Angelica Kauffman - the elements of art

During the fifteen years she lived in England, the Swiss painter Angelica Kauffman made a significant impact on British art.

She and Mary Moser were the only women among the 36 founder members of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1768. Ten years later she was commissioned by the Academicians to paint a set of four 'Elements of Art', for display in their new Council Chamber.

The large ceiling paintings, now installed at Burlington House, present four female figures representing Invention, Composition, Design and Colour. Published to coincide with a major new exhibition, this book charts Kauffman's artistic career in London.

An introduction by the renowned Kauffman expert Bettina Baumgartel is followed by an essay by Helen Valentine, Senior Curator at the RA, on the 'Elements of Art'.

The curator Annette Wickham writes on Kauffman's influence on contemporary artists, including the former RA Schools student Sarah Pickstone, who created an installation based on Kauffman's 'Elements' in 2018.