Visions of War - Art of the Imperial War Museums

IWM holds one of the most significant collections of British art anywhere
in the world – a collection whose artists and artworks have uniquely
shaped our understanding of war.

Visions of War charts the manifold engagement between artists, art
movements and a century-plus of conflict since 1914. Its richly illustrated
pages uncover the intricate and changing history of IWM’s art collection,
from its inception during the First World War to its consideration of the
causes, course and consequences of conflict today. It illuminates some
of the museums’s most powerful stories, from the provocative, heartfelt
statement of William Orpen’s To the Unknown British Soldier in France
to the frontline challenges for contemporary war artists, including Steve
McQueen. This book brings together iconic and previously unseen works
to tell the authoritative story of modern war art.

Artists featured include Paul Nash, C R W Nevinson, David Bomberg, Anna
Airy, John Singer Sargent, Walter Sickert, Wyndham Lewis, Eric Ravilious,
Laura Knight, Henry Moore, Evelyn Dunbar, Linda Kitson, Peter Kennard,
Gilbert & George, Colin Self, William Crozier and Rosalind Nashashibi.

Claire Brenard has been an Art Curator at IWM since 2012.