Edward Bawden in the Middle East

Edward Bawden was one of the original official war artists during the Second World War. For five years, Bawden was prevented from continuing to work as a printmaker, designer and book illustrator. Instead, he was employed to portray the war. His tools were pencil and watercolours. His subjects were mostly people - local inhabitants in the main - Sheikhs, troops, an Emperor, and children all found their way in to his pictures; and so it was that Bawden was to develop his ability in portraiture. Where, to his delight, buildings with architectural details were to be found, then they too would became part of a new dimension in his work. In retrospect, this period was the high point of his work in watercolour; now, with the considerable assistance of the Imperial War Museum, London, this publication has enabled them to be brought together for the enjoyment of a wider public.