Notes for Goats

A vein of idiosyncratic originality runs through the history of English art, which at times could almost be called eccentricity. My choice of twenty English paintings in Tate Britain reflects this. I have not chosen mainstream artists such as Hogarth, Reynolds, Gainsborough, Constable and Turner. Instead my selection is from English painters, some of whom are less well-known, who reveal the freshness of personal vision and individuality, which is my theme. The works are not always on view, as Tate Britain can only show a fraction of its holdings at any one time; but these twenty paintings form my ideal one-room exhibition in the Gallery.