At …: Writing, Mainly About Art, from the London Review of Books

For more than ten years, typographer and illustrator Peter Campbell has been the resident art critic for the London Review of Books, as well as serving as its resident designer since it began in 1979. Not easily characterized in professional terms, Campbell’s writingthoughtful, jargon-free, and notably inquisitive about techniqueis the product of an independent mind and eye. Peter Campbell’s first collection of writings introduces a refreshing voice to the critical discussion of art. Reductionist evaluations are resisted in favor of a detailed consideration of the work. The setting of the exhibit is often part of his discussion: we always know that the show is at a particular place. At presents a generous selection of reviews covering a wide range of subjects from Giovanni Bellini and Titian to Lucian Freud and Louise Bourgeois. Critiques of blockbuster shows are included alongside those for exhibitions of lesser-known artists. Reviews of photography, fashion design, illustration, and architecture add further dimension to these collected writings. At includes a gallery of Campbell’s cover designs for the London Review of Books as well as an afterword by Robin Kinross contextualizing Campbell’s work and relates the interesting history of the London Review of Books.