Bill Jacklin (b.1943) is one of the most exciting and individual artists of the generation that first came to prominence in the 1960s. From the start, he seemed destined to swim against the stream. In an era of Pop Art he chose to be an abstract artist, producing intricate patterns of grids and dots. When he had achieved success in this style, he returned to a revolutionary type of realistic representation. He was - and still is - an obsessed and obsessive painter, driven by his own compulsion to pursue an untrodden path. This book provides the definitive mid-career survey of this British-American artist, as it deconstructs with thorough analytical depth the generation, progression and current state of Jacklin's artistic achievements; the significance of his oeuvre as a whole; and the underlying significance for his work of his personal outlook on life. This is a beautiful edition in itself, displaying innovative design, strong visual impact and a delicate yet distinctive aestheticism - which altogether substantiate the artistic sensitivity of Jacklin himself.

John Russell Taylor is Art Critic of The Times, and the author of several books on Impressionism, Art Nouveau and contemporary artists.