From Van Eyck and Carracci, Velazquez and Van Gogh to Kahlo, Bonnard, Bacon and Warhol,SELF PORTRAIT: Renaissance to Contemporary celebrates the lives of artists and their unique perspective on themselves and their work.An impressive array of self-portraits, from some of the best-known and most important works of art of’the last five hundred years to a range of less familiar works, is presented in this major survey of the genre from the fifteenth century to the present day.

The authors, Anthony Bond and Joanna Woodall,and contributors T.J. Clark, Ludmilla Jordanova and Joseph Leo Koerner, provide an expert and fascinating insight into all aspects ofself-portraits and the artists who produce them.

An ambitious exploration of the self-portrait from the early fifteenth century to the beginning of the twentyfirst century, this ground-breaking book moves beyond the constraints of art history. SELF PORTRAIT." Renaissance to Contemporary allows us to share an intimate encounter with great artists of the past. The artist once stood before a canvas and gazed into a mirror; we, in turn, stand before the canvas looking at what the artist saw in the mirror. For a moment, time and space are collapsed and we find a reflection of ourselves in the artist’s eyes.

With 140 images from collections all over the world, from Van Eyck to Chuck Close, this book includes pioneering essays on self-portraiture by leading art historians as well as informative studies of almost sixty major works. The artists are shown constructing their identity,setting the scene for their life and times and above all showing themselves as creative individuals often captured in the act of conjuring their own image in the studio.

Directors’ Foreword

Sponsors’ Forewords

Preface

‘EVERY PAINTER PAINTS HIMSELF’:

SELF-PORTRAITURE AND CREATIVITY

Joanna Woodall

PERFORMING THE SELF?

Anthony Bond

THE BODY OF THE ARTIST

Ludmilla Jordanova

THE LOOK OF SELF-PORTRAiTURE

T.J. Clark

SELF-PORTRAITURE DIRECT

ANDORLIQUE

Joseph Leo Koerner

SELECTED WORKS

Acknowledgements

Picture Credits

Bibliography

Index