The Air War in Paintings

During the Second World War, Britain’s skies were transformed by the drone of aircraft, factory workers toiled around the clock to produce new types of fighters and bombers, and newsreels told stirring stories of aircrews’ courage and survival. From within the Ministry of Information in central London, dozens of artists were commissioned by the War Artists Advisory Committee to record these activities – among them Eric Ravilious, Evelyn Dunbar, Paul Nash and Mervyn Peake.

The Air War in Paintings reveals how the artists of the 1940s responded to the unfolding air war in Britain, illuminating their private anxieties, ambitions and experiences. Drawing on IWM’s unrivalled collection, this richly illustrated book explores how art was used to build an intimate record of the RAF and the wider war effort at that crucial time.

Suzanne Bardgett was formerly Head of Research and Academic Partnerships at IWM and is now a freelance writer.

Hardback

'Elegantly written and lavishly illustrated – a gripping study of art and war by one of the UK’s experts’ - Joanna Bourke, Professor Emerita of History, Birkbeck, University of London

‘A fascinating exploration of the visual representation of the air war’ - Mark Connelly, Professor of Modern History, University of Kent

‘Encompasses not just flyboy glamour, but the more mundane material and human infrastructure of airfields and workshops that sustained them’ - Martin Francis, author of The Flyer: Men of the Royal Air Force and British Culture 1939–1945

‘Suzanne Bardgett has brought together a wonderful array of different artists – some famous and others virtually unknown’ - Alan Powers, writer on mid-twentieth century art and design