Adventure in Art

Lucy Wertheim opened The Wertheim Gallery in 1930, challenging the established art scene conventions and providing opportunities for young British artists. Her autobiography, "Adventure in Art," was republished to coincide with the Towner Eastbourne exhibition "A Life in Art: Lucy Wertheim & Reuniting the Twenties Group." The book includes commissioned essays and over 70 artworks, resetting the accepted narrative and shining a light on a neglected corner of mid-twentieth-century art history.

Format: Hardback
Length: 144 pages
Publication date: 01 June 2022
Publisher: Unicorn Publishing Group

In 1930, pioneering female gallerist Lucy Wertheim established The Wertheim Gallery in London, defying the established art scene conventions. Wertheim, a woman without formal art training, was driven by intuition and a belief that young British artists should have the same opportunities as their European counterparts. Her autobiography, "Adventure in Art," published in 1947, chronicles her career during the British Modernist era. Republished by Unicorn in conjunction with the forthcoming Towner Eastbourne exhibition, "A Life in Art: Lucy Wertheim & Reuniting the Twenties Group" (Summer 2022), this book offers a contemporary perspective on the trials and tribulations of a key participant in the male-dominated art world during the first half of the twentieth century.

Lucy Wertheim's discerning eye and business acumen played a pivotal role in elevating prominent artists such as Christopher Wood, Alfred Wallis, Cedric Morris, Henry Moore, and Frances Hodgkins to the forefront of the art world. With three commissioned essays, including the first by Frances Spalding (Lucy Wertheim - Her Gallery in Context), the second by Ariane Banks (Lucy Wertheim - A Pioneering Woman and Her Contemporaries), and the third by Towner's Collections & Exhibitions Curator, Karen Taylor (Lucy Wertheim - Her Forty-One Year Experiment [1930-71]), this new edition reintroduces Lucy Carrington Wertheim's words and deeds to our consciousness. Additionally, it features over 70 artworks, many of which will be showcased in the Towner exhibition, along with newly photographed ephemera from the Estate's extensive archive.

Together, this exhibition and book aim to challenge the established narrative and shed light on a neglected corner of mid-twentieth-century art history. By presenting Wertheim's story and artwork in a fresh and compelling manner, it seeks to honor her legacy and contribute to a broader understanding of the artistic landscape during this transformative period.

Dimension: 247 x 183 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781912690176