Eric Ravilious served as an official war artist from 1939 until his death in 1942 when the RAF plane he was travelling in went down off the coast of Iceland. After studying at the Royal College of Art under Paul Nash, whose own paintings of the Western Front were an important influence, Ravilious had a successful career before the war as a commercial artist.
His pictures offer an unusual and intimate insight into wartime life in Britain. Massive pieces of machinery lie in snowy fields, groups of men stand with oars and barrels against a glorious sunrise on Whitstable sands, while in others barrage balloons float in grey and turbulent skies. Elsewhere Ravilious captures the human aspect of the wartime experience with domestic scenes of the Dundee sick bay and cabin interiors strewn with papers and tired men sleeping at the table.
His work suggests that there is a place for beauty in the darkness of war.
The War Paintings is the third in the Ravilious in Pictures trilogy. It is available at Potterton Books London priced £25.00
Leslie Williamson's new book 'Handcrafted Modern' illustrates an unfamiliar kind of Modernism- a domestic one. Photographing the homes of pioneers such as Walter Gropius, Ray Eames and Wharton Esherick, Williamson reveals their own interior spaces were adorned with exotic objects, patterned textiles and tactile ceramics rather than stark, clean interiors indicative of a 'machine for living in'
An intimate and unusual book.
'Handcrafted Modern' is available at Potterton Books London, priced £30.00.
Shopping in Swinging London was all about the innovative boutiques of Carnaby Street and the King's Road.
Catering for a hip, young audience these provocative and theatrical shops with their psychedlic painted fronts and stylish interiors revolutionized the shopping experience.
Fashion historian Richard Lester's expertly researched book provides a comprehensive look at the celebrated and lesser known retailers of the era. Featuring many fantastic archive images this is a must for anyone with an interest in (or a memory of) 60s fashion
Potterton Books are delighted to host a book signing with ACC Editions on Thursday 28th October between 6-8 pm. Please RSVP to Jenifer.hammond@antique-acc.com or call the shop for further details on 02077304235
Syrie Maugham's elegant 'party room' at number 213 the King's Road, popularized all white interior decoration and defined 1930s glamour. Combining mirrored screens with traditional furniture and the occasional surrealist flourish, Syrie's unique style won her clients such as Elsa Schiaperelli, Wallis Simpson and the Prince of Wales.
Pauline Metcalf's new book celebrates Syrie's interiors taking readers on a journey through her transatlantic commissions.
Syrie Maugham. Staging the Glamorous Interior is available from Potterton Books London priced £49.95.
Come and visit us at the LAPADA Art and Antiques Fair in Berkeley Square from 22nd- 26th September. If last year's anything to go by, it promises to be a great success.........
We are delighted to be launching Malene Birger's new book 'Life and Work. Malene Birger's Life in Pictures' on Thursday 30th September.
This beautiful book marks an expansion of Birger's design empire from fashion to living spaces. Sophisticated, inspirational and striking this new book will appeal to lovers of interior design and Birger's distinctive style.
Join us from 11 to 12.30 am on Thursday 30th September.
a time of new projects, new plans and new pencils. It's also an exciting time of year for new books. There are so many great titles to look forward to in the next few months...............
Fashion fanatics will be delighted to hear about Manolo's New Shoes or 100 Dresses from the Costume Institute at the Met.
Modernists will be interested to learn a bit about how the styles evolved in Brazil (Casa Modernista) or in the hands of artists and writers closer to home (Romantic Moderns: English Writers, Artists and the Imagination).
Gourmets can expect inspiration whether it be French or Nordic while Fine Art fans can savour the beautiful two Volume celebration of the Hermitage Collections of have an insight into Giacometti's studio.
Take your pick!
Manolo's New Shoes (£24.95), 100 Dresses (£16.99), Casa Modernista (£48.00), La Cuisine (£25.00), The Hermitage (£60.00) and In Giacometti's Studio (£35.00) will all be available from Potterton Books in the Autumn.
Entitled Town and Country, it will showcase the work of local artist Martin Millard and will include a range of original works in pen and ink as well as watercolour. Specialising in depictions of London's architecture many of the pictures will depict familiar Chelsea landmarks as well as buildings Millard has discovered on his travels.
The exhibition will run from 8th- 31st October.
There will be an opening preview on Thursday 7th October, please contact us for an invitation.
Heading to the seaside? Perhaps Hiroshi Sugimoto's serene seascapes are for you. Lounging by the pool? Let Slim Aarons be your guide. Spending time with the inlaws? Enjoy Thomas Struth's Family Life Series.
Hiroshi Sugimoto, Slim Aarons: Poolside and Thomas Struth 1978-2010 are all available at Potterton Books London, prices £80.00, £40.00 and £49.95 respectively.
New York based artist Maira Kalman's quirky illustrations and picture essays celebrate life's small absurdities. Whether highlighting George Washington's love of cherry pie or delighting in a particularly large lace bow glimpsed on a passer-by, Kalman's witty and colourful pictures are a visual treat.
This exhibition catalogue from the ICA in Philadelphia is the first monograph of Kalman's work which has graced the cover of The New Yorker and appeared in two online columns for the New York Times.
At once cheerful and thought provoking- Kalman's pictures and reflections are guaranteed to lift your spirits.
Maira Kalman, Various Illuminations of a Crazy World is available at Potterton Books London priced £19.99.
Responsible for introducing olive oil, aubergines and courgettes to a British audience depressed by wartime austerity, Elizabeth David remains one of the most important food writers of all time. Celebrating regional variety and honest, fresh food David's evocative prose continues to delight conjuring up all the colour and flavour of a good French market or Italian deli. Filled with delicious recipes- a truly inspirational book which makes you want to grab your apron, dust down the casserole dish and fill the house with delicious garlicky smells.
A culinary classic- essential reading for any self-respecting foodie.
'There is not another sport that develops and brings out a more healthy respect for an honourable opponent than lawn tennis. One is in such close relation with the adversary all the time during match play, that he is certain to learn a great deal of the character of the man he is opposing during the course of a few games.'
'Methods and Players of Modern Lawn Tennis', 1914, £200
Preparations for next week's eagerly awaited fair bring the theme of 'Masterpieces' to our attention.
Despite our modest size and limited floor space, there's always plenty of room for fine things at Potterton Books. A browse along our shelves reveals exceptional jewels, breathtaking art, distinctive fashion, luxurious cars and beautiful buildings.
Why not drop in for some inspiration?
Visit us at 93 Lower Sloane Street or from 24th-29th June at our stand at Masterpiece, Chelsea Bridge Road.
................and that was just the opening night! Potterton Books proudly launched Follies, a new exhibition of works by Ed Kluz, last Thursday evening. The shop looked fabulous filled with Kluz's beautiful works in print, collage and mixed media.
The launch of Ed Kluz' exhibition Follies from 6-8.30 pm on Thursday 10th June promises to bring a touch of the whimsical to Chelsea.
Drawing inspiration from Britain's architectural heritage, Kluz' work focuses on eccentric structures ranging from grottos and towers to pagodas and teahouses. Celebrating the secret, the forgotten and the bizarre, Kluz's prints, collages, paintings and mixed media works explore the combination of fantasy and reality which characterise these pavilions of delight.
Ed Kluz is an artist, printmaker, designer and illustrator who has recently completed commissions for Faber & Faber and Random House and is due to launch a fabric design for St Jude's later this year.
Follies is Kluz's second exhibition for Potterton Books and will be on display from 11th June to 3rd July.
Mark has a fabulous new exhibition of unique collages and limited edition prints at St Jude's Gallery in Norfolk. Hearld's distinctive work inspired by British flora and fauna was the subject of our Christmas Exhibition.
Can't wait to sneak a peek at his new work..........
Constance Spry pioneered a new approach to flower arranging. Rejecting a formal, static style Spry introduced kale and cabbage leaves into her bouquets and placed mixed wild flowers rather than hot house blooms in unusual containers.
Her innovative style is illustrated in a display Spry created in 1939 outside Coolings Gallery. Improvising in times of austerity, her arrangement transformed wartime sandbags into a distinctive floral display interspersed with urns filled with wild blooms. For the launch of Sue Shephard's biography, 'The Surprising Life of Constance Spry', the florists, Wild at Heart created an installation outside Potterton Books inspired by Spry's sandbags.
Signed copies of Sue Shephard's biography, 'The Surprising Life of Constance Spry' are available at Potterton Books, priced £18.99.
The shop floor is looking like our very own corner of the Chelsea Flower Show. From the backdrop of leather bound vintage gardening titles and botanical dictionaries, to the latest gardening titles blossoming in the window, the shop has a decidedly verdant atmosphere. The shelves have been freshly planted with the latest books from Dan Pearson and Ulf Nordfjell with Paula Pryke adding touches of colour. What’s more later in the week we’ll have our very own green shoots from the shop front with a floral installation inspired by Constance Spry.
The shop was buzzing last Thursday evening for the launch of Sue Snell’s beautiful photography book, The Garden at Charleston. Guests listened to Henrietta Garnett’s (the granddaughter of Vanessa Bell) childhood memories of the garden and sipped delicious iced tea supplied by Bellocq the tea atelier on the King’s Rd. Thanks to all who joined us for a great evening.
Sue’s hand-printed colour photographs of the Garden at Charleston are currently on display, prices from £48.
Saturday 15 May 2010
Tired of trailing round vintage shops and never finding what you want? Let Anne Tyrell’s Classic Fashion Patterns of the 20th Century satisfy even your most obscure sartorial demand.
So whether you’re in the market for a pale green 1902 style walking-skirt and bolero jacket or lusting after a 40s cherry red day dress to wear with court shoes, suede gloves and pearl earrings, this book might just be the answer. So free your inner flapper girl or teddy boy, get out your fabric stash, thread up your machine and get to work……..
Classic Fashion Patterns of the 20th Century is £20.00
Writing about her sister’s new house Charleston, Virginia Woolf described the ‘charming garden, with a pond and fruit trees and vegetables, all now rather run wild’. As well as redecorating the house in their unique style, Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant transformed the garden into an inspiring backdrop for their artistic lives. A riot of colour, the garden as much as the house provided a setting for the Bloomsbury group’s creative and literary activities.
Sue Snell, a leading documentary and botanical photographer captures the changing seasons in the Charleston garden in this beautiful book.
As part of our celebrations for the forthcoming Chelsea Flower Show this book will be launched at Potterton Books on Thursday 20th May between 6-8pm. Besides treating yourself to a signed copy you’ll also be able to purchase Snell’s the original photographs. As a special treat Bellocq, the tea atelier on the Kings Rd, have made an exclusive Bloomsbury inspired tea to be served during the evening. Sounds delicious!
Whether the garden of your dreams is a landscaped estate, a paved tulip filled courtyard or just the neighbour’s lawn glimpsed over the privet hedge, Barbara Baker’s Dream Gardens of England is sure to inspire.
Beautifully photographed throughout, the gardens range from spaces ordered with topiary and box hedging to wilder meadows and picturesque orchards.
Gardens are at once real places and sites of fantasy. Baker’s book prompts reflections on this relationship between fact and fiction and the nature of gardens as sites of imagination, planning, planting, and sheer hardwork.
Barbara Baker’s Dream gardens of England 100 Inspirational Gardens is available, priced £24.95
Volcanic ash over Europe means no jet-setting to Paris to see the Yves Saint Laurent retrospective, Chicago to admire the Matisse show or New York to see the Picassos at the Met.
Forget the delays and invest in the lavish publications instead. Enjoy the sunshine and the silent London skies and spend the day travelling vicariously from haute couture to the experimental, abstracted works that Matisse made in the early decade of the twentieth century.
Ah the bliss of island life!
The exhibition catalogues ‘Yves Saint Laurent’ ed. Florence Muller and Farin Chenoune (£35.00) and ‘Matisse: Radical Invention 1913-1917’ ed. Stephanie Alessandro and John Elderfield and ‘Picasso in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’, ed. Gary Tinterow and Susan Alyson Stein are all available at Potterton Books, London.
This is my last Sunday which is sad, but I was cheered up by the fact there are lots of lovely new books in at the moment! I'm a paticular fan of the new photography books we have in - a great one on the great unknown German photographer, Arno Fischer has some great portraiture in, especially one of Marlene Dietrich (also captured by Irving Penn in the new National Gallery exhibition book, Irving Penn: Portraits). The Patrick Demarchelier book is also simply stunning with every famous face you can think of staring back at you - from Kate Moss as standard, to Julian Schnabel! Others to mention are the Herbert List: Junge Manner out of print book - List's beautiful depiction of modern, male model offers a take on Greek classical sculpture, and the new Visconti picture biography traces the life and work of one of Italy's greatest and most passionate theatre and movie directors with fabulous stills from various productions and films.
With British Summer Time creeping up on us, now is the perfect time to introduce a little brightness into the home too. Mark Hearld, being his usual brilliant self, has created these beautiful new cushion covers, which of course we love! The fabric, entitled Bird Garden, is a single colour design, screenprinted onto a heavyweight oyster linen union for two colourways - with a third colourway on a natural linen - we have blue, red and charcoal in store. The covers are £36 and £45 with the cushion pads included.
Our windows have just had a Stefanidis make-over, and they're looking fantastic! We're very excited about the signing that we're holding for An Island Sanctuary on Thursday night, and have filled the windows with copies of the book, Patmos fabric and a stunning Patmos tray. Bringing a little island colour to some gray spring weather, John Stefanidis' new book provides the perfect opportunity for a pre-summer escape. Stop by for a look and a glass of wine from 6.00-7.30pm on the 25th, or come in for a sneak preview any time this week.
We really do have some brilliant books in the shop at the moment - a paticular favourite of ours is The Great Lady Decorators - Great being the operative word! This fabulous book mixes gorgeous interiors with sparkling social history and it is the first book that focuses wholeheartedly on these exceptional women who really make interior design what they are today.
This book has a wealth of names - Elsie de Wolfe, the initiator of the 'Great Lady Decorators', the fabulous Dorothy Draper, Nancy Lancaster, Ruby Ross Wood, Eleanor Brown, Sister Parish, Syrie Maugham and Madeleine Castaing, just to name a few...
It also serves as a witty and readable treatise on the principles of decorating, as well as a luxurious visual resource, this book really is a bible for the decorator!
We also have a simply superb copy of the September 1950 New York Issue of Flair magazine, which has a great cover design and is packed with beautiful photography and fashions of the era - brilliant!
We're very excited about our forthcoming book signing, with legendary designer John Stefanidis, and of course you're invited!
His long-awaited book, An Island Sanctuary, is finally gracing our shelves and you will be able to get your own signed copy - a little indulgence for yourself, or a great gift for a friend.
An Island Sanctuary offers a unique view of Stefanidis' island home, in Patmos, Greece. With vivid colours, bold simplicity, and the use of stone, stucco, and tile, the Patmos house is a source of inspiration for homeowners and decorators worldwide. Its bold use of Mediterranean colours, natural materials, and crisp, clean lines epitomise a comfortable yet sophisticated style, creating the quintessential island home. In this book, internationally-renowned Stefanidis explains how the house has evolved over many years, reflecting his love for the island, his original use of vibrant colour, his eclectic and cosmopolitan aesthetic, and a desire to combine comfort with style.
We'll be holding the event from 6.00 - 7.30pm on Thursday, March 25. Please let us know if you would like more information about the evening, or if you would like to order a copy of the book.
What better mix than the work of one of the greatest twentieth-century interior illustrators and an important fashion illustrator, both in one room?
Potterton has bought together the extraordinary work of Jeremiah Goodman and Kenneth Paul Block in a three-week exhibition. In collaboration with print publisher Dean Rhys Morgan, we are offering the rare chance for people to not only come and see a fantastic selection of their work, but you can buy it too!
Jeremiah's illustrations have been all over the most prestigious magazine titles, from Harper's Bazaar to his 15-year cover-work for Interior Design magazine.
The illustrious list of clients and friends whose rooms he has protrayed includes such icons as Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Sir John Gielgud, Baron and Baroness Philippe de Rothschild, Greta Garbo, Cecil Beaton, Elsa Schiaparelli, Diana Vreeland and Billy Baldwin.
Kenneth Paul Block was one of the foremost fashion illustrators of the twentieth century. For nearly forty years, he was an in-house artist for Fairchild Publications, owner of Women's Wear Daily and its offshoot, W magazine. As chief features artist, he helped transform Women's Wear Daily into the bible of the jet set during the 1960s and 1970s. Babe Paley, Jackie Kennedy, Gloria Vanderbilt, The Duchess of Windsor, and Gloria Guinness were among the society women who posed for him.
Block's incisive yet graceful brushstrokes captured the most important styles of the post-war era, including collections by Norman Norell, Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, Coco Chanel, James Galanos, Pauline Trigere, Bill Blass, Halston, and Geoffrey Beene.
The exhibition of these limited edition giclee prints is on until 11th March.
For more information on the prints please visit Dean Rhys Morgan.
Please contact us for further information on the exhibition.
London Fashion Week starts today! In celebration, our windows are filled with fabulous fashion books. Stop by for a look at new and vintage titles on Pucci, Vionnet, Chanel, Givenchy and more. Excitingly, we also just got in a copy of the very scarce Edith Bouvier Beale of Grey Gardens. A Life in Pictures. The only book published on Edie Beale, this title tells in photographs the story of a style icon first made famous by the 1975 film Grey Gardens.
All of these fashionable books look great next to our exhibition of prints by Jeremiah and Kenneth Paul Block - a perfect piece of glamour for the lead-up to the shows.
We are thrilled to be hosting an exhibition of work by illustrators Jeremiah & Kenneth Paul Block in the shop to coincide with London Fashion Week. The limited edition giclee prints have been published by Dean Rhys Morgan. We will have a selection of atmospheric interior illustrations by Jeremiah, depicting such stylish rooms as Carlos de Bishegui's Dining Room, Sir John Gielgud's Drawing Room, Tony Duquette's Dawnridge, Greta Garbo's Library and The Silver Room, Nymphenburg Palace. These will be accompanied by dramatic fashion illustrations by Kenneth Paul Block, featuring Diana Vreeland, Gloria Vanderbilt, Mrs Cooper, and many other graceful models. These stunning artworks will perfectly decorate the most stylish of walls.
For more information on the prints please visit Dean Rhys Morgan.
The exhibition will be on from 19th February - 11th March.
We shall be have a private view on Thursday 18th February, 6-8pm.
Please contact us for further information on the exhibition and private view.
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