Pictures in an academy - John Sansom

The Royal
West of England Academy, in Bristol, has an astonishing collection of more than 1,300 paintings and other works of fine art. Primarily put together since the Second World War, the collection represents an outstanding cross-section of modern British art. From the 1950s alone, this little-known collection includes work by Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, Bernard Dunstan, Henry Lamb, Ann Redpath, William Townsend, Julian Trevelyan and Carel Weight; from later decades, artists represented include Mary Fedden, Paul Feiler, Dod Procter and the master etcher Robin Tanner. The book puts the Bristol collection in a national context, with more than 150 full-colour reproductions.