Texts by Sir Norman Rosenthal and Elisabetta Barisoni
Edited by Honey Luard
Designed by Studio Ard
Printed by Musumeci S.p.a, Quart, Italy
200 × 265 mm, softback with jacket
ISBN 978-1-910844-55-7
Published by White Cube, April 2022

Published by White Cube in collaboration with Ca’ Pesaro International Gallery of Modern Art, Venice, this bilingual publication coincides with an exhibition of new paintings by Raqib Shaw, curated by Sir Norman Rosenthal who is also the author of one of the two texts in the book. 

The exhibition, of twelve recent works, draws on Venetian and Italian Old Master iconographies to reflect on the loss of homeland and the state of exile. Using paintings by Giorgione and Tintoretto as compositional sources, Shaw’s depictions of richly verdant landscapes, informed by the gardens of his own south London studio, are the settings for his uniquely personal meditations on memory and loss. Multiple topographies, landscapes, histories and life experiences collide in his new works. Designed by Studio Ard, this publication magnifies the glorious opulence and exacting detail of Shaw’s paintings. Titled in a typeface that recalls memento mori capitals, the book’s design complements Shaw’s own embossed motifs.

Sir Norman Rosenthal is an independent curator and art historian. Between 1977 and 2008 he was the Exhibitions Secretary of the Royal Academy of Arts, London. 

Elisabetta Barisoni is Head of Ca’ Pesaro International Gallery of Modern Art. Former curator of temporary exhibitions at the MART Museum in Rovereto, she has also been a professor at Bologna Academy of Fine Arts and in 2015 she achieved her PhD on Margherita Sarfatti at University of Verona. 

Translation of Sir Norman Rosenthal text from English to Italian by Alberto Orlando. Translation of Elisabetta Barisoni, Gabriella Belli and Mariacristina Gribaudi texts from Italian to English by Huw Evans.