The Invention of British Art

This ambitious art history book reexamines how British art was formed, understood, and mythologized across centuries. Longlisted for the 2025 Berger Prize, it offers a bold and provocative reassessment of the cultural forces that shaped artistic production from prehistoric Britain through the nineteenth century.

Rather than presenting a conventional chronological survey, the study asks fundamental questions about identity, influence, and national narrative. What makes art “British,” and when did that category begin to take shape? Drawing on figures ranging from early makers to artists such as Hogarth and Constable, the author explores how politics, empire, religion, and social change influenced the development of visual culture.

Moving across more than ten millennia, the book situates artistic achievement within broader historical frameworks, revealing overlooked contributors and challenging familiar hierarchies. It interrogates how collecting, institutions, and critical writing helped construct the story of British art, while reconsidering the role of artists often marginalized within traditional accounts.

Beautifully illustrated and engagingly written, this art book functions both as a compelling narrative and as a serious contribution to British art history. It is an essential volume for collectors, libraries, scholars, and readers interested in how national art histories are created, debated, and continually revised.