Graham Dean

Graham Dean, one of Britain’s leading figurative painters, has resolutely followed his own path. In particular he has challenged accepted ideas about watercolor, wresting it away from its eighteenth-century roots in landscape painting choosing instead to apply it to making monumental, life-size depictions of the human body. His striking, large-scale paintings can take years to complete and are celebrated for having a depth and vividness of color more often associated with work in oils. In this first comprehensive and lavishly illustrated survey of Dean’s work, James Atlee takes us inside Dean’s studio and offers an intimate conversation with the painter about his life and career. Dean discusses the details of his unusual technique, and he reflects on the role of the model in his artistic practice as well as the people and influences that have shaped his career, including the importance of his early years in Liverpool. In addition, the book provides valuable insights into key works among his oeuvre. Containing nearly one hundred and fifty works lushly reproduced in color, this book will appeal to the many aficionados of Dean’s art and offer a perfect introduction for those encountering it for the first time.