Mother: Portraits by 40 Great Artists

Portraits have been painted for centuries, and for many different reasons. Mothers, as subjects of their own children’s portraits deserve a closer look.



The evolution of such a picture begins with a unique and intimate relationship. Looking at each work and considering its individual history can tell us much about this relationship, about the artist, and also about the time and place in which it was created.

The portraits chosen for this book by Juliet Heslewood, art historian and writer, are shown chronologically, and the changing nature of the subject can be seen as time rolls forward over centuries to the present day.



From Rembrandt, Rossetti and Van Gogh to Picasso, Kahlo and Hockney, over forty portraits make up this collection of artists’ mothers. A delicious combination of biographical anecdote and art history, it is also an elegant celebration of the powerful relationships between sons, daughters and their mothers.