Celebrating all the joys of spring, this bright gift book examines some of the most beautiful, transformative and amusing artistic expressions of the spring season, all drawn from Tate’s collection. Spring considers how the traditional season of growth and rebirth has influenced artists over centuries.

Following our 2019 publication, Winter, this new selection of works is divided into key springtime themes – ‘Blossom and Blooms’, ‘Into the Landscape’, ‘In the Garden’, ‘Agriculture’, ‘Rebirth’ and ‘Uprising’.

Works of art (paintings, drawings, sculptures, illustrations and installations) are punctuated by brief captions adding background detail or additional information about the art, artists and their subjects. Featured artists include: Barbara Hepworth, Patrick Heron, Damien Hirst, Salvador Dalí, Natalia Goncharova, Stanley Spencer, Anselm Kiefer, William Blake, Andy Warhol and Alex Katz.

Sometimes traditional, sometimes contemporary, often beautiful and occasionally telling, placed together these beautiful images create a fascinating and enlightening journey through the visual portrayal of spring in Western art.

David Trigg is a critic and art writer based in Bristol. He is a regular contributor to publications including Art Monthly, ArtReview, Frieze, and Art Papers. He has a PhD in Art History from the University of Bristol and is a member of the International Association of Art Critics. He is the author of Reading Art: Art for Book Lovers (2018) and a contributor to The Twenty First Century Art Book (2014).