Rosalind Ormiston:Art Historian, Author, Arts & Travel Writer

My career background is art and architectural history, informed by an MA (Classical Civilisation) and BA (Hons) History of Art, Architecture and Design. In addition, teaching history of art, architecture and design, history of photography, material and visual culture, at Kingston University, London, from 2003-2012.

CURRENTLY writing a book on Hans Holbein the Younger, who was born in Augsburg, Germany in 1497. Carousel above has detail from the Augsburger Monatsbilder: 'Augsburg: April, May, June', c.1531, by Jorg Breu. 

COMMISSIONED BOOKS published include the Dutch painters Hieronymus Bosch, Johannes Vermeer, Vincent van Gogh and Rembrandt van Rijn; the Italian Renaissance Masters: Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo; painters of modern life:  JMW Turner, Paul Gauguin, Egon Schiele, Edward Hopper, and Pablo Picasso. plus art movements: Art Deco and Art Nouveau

TRAVEL BOOK

.... I'm a contributor to the book  500 Walks with Writers, Artists and Musicians ,featuring worldwide locations in the lives of artists, composers and writers. It's published this month by Francis Lincoln in the UK. The American version was published September 2020 by Thunder Bay Press, titled The Artist's Path in 500 Walks  (see carousel for American and UK covers). My New York entries include a walk through historic streets of Harlem with writers Langston Hughes, and Toni Morrison; visiting sites of Keith Haring's public murals; finding Edward Hopper in Washington Square, and Yayoi Kusama walking the industrial areas of Manhattan; then at Great Salt Lake, Utah, to view Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty; crossing the Atlantic to take a bracing walk with the Bronte sisters in Haworth, Yorkshire; and follow Hunter Davies along Hadrian's Wall; Thomas Hardy in Dorchester; or Edward Elgar on the Italian coast. I wrote around fifty entries. It's the 'armchair travel' book  for these covid-inspired lockdowns.  

LEIDEN400NL has been chosen as a finalist for the prestigious British Guild of Travel Writers annual awards. It was nominated by me (see carousel above) in a special category of the International Tourism Awards: The Armchair Award ('armchair travel' during coronavirus lockdown, when travel has been restricted). The presenters brought Leiden to the world, via a 3.5 hour livestream event, on youtube, facebook and Instagram, on 16th May, 2020, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower pilgrims leaving Leiden, after a 12-year stay, to voyage to the USA in 1620. Brilliant to watch. It's on Youtube:

 https://leiden400.nl/en/programitem/online-opening-leiden400