Signed copy of Look Again: The Sea

Signed by the author Philip Hoare, this Look Again book takes us on an exploration of the sea and the way it has provided a deep source of inspiration for artists featured in the Tate collection, from William Blake to Maggi Hambling.

Artists have always seen the sea as a mirror of their anxieties and desires; an endless resource for their creativity and their dreams. Under our human sway, the sea has shifted in meaning, from creation myth to economic wealth, from mystic wonder to modern exploitation. Look Again: The Sea dives into the breadth of historical and contemporary works in Britain's national collection of art, as well as the beloved literature they have inspired.

By reframing them within a social and political perspective rather than a chronological or art-historical one, prize-winning author Philip Hoare shows how art has continually borne witness to the power and allure of the sea.

Look Again is a series of short books from Tate Publishing, opening up the conversation about British art over the last 500 years, and exploring what art has to tell us about our lives today. Written by leading voices from the worlds of literature, art and culture, each book sheds new light on some of the most well-known, best-loved and thought-provoking artworks in the national collection, and asks us to look again.

About the author

Philip Hoare's books include biographies of Stephen Tennant and Noël Coward, and the historical studies, Wilde’s Last Stand, England’s Lost Eden, and Spike Island, which was chosen by W.G. Sebald as his book of the year. Leviathan or, The Whale won the 2009 BBC Samuel Johnson Prize, and was followed by The Sea Inside and RISINGTIDEFALLINGSTAR. His new book, Albert & the Whale, about the artist Albrecht Dürer, was shortlisted for the Folio Prize and PEN biography prize. Philip is professor of creative writing at the University of Southampton, and co-curator of the highly successful literary podcasts, mobydickbigread.com and ancientmarinerbigread.com. He swims in the sea every day.

• Dimensions 17.8 x 10.8 cm
• Material FSC certified paper and card
• ISBN 9781849768276