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ARTIST MONOGRAPHS

Humphrey Ocean

Museum Exhibition Catalogues, Monographs, Artist's Projects, Curatorial Writings and Essays


MONOGRAPHS & CATALOGS

Humphrey Ocean
Humphrey Ocean
ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS

Pbk, 9.75 x 11.75 in. / 320 pgs / 250 color. | 1/28/2020 | In stock
$45.00



A Book of Birds
A Book of Birds
ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS

With a species to discover on every page, A Book of Birds is the perfect gift for any keen ornithologist, aspiring twitcher or dedicated listener to Tweet of the Day

Hbk, 8.25 x 6 in. / 64 pgs / 48 color. | 1/28/2020 | Out of stock
$17.95



Humphrey Ocean: Africa
ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS

From colorful birds to eye-catching signs, Ocean's relaxed sketches of Kenya and Tanzania capture his wry enjoyment of the world

Hbk, 8.25 x 5.75 in. / 128 pgs / 112 color. | 9/30/2025 | Awaiting stock
$24.95



Humphrey Ocean: AfricaHumphrey Ocean: Africa

Published by Royal Academy of Arts.

On regular visits to his sister in Kenya and Tanzania over many years, the British artist and Royal Academician Humphrey Ocean (born 1951) has chanced upon and recorded in his deft, inimitable style a host of brightly colored birds, insects, lizards, shop signs, vibrant textile designs and amusing notices. A fitting and equally playful sequel to his hit sketchbook A Book of Birds, published by the Royal Academy in 2019 alongside Ben Thomas' authoritative monograph on the artist, this delightful new collection taken from his many travelogs captures all Ocean's wry enjoyment of the world.



PUBLISHER
Royal Academy of Arts

BOOK FORMAT
Hardcover, 8.25 x 5.75 in. / 128 pgs / 112 color.

PUBLISHING STATUS
Pub Date
Forthcoming

DISTRIBUTION
D.A.P. Exclusive
Catalog: FALL 2025 p. 99   

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN 9781915815149 TRADE
List Price: $24.95 CAD $34.95

AVAILABILITY
Awaiting stock

STATUS: Forthcoming | 9/30/2025

This title is not yet published in the U.S. To pre-order or receive notice when the book is available, please email orders @ artbook.com

Humphrey OceanHumphrey Ocean

Published by Royal Academy of Arts.
Text by Ben Thomas.

Over five decades, the art of Humphrey Ocean (born 1951) has filtered into British and international culture. This includes his series of portraits entitled A Handbook of Modern Life, displayed at the National Portrait Gallery in 2013; his portrait of Christopher Le Brun, President of the Royal Academy of Arts in London; and the cover of Paul McCartney’s 2007 album Memory Almost Full, which featured one of the Chair series.

Ocean’s practice encompasses painting, printmaking, sculpture, bookmaking and drawing. Of the last, he has said: “Paper is lovely, immediate and personal. I draw as an end in itself.”

This, the first monograph to bring together works from the early 1970s to the present day, provides a fascinating overview of Ocean’s career, with an essay by Ben Thomas, which sets out to discover exactly what it is that makes Ocean’s art so appealing and universal.



PUBLISHER
Royal Academy of Arts

BOOK FORMAT
Paperback, 9.75 x 11.75 in. / 320 pgs / 250 color.

PUBLISHING STATUS
Pub Date
Active

DISTRIBUTION
D.A.P. Exclusive
Catalog: FALL 2019 p. 149   

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN 9781912520268 TRADE
List Price: $45.00 CAD $62.00

AVAILABILITY
In stock

in stock  $45.00


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A Book of BirdsA Book of Birds

By Humphrey Ocean.

Published by Royal Academy of Arts.

The London-based painter Humphrey Ocean (born 1951) has painted portraits of Paul McCartney and Philip Larkin, among many others. But alongside these prestigious commissions, he has always returned to drawing the simpler things in life: our “alluringly unnatural world,” as he puts it. The result is this idiosyncratic and charming collection of birds, all rendered in Ocean’s unique style.

As well as birdwatching around his home and studio in South London, Ocean regularly visits his sister, who is a nun in Nairobi and has loved birds all her life. There, he paints Kenyan birds such as the Eurasian bee-eater, the Bulbul and the Flycatcher that are “local, a bit like our garden birds so nothing overly exotic, but of course to me they are.” They join the familiar gulls, thrushes and tits of the gardens, parks and hedgerows of the UK in this beautifully produced collection.



PUBLISHER
Royal Academy of Arts

BOOK FORMAT
Hardcover, 8.25 x 6 in. / 64 pgs / 48 color.

PUBLISHING STATUS
Pub Date
Active

DISTRIBUTION
D.A.P. Exclusive
Catalog: FALL 2019 p. 64   

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN 9781912520374 TRADE
List Price: $17.95 CAD $24.95

AVAILABILITY
Out of stock

STATUS: Out of stock

Temporarily out of stock pending additional inventory.