Portraits Destroyed : Power, Ego and the History's Vandals

Portraits Destroyed : Power, Ego and the History's Vandals
ISBN: 9781760760069
Publication Date: 1 August 2019

Churchill entered Westminster Hall at noon, to the sound of drums beating out a victory roll - his signature gesture. At 80, he was still prime minister, and angered by discussion of retirement. But that irritation would pale in comparison to the anger he was about to feel on this day, 10 November 1954, when his birthday portrait was unveiled.

Portraits have power. For centuries the tool of queens, emperors, statesmen and dictators, they offer the ultimate in image control. And, identified as portraits are with their subjects, their destruction remains a shocking act - whether committed for reasons of vanity, legacy, ethics, race, or even as part of the creative process. Join respected art historian Dr Julie Cotter as she journeys through eras, continents and regimes to examine the extraordinary stories of Portraits Destroyed.

About the Author

Dr Julie Cotter is an Australian art historian specialising in portraiture and the work of the 19th-century Australian Impressionists. She is the author of Tom Roberts and the Art of Portraiture, also published by Thames & Hudson (2015).