2026 is the 150th anniversary of Gwen John, one of the outstanding artists of Wales. The sincerity and intimacy of her paintings has won admirers worldwide. Lucy Wood and Fiona McLees have worked on the largest ever exhibition of her work and contributed to two new books about the artist. Judith Mackrell, who was formerly dance critic of The Guardian and is the author of several biographies, recently published her joint biography of Gwen and Augustus John, Artists, Siblings, Visionaries. The exhibition ‘Gwen John – Strange Beauties’ is at National Museum Cardiff until 28 June before touring to Edinburgh, Washington DC and New Haven Connecticut.

Peter Wakelin chairs the Board of Cadw and is President of the Contemporary Art Society for Wales. His books include Hidden Histories: Discovering the Heritage of Wales, Hill-rhythms: David Jones + Capel-y-ffin, Refugeand Renewal: Migration and British Art and several artist monographs