National Year of Reading – Interview with Caroline Walker

Our next interview for the National Year of Reading is with Scottish artist, Caroline Walker...

What was the first non-fiction/arts book you remember reading, and what was its impact on you? 

It’s difficult to remember but the first art book I was really engaged in, was probably the hefty coffee table book ‘Art Today’ by Edward Lucie-Smith which came out in 1995. I grew up in Dunfermline, Fife and wasn’t exposed to much contemporary art to view in the flesh so this book was an introduction to recent art from all over the world. I’d never heard of most of the artists in it before and the big colourful reproductions were very enticing. I was naturally drawn to figurative work and I remember being very excited to discover Chuck Close’s photorealistic portraits. These big anthology style books are often the introduction to art for young teens, and can be inspiring.

What’s the latest art/design/other book you’ve read? 

The most recent art book I read was re-reading Griselda Pollock’s brilliant ’World of Art’ book on Mary Cassatt, whose work I’ve spent a lot of time looking at in recent years. My copy of the book is full of underlined passages where I’ve enjoyed Pollock’s reading of Cassatt’s work as portrayals of women’s work rather than leisure. The most recent novel I’ve read is ‘Exhibition’ by Alex Hyde which is a tale about female friendship forged in the art scene of the 1990s. It is full of well observed detail about the artistic process and the machinations of the artworld and refreshing in that the successful artist at its centre is a woman.

What is your favourite Lund Humphries book, and why? 

I’ve got a few favourites. One, which I’ve had for a long time, is a monograph on the Scottish Colourist Samuel J Peploe which I quite often have open as reference in the studio, particularly if I’m painting sunny exterior scenes. More recent favourites include the monograph of Adrian Berg by the art historian Marco Livingstone. I really like the richly coloured reproductions in this book, and inclusion of lots of sketches. Finally I’ve just received a copy of the Lois Dodd monograph which gives a great overview of her beautiful paintings. I’m looking forward to having this one open in the studio as I paint, hoping some of her magic rubs off!

What is currently on your to-read list, and why does it appeal to you? 

‘The Story of Drawing’ by Susan Owens is next on my art book list. I love looking at artists' drawings as they feel so immediate, and are often where the thinking is happening. I’m looking forward to reading about the way that drawings can offer a different perspective on assumed narratives about the history of art.

If you were starting a star-studded (art/architecture) book club, who, from any era, would you like to invite?

I think it would have to be all women who have lived in interesting periods and whose perspective on the world I admire in their work. I would like to invite Mary Cassatt, Laura Knight, Paula Rego and Linda Nochlin.

Caroline Walker is a contemporary Scottish painter known for representing the everyday lives of women and highlighting the sites of their domestic and affective labour.
Past notable solo institutional exhibitions include those at The Hepworth Wakefield, UK (2025); Fitzrovia Chapel, London, UK (2022); K11, Shanghai, China (2022); KM21, The Hague, The Netherlands (2021); Midlands Art Centre, Birmingham, UK (2021) and Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, UK (2018).
Walker’s work is also represented in major public collections including Tate, UK; National Galleries of Scotland, UK; Longlati Foundation, Shanghai, China; Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, USA and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA.