Book Details

Notebooks

Betty Churcher

Join Betty Churcher on a personal tour of her most beloved works, including masterpieces by Rembrandt, Goya, Velázquez, Courbet and Cézanne.

Awards

Shortlisted for the 2011 Manning Clark House National Cultural Award

Opinion

“Notebooks is a rewarding memoir: a careful calibration of beautifully reproduced art works … few are equipped to provide such distilled observations.”
Patricia Anderson
Weekend Australian
23/4/2011

“Churcher writes with clarity and humility as she leads the reader to discover intimate details of the paintings and experience their exquisite beauty. “
Frank Nolan
Ballarat Courier
21/4/11

About this Title

In this gorgeously illustrated book, join Betty Churcher on a personal tour of her most beloved works, including masterpieces by Rembrandt, Goya, Manet, Velázquez, Courbet, Vermeer and Cézanne.

A trained artist, Betty’s sketches reveal the secrets within the artworks and the processes of their creation.

With the gift for making art accessible that characterised her popular television series, she gently leads your eye to these paintings’ intimate details, describing their kinship with other masterpieces and their place in the history of art.

Betty Churcher’s deeply held belief that art has the power to transport the viewer to another place and time is evident in this delightful book.

Here, there is no doubting the magic of great art.

About the Author

Betty Churcher is a graduate of the Royal College of Art, London, and holds an MA from the Courtauld Institute of Art. She was Director of the Art Gallery of Western Australia from 1987 to 1990 and Director of the National Gallery of Australia from 1990 to 1997. The author of several acclaimed books, including The Art of War, Understanding Art and Molvig: The Lost Antipodean. Betty has also been an art critic for the Australian and wrote and presented several television series on art including Take Five and Hidden Treasures. She holds an Order of Australia and is an Officer of the Order of Australia.

Reviews

‘Notebooks is a rewarding memoir: a careful calibration of beautifully reproduced art works … few are equipped to provide such distilled observations.’ (PATRICIA ANDERSON, WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, 23/04/2011) Read full review

‘It will … give you a new perspective on so many aspects of a painting. It is also a beautiful read.’ (LYN MILLS, SUNDAY CANBERRA TIMES, 10/04/2011) Read full review

‘Churcher writes with clarity and humility as she leads the reader to discover intimate details of the paintings and experience their exquisite beauty. ’ (FRANK NOLAN, BALLARAT COURIER, 21/04/2011) Read full review

‘… a beautifully produced memoir with her own drawings and notes beside the originals.’ (JEAN FERGUSON, ILLAWARRA MERCURY, 30/04/2011) Read full review

‘This is a beautiful coffee table book that will appeal to lovers of art, history and travel …’ (ANDREA HANKE, BOOKSELLER + PUBLISHER, 10/03/2011) Read full review

‘It is a delight to hold, to read, and, most importantly, to look at.’ (ALAN DODGE, ABR, 01/06/2011) Read full review

‘If you enjoyed Betty Churcher's various TV series or laughed with her during her many interviews – or if you admire an articulate person's enthusiasm for art and life - you'll love this book. I did.’ (CLIVE HODGES, GOOD READING, 01/06/2011) Read full review

‘… generous and eminently readable book.’ (CATHY PEAKE, SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 02/07/2011) Read full review

Book Preview

978-0-522-85842-6