Beryl Cook: Life and Art

Discover the real Beryl Cook through a wealth of newly unearthed material that brings fresh insight to one of Britain’s most beloved artists.Beryl Cook (1926-2008) was renowned for her exuberant paintings yet she remained a famously private figure.Now, thanks to unprecedented access to a recently rediscovered family archive, a fuller picture of Beryl emerges.This illustrated volume shares images many of which have never been published before.Thousands of letters, photographs and personal papers found in the attic reveal the networks of friends, family, business partners and creative collaborators who shaped her career.Correspondence with figures such as photographer Barbara Ker-Seymer, art critic Edward Lucie-Smith and drag artist Ruby Venezuela captures the lively, witty world she inhabited, while hundreds of fan letters show how deeply her work resonated with those who felt unseen, from middle-aged women to LGBTQ+ and working-class communities.Alongside this treasure trove of materia