{"product_id":"9780300285222","title":"Martin Battersby : The Art of Deception","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe first major biography to examine the life and career of Martin Battersby (1914-1982), a forgotten yet significant artist of the twentieth centuryA polymath whose career covered numerous disciplines, Martin Battersby worked in many roles including theatre designer, muralist and fine artist, textile and costume designer, interior decorator, and collector and connoisseur of the decorative arts. This book follows his life as the son of a North London pawnbroker who went on to work with many tastemakers of the time including Rex Whistler, Bunny Roger, Arthur Jeffress, Lotte Reiniger, and Cecil Beaton. With limited training and education, Battersby built his own career as an artist, creating artworks for Paul Mellon, Evelyn Waugh, Princess Radziwill and Lady Diana Cooper. By the mid-twentieth century he was recognised as Britain's most distinguished trompe l'oeil artist.   Drawing from scrapbooks kept throughout the artist's life, Martin Pel seeks to reinstate Battersby and his contributions to the arts. Living as a young queer man in the twentieth century, he sought refuge through the art of the past, rejecting the contemporary artistic world that valued brutality over humanity. He challenged the rise of Modernism and the masculine and visceral artworks of the time through his pursuit of beauty with highly decorative art in imitation of the past masters. In his last years, Battersby immersed himself in the queer leather scenes of London and New York and continued to challenge the art world by producing homo-erotic work. He died at 68, leaving behind a legacy within the decorative arts and becoming a pioneer of queer art and aesthetics.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"product__accordion accordion quick-add-hidden\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdetails id=\"Details-collapsible_tab_dDVEeR-template--25151688147283__main\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003csummary role=\"button\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-controls=\"ProductAccordion-collapsible_tab_dDVEeR-template--25151688147283__main\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"summary__title\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003ch2 class=\"h4 accordion__title inline-richtext\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tProduct Information\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003csvg class=\"icon icon-caret\" viewbox=\"0 0 10 6\"\u003e\u003cpath fill=\"currentColor\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M9.354.646a.5.5 0 0 0-.708 0L5 4.293 1.354.646a.5.5 0 0 0-.708.708l4 4a.5.5 0 0 0 .708 0l4-4a.5.5 0 0 0 0-.708\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\u003e\u003c\/path\u003e\u003c\/svg\u003e\n\t\t\u003c\/summary\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"accordion__content rte\" id=\"ProductAccordion-collapsible_tab_dDVEeR-template--25151688147283__main\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"metafield-multi_line_text_field\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Martin Pel\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eBinding:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardback\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eDate of Publication:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/09\/2026\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePagination:\u003c\/b\u003e 288 pages, 158 colour + b-w illus\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eSeries:\u003c\/b\u003e N\/A\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eImprint:\u003c\/b\u003e Yale University Press\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePublished By:\u003c\/b\u003e YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eBook Classification:\u003c\/b\u003e Individual artists, art monographs\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/b\u003e 241 x 171\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eISBN13\/EAN\/SKU:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780300285222\u003c\/p\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003c\/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\u003c\/details\u003e\n\t\t\t\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Martin Pel","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57006350958978,"sku":"9780300285222","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/2180\/9347\/files\/9780300285222.jpg?v=1793296703","url":"https:\/\/mountfloridabooks.com\/products\/9780300285222","provider":"Mount Florida Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}