
Ossian Ward
Contributor
Ossian Ward is Head of Content at the Lisson Gallery and a prolific writer on contemporary art. His work appears in Encyclopaedia Britannica as part of a joint publishing agreement with the publisher of 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die, where the work originally appeared.
Primary Contributions (1)

The Flower Thrower, one of the most iconic and best-known pieces of stencil art by enigmatic British graffiti artist Banksy. Reportedly first created in 1999 in London, The Flower Thrower, which is also known as Rage and as Love is in the Air, most famously appeared as a large mural on a wall in…
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Publications (4)

Marina Abramovic (Art File) (June 2022)
Marina Abramović has truly pioneered performance as a visual art form. Her work – notorious for its feats of endurance, pain and intense physical encounter – has pushed the boundaries of contemporary art and cemented her reputation as one of the most significant artists of the past 50 years. This book brings her complete practice together into one concise and essential volume.

Look Again: How to Experience the Old Masters (May 2019)
An approachable guide to Old Master paintings from a new perspective that offers a simple aid to looking at and demystifying the often obscure strategies of the greatest painters of all time.This book engages with some of history’s greatest art, from the spectacular theatrics of Bosch to the luminous scenes of Giotto, and starts with the idea that the art of the past can and should be seen from the viewpoint of a contemporary observer of visual culture―rather than just an elitist, academic interpretation.Ossian...
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Ways of Looking: How to Experience Contemporary Art (September 2014)
Art has changed. Today's works of art may have no obvious focal point. Traditional artistic media no longer do what we expect of them. The styles and movements that characterized art production prior to the twenty-first century no longer exist.This book provides a straightforward guide to understanding contemporary art based on the concept of the tabula rasa – a clean slate and a fresh mind. Ossian Ward presents a six-step program that gives readers new ways of looking at some of the most...
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1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die (March 2007)
From Ancient Egyptian frescoes to the Renaissance masters, from French Impressionists to American Abstract Expressionists, this highly browsable guide embraces all cultures and every style of painting from 4,000 BC to the present. A visually arresting reference for art lovers and students, it provides a truly comprehensive worldwide gazeteer of paintings organized chronologically by date of completion. Each entry includes the history of the painting, information about the artist or artistic movement,...
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