the pub. Or asleep. But since then I've been to dozens of exhibitions. I've seen the work of some of the artists this book covers, either as part of larger exhibitions - such as the Tate's 'All Too Human' Exhibition in 2019 - or as part of a single artist's retrospectives so it is good to get a greater understanding of what they were trying to do and why.

However, in the end an artist's objective is not necessarily what I will pick up from a painting. Some things you can explain. Some things you can't. And I find there's an intellectual response and an emotional one to art. Sometimes you can admire the craftsmanship (or technique if you prefer) but get no emotional kick out of it. And sometimes it is the other way around. A good case in point is Francis Bacon, an artist who this book talks about a lot and interestingly. I don't like the Bacon paintings I've seen, but they don't bore me. I get a reaction to them, which is visceral and uncomfortable. That might be enough.

But I digress. If you want a good, well-written introduction to a community of artists then this is a fine place to start. Gayford relies on decades of interviews with the artists themselves, which helps make this feel more like a series of conversations than a simple book of art history.

Very enjoyable. ...more

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Nov 07, 2020 Ann rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: art-history

A fascinating introduction to a generation of painters, all based in London between the 1950s and 1970s. I had only heard of Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud, and had certainly avoided all paintings by the former. But I had had no idea that these two artists (with their well-documented friendship and later falling-out) had been only a small part of a vibrant art scene that covered a whole range of painting styles and philosophies.

I give the author a lot of credit for describing the work and artis ...more

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Feb 24, 2020 David Kerslake rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Why can't I give this 6 Stars? Just one of the very best books I've read. Such an interesting subject - to me anyway. Not too short and not too long and it has pictures. It also has Francis Bacon, Lucien Freud and David Hockney and I've been to major exhibitions of all three.
However, the very best thing about this book is the way in which it is written. Art, the modern variety in particular, scares many people shitless as they feel they don't understand it and will therefore appear thick. This b ...more

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Oct 01, 2018 Todd Hogan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Entertaining and illustrative examination of the London art scene following WWII until 1970 shows how creative, daring, and independent a group of artists has to be. What is the role of an artist? To reproduce what is in the real world, or to give it meaning, or to illustrate the feelings that the artist wants to share? Each artist has his/her own ideas and follows individual instincts. At the same time, there is a sharing of enthusiasm and common experience that makes the artist able to push fo ...more

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May 16, 2018 Adam Gill rated it liked it · review of another edition

Whilst history isn’t a coherent easy to follow narrative, it’s often easier to digest when presented that way.

Unfortunately the common thread is often so weak between chapters and sub chapters it’s hard to keep track of the complex web of relationships, schools and timelines. Especially when some of the marginal players are introduced with little background or context.

The book is at its best when the artists speak and it contains some fantastic quotes and insights on the art they were creating

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Oct 20, 2019 Peter B rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: art

A well articulated and very readable account of the key developments in the London art scene since WWII. Emphasis is placed on the diversity, how the artists were never a school (or even just two), and on the strength of character and innovation that borrowed from influences and gave back tenfold.

I'd have given five stars but I felt something should have been said about the importance of the political climate and the arts being pushed within the economy to establish YBAs above their long-term st ...more

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Aug 17, 2018 Taff Jones rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I find all of MG’s writing really accessible, lively, entertaining and informative. This was completely engrossing and I developed what felt like an almost ‘I was there’ sense of the London art scene after the war. I was also fortunate to read it while the New Moderns exhibition was on at Tate Britain which formed a fantastic accompaniment and took the story still further, with some exciting works by current young painters like Cecily Brown. However I still still can’t figure out why Francis Bac ...more

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Dec 16, 2020 Robert Walkley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Maybe a bit too much information but here it all is and here they all are. The painters who put London on the 20th mid-century map of the art world. Gayford makes the case that London took over from Paris and New York as the main place to be if you wanted to get in on the action and fun. I learned a lot of new names and many interesting stories. Gayford has written several books about art and artists and knows the terrain well. He is an excellent guide.

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Aug 28, 2018 Bill Wells rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

A really enjoyable book that gives you quite a sense of what London was like after the war for artists.
Gayford has included lots of quotes from the various painters about what they were trying to do as artists in the context of the larger London art world, and what they had to deal with personally in a rather drab, conservative intellectual climate.

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May 03, 2019 Stevo Brock rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book was a Best of the Best for the month of May, 2019, as selected by Stevo's Book Reviews on the Internet. You can find me at http://forums.delphiforums.com/stevo1, on my Stevo's Novel Ideas Amazon Influencer page (https://www.amazon.com/shop/stevo4747) or search for me on Google for many more reviews and recommendations. ...more

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Jul 19, 2020 Sue Dale rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: art

I thought this book would delve into Bacon Freud & Hockney and be interesting. Instead I was introduced to wonderful new artists and the context for modernist British painters. Being from Australia we are exposed to mostly the big names in overseas art, this read was well worth the travel to the UK while locked down.

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Feb 21, 2020 Jasmina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites, non-fiction

LOVELOVELOVELOVE.

Gayford provides the reader with a great overview of artists in London post WWII. Nice anecdotes, pictures/photos to illustrate points, very informative. Slightly overpacked with info/confusing to someone with almost no bg knowledge (so! many! names!) but very good otherwise.

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Nov 04, 2019 Eduardo rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Excellent book

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Apr 11, 2020 Juan Pelizzatti rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Fascinating

Fascinating account of post war English painting, with interesting first hand account of the main characters. Greatly entertaining and informative.

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Jan 25, 2020 Olga Tsyba rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I enjoyed this book a lot, it is touching and exciting. Mix of art and stories from life make it interesting not only to art enthusiasts but for people interested in culture generally.

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Oct 15, 2020 ron swegman rated it really liked it · review of another edition

An entertaining as informative walk through British Modernism. Very readable with enough color plates to contemplate the art discussed.

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Oct 23, 2018 Michele rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Still working on this book. Reads much like a text book and doesn’t go into some needed depth.

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Mar 14, 2020 Luke rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020

So hey, here's an idea for a book: a history of artists from a certain place, and a certain time. Let's call them London Painters and bung them together, even though there's little to link them stylistically, or even philosophically.

Sounds like a hiding to nowhere, right?

Normally, it would be. But to my delight, Martin Gayford's Modernists & Mavericks manages the task well. It's true, there's little the artists in this tome have in common, except for the fact that their careers were rooted in ...more

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Apr 14, 2020 Charlotte De koninck rated it it was amazing

I loved this book. It offers a rather random look at artists - just about all the important ones of Londen in the sixties and looks at them through the lens of the relationships they had with art and each other.

Would definitly recommend.

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Sep 06, 2019 AndyDobbieArt rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A hugely enjoyable book. I've read it twice in quick succession and will probably reread it again soon to squeeze all the nuggets out of it. ...more

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About Martin Gayford

Martin Gayford

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Martin Gayford is an art critic and art historian. He studied philosophy at the University of Cambridge, and art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art at the University of London. Over three decades, he has written prolifically about art and music in a series of major biographies, as well as contributing regularly to newspapers, magazines and exhibition catalogues. In parallel with his career ...more