Synopsis
Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction
An insightful dual biography of brother and sister artists Gwen and Augustus John.
'Outstanding' - The Guardian
'Superb' - The Telegraph
'A must read' - Anne Sebba
'Lively' - The Times
They seemed to be polar opposites . . .
Augustus: vivid, volatile and promiscuous. He was a hero among romantics and bohemians, celebrated as one of the great British talents of his generation.
Gwen’s art was magnificent, but she was also more reserved, and as a woman she struggled for the recognition which has only come to her now, years after her death.
Artists, Siblings, Visionaries by Judith Mackrell is a riveting story of love, infidelity, betrayal, and of two extraordinary siblings whose art and lives subverted society’s expectations.
Details
19 March 2026
9781529095883Reviews
Judith Mackrell has done an incredible job in bringing to life the stories of these two great artists
This dream of a book lures us back to that most fascinating world, that of Gwen and Augustus John
This is a must read . . . a deeply moving account of a family bursting with talent
Wonderfully conjures the siblings’ radical lives and the changing world they inhabited . . . Judith Mackrell’s splendid double biography, does full justice to each of these prodigious talents
