The Invention of British Art

‘Inventive, profound, fabulously quirky, Bendor Grosvenor’s journey to the heart of British art takes him in directions that have never previously been trodden … A triumph.’ Waldemar Januszczak



‘[A] handsome and thoughtful survey of British art from prehistory to JMW Turner’ New Statesman

‘The book is substantial, deeply researched, beautifully produced and a pleasure to read. It gives plenty of food for thought as it draws connections between the long arc of British social, political and ecclesiastical history and the creation of the nation’s art.’ The Times



‘An intellectually thrilling 400-page romp through 12,000 years of our often brutal history’ Daily Telegraph



‘Bendor Grosvenor is a self-confessed “evangelist for British art”. British art is fortunate in its champion … Grosvenor is as interested in illuminated manuscripts, jewels, tapestries, churches, sculptures and stained glass windows as he is in pure painting. His arguments are punchy and his take original.’ The Times

‘A lively, engaging and erudite retelling of the history of British art’ ArtReview

‘Eloquently written, intellectually rigorous, impeccably researched’ Scottish Legal News

Dr Bendor Grosvenor is an art historian specialising in Old Masters and British pictures, especially portraits. He is best known as the co-presenter of the BBC series Britain’s Lost Masterpieces, and has discovered a number of important paintings by prominent artists. He is also a writer, a former government adviser on archives and public records, and a Group Leader on Art UK’s Art Detective site. Between 2005 and 2014 he worked in the London art trade, but is now based in Edinburgh, and is on the board of Scotland’s leading auctioneers, Lyon & Turnbull. In 2014 Apollo Magazine included him in their ‘40 Under 40’ feature, and in 2017 the Daily Telegraph named him as one of the 500 Most Influential People in Britain.

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