Craigie Aitchison, R.A. : a monograph

Craigie Aitchison is one of the most individualistic and highly regarded British artists of his generation.

Born in Edinburgh in 1926, the son of an eminent Scottish lawyer, Aitchison studied under Sir William Coldstream at London's Slade College in the early 1950s.

It was there that he began developing an intensely personal style of great beauty and serenity, and, during the 1960s, his work won him a passionate following of admirers and collectors.

Over the years, Aitchison has concentrated on portraiture (excelling in subjects drawn from London's black community), still-life and - almost unique in post-war British art - religious themes, principally that of the Crucifixion.

Whatever he chooses to paint is infused with a poetic sense of mystery, and depends for its impact on a mastery of colour.

Aitchison's work is included in all major UK collections, including that of the Tate Gallery, many foreign collections and private ones worldwide.

Notable collectors include Sir John Sainsbury, Sir Terence Conran, the Duke of Westminster, Elton John and Susannah York. In 1996, Craigie Aitchison's 70th birthday is honoured by the first one-man retrospective to be held in Glasgow's new Gallery of Modern Art, followed by showings in the Netherlands and at the Royal Academy in London.

This monograph is published to coincide with this major touring show.