Fuseli: The Wild Swiss

In England, Henry Fuseli was known as the "Wild Swiss", but he was nevertheless seen as a very British artist, famous for his illustrations of the works of William Shakespeare and John Milton. Fuseli now explores the work of this romantic artist from the perspective of his Swiss countrymen. This lavishly illustrated collection examines Fuseli's most famous paintings, populated by elemental spirits, goblins, and other deliciously strange creatures, as well as the artist's early sketches, his monumental historical paintings, and his rarely seen erotic drawings. Accompanying critical essays trace Fuseli's own evolution - from his forced exile at twenty-five after publishing a volatile pamphlet against the local Zürich government, to his later activities as a member of the British Royal Academy of Arts. The most comprehensive volume ever published on this master of the fantastic, Fuseli will serve as the perfect complement to exhibitions at the Kunsthaus Zürich in Switzerland and the Tate Gallery of Britain in 2006.