Artists' Journeys That Shaped Our World

From epic road trips and voyages into the most remote lands to culture-soaked, tranquil stays in the world’s finest hotels, Artists' Journeys that Shaped Our World promises you an unforgettable journey. Join award-winning author Travis Elborough as he explores 30 paths to inspiration taken by some of the greatest artists in history.  Some of the most awe-inspiring works of art have been created by artists who stepped beyond their usual surroundings and ventured into the world in search of beauty, meaning, and creative power. This invigorating account reveals how those journeys impacted the artists’ personal lives and shaped the broader cultural landscape.  From the obscure to the iconic, Elborough shares fascinating insights into the stories behind the creation of some of the world’s most celebrated works, including Katsushika Hokusai’s woodblock prints of Mount Fuji in Japan, Marianne North’s paintings of India, and David Hockney’s California pool scenes.  From Georgia O’Keeffe and Frida Kahlo to Henri Matisse and Marcel Duchamp, this captivating book invites readers to follow in the footsteps of artists who made it their mission to live and work beyond the boundaries of their walls. Be part of their travels and explore the beauty and wonder that the world has to offer with Artists’ Journeys that Shaped Our World. 

Described as 'one of the country's finest pop culture historians', Travis Elborough is an acclaimed author and social commentator who lives in London. His work delves into the ephemera of retro culture as well as the history of London, geography, and a broad range of other subjects. His Atlas of Vanishing Places won the Illustrated Book of the Year at the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards in 2020, and he has also written The Bus We Loved, a passionate love letter to the Routemaster bus which defined London transport for more than 50 years. His other works include A Traveller’s Year, A London Year, The Long-Player Goodbye, Being A Writer and A Walk in the Park: The Life and Times of a People’s Institution. Travis is a regular contributor to Radio 4 and the Guardian, and has penned articles on all aspects of travel and culture, from pirates in the Caribbean to donkeys at the British seaside. He has written for the Times, Sunday Times, New Statesman, BBC History Magazine and Kinfolk among others, and is a visiting lecturer at the University of Westminster, where he teaches creative writing.

Introduction Jean-Michel Basquiat Seeks Connections in Cote d’Ivoire and Benin Caravaggio Legs It to Malta Mary Cassatt Makes an Impression in Paris Paul Cézanne Aches for Aix-en-Provence Salvador Dalí Takes Manhattan by Surrealist Storm Marcel Duchamp Becomes Obsessed with Chess in Buenos Aires Albrecht Dürer Has a Whale of a Time in the Netherlands Helen Frankenthaler Soaks Up Provincetown Caspar David Friedrich Replenishes Himself on Rügen David Hockney Goes La-la over Los Angeles Katsushika Hokusai Scales Mount Fuji Tove Jansson Summers in the Pellinki Archipelago Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera Honeymoon in Cuernavaca Wassily Kandinsky Finds His Artistic Calling in the Province of Vologda Alexander Keirincx Paints All the King’s Castles in Yorkshire and Scotland Paul Klee Is Transformed by Tunisia Gustav Klimt Gets Scenic on the Attersee Oskar Kokoschka Takes Refuge in Polperro Henri Matisse Fends Off the Rain in Morocco London Makes a Big Impression on Claude Monet Berthe Morisot Accepts a Proposal in Normandy Edvard Munch Summers by the Sea at Åsgårdstrand Isamu Noguchi Takes a Monumental World Tour Marianne North Goes South to Paint Indian Flora Georgia O’Keeffe Goes West Pablo Picasso Falls for the South of France John Singer Sargent Sinks into Venice Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida Goes Canvassing across Spain J.M.W. Turner Takes a Final Tour of Switzerland Vincent van Gogh Has Quite a Year in Provence Selected Bibliography Index Picture Credits