Lawrence Gowing

As one of the leading critical voices on art of the post-war years, Lawrence Gowing (1918-91) combined a passion for close visual involvement with formidable literary skills.
Having begun his career as a painter, Gowing's monograph on Vermeer (1952) brought him early recognition as a writer who combined this experience with a meticulous historical perspective. His foremost commitment was to the pioneering painters of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, notably Paul C zanne and Henri Matisse.
The exhibitions Gowing curated at Tate, London, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York famously helped to mould and reshape public perceptions. Characterised by a desire to instruct and encourage, his writing reflects a highly successful career as a curator and teacher. Introduced by the editor Sarah Whitfield, four decades of writing are brought together for the first time in this volume.