The exhibition book for the first solo exhibition of British artist and designer John Craxton (1922-2009) in Türkiye has been published in both Turkish and English languages. The book accompanies the exhibition that charts a joyful and creative life moving from war-time darkness into light and from monochrome to brilliant colour.
Beginning with a foreword by Ömer Koç, the book contains an essay entitled “A Journey into Joy” by the exhibition’s curator, Ian Collins, introducing Craxton’s vivid art and life in the Aegean. Collins’s article provides new research on Craxton’s travels to Istanbul and both sides of the Aegean. Featuring nearly 200 works, the exhibition offers a wide-ranging presentation of Craxton’s artworks, including paintings, drawings, prints, book designs and a monumental tapestry, along with photographs from various archives. The book is further enriched by photographs taken by the London-born painter Nicholas Moore, depicting scenes from his 1985 trip to Istanbul with John Craxton.