Join us at Tate St Ives for this exciting seminar showcasing new perspectives on modern British art and artists. Jo Baring will be in conversation with artist Olivia Bax, a former studio assistant to Sir Anthony Caro. Jo and Olivia will discuss the influence and enduring impact of the art made in Britain in the 20th century, debate the new ways in which we can look at modern British art and consider the legacy of artists such as Caro on Bax’s own sculptural practice.

Each book takes as its starting point an innovative illustrated book of shops published in Paris in the 1920s: Boutiques (1925) and Boutiques de la Foire (1926), with colour lithographs by Lucien Boucher, and Boutiques Litteraires, with illustrations by Henri Guilac (1925). Each Mainstone edition features captions by Andrew Stewart and an array of historical photos, archive materials and artworks brought together in typically elegant, witty style by designers Webb & Webb. Literary flaneuse Lauren Elkin wrote an accompanying essay for the Guilac book, while fairground historian Pascal Jacob did the same for Boutiques de la Foire and I wrote on the first Boucher book. Print aficionado Neil Philip provided for each volume a succinct print and production history.Join Alayo Akinkugbe, Simon Martin, Hammad Nasar, James Russell & Tamsin Golding Yee for two panel discussions: Visitors will have a rare opportunity to view Kossoff’s stunning Nude on a Red Bed, 1972, alongside works such as his powerful Head of Seedo, 1964. A major group of Soutine portraits includes Le Petit Pâtissier, c1927, Young Woman in a White Blouse, c1923 (Courtauld Institute) and Le Valet de Chambre, c1927. The event will celebrate the new publication Revisiting Modern British Art, edited by Jo Baring with a text by James Russell. The talk coincides with our current exhibitions The Living Collection and Unseen, which include works by Ravilious and Paul Nash – both featured in the publication, along with Eileen Agar, Vanessa Bell, Francis Bacon, Barbara Hepworth, Margaret Mellis, Richard Hamilton and Kim Lim. Anyway, enough from me. If you have a lover of Modern British art in your life, you really should buy them this for Christmas.

Inspired by the major exhibition and publication Barbara Hepworth: Art and Life this event focuses on under-represented perspectives on motherhood to consider how this might affect the making and understanding of art works.In 1971, Bruce McLean (b.1944) famously performed his Pose Work for Plinths at the Situation Gallery in London, draping himself across a series of white plinths in a manner reminiscent of one of Moore's reclining figures. Presenting new perspectives on established narratives, subjects range from British Surrealism and the rise of corporate and public patronage, to nationality and British identity. Complemented by a range of striking images, this publication succeeds in showing the strength of the British artistic tradition while also encouraging the reader to rethink and explore the existing narrative. I needn't have worried. The first scene plunges us into a world of mingled sadness, beauty and joy. Pace and tone are spot on. Voices and images come and go, held lightly together by Edmund Joliffe's marvellous score - music I could imagine ER whistling as he worked. Watercolours, wood engravings and lithographs appear before us, hover for a moment or two, then fade away. The voices of Eric (Freddie Fox) and Tirzah (Tamsin Greig) convey the brightness - in all senses - of the characters. There are familiar faces - Anne herself, ER's grand-daughter Ella Ravilious, Grayson Perry, Alan Bennett - and one or two I wasn't expecting. Ai Weiwei's interjections are memorable. Anne Desmet is fantastic on wood engraving. This book is a celebration of modern British art, which highlights the beauty and range of the works created, whilst also pulling out new threads and asking different questions. Introduced by James Russell, it is comprised of twelve essays from different writers, curators and art historians, each of whom brings a fresh perspective. It seeks to show how an engagement with the contemporary moment can bring about refreshed empathy and insight into the art made on these islands in the previous century.