Heroes & Villains: Scarfe at the National Portrait Gallery - Hardcover

"Heroes and Villains" is a unique collaboration with the caricaturist Gerald Scarfe, which will also be the subject of a documentary on BBC Four. In the book, portraits of well-known figures, selected from the National Portrait Gallery's collections, are quirkily juxtaposed with caricatures that depict their villainous side. Gerald Scarfe, Britain's best-known caricaturist, provides these artful, glib distortions, many of which have been specially commissioned. They reveal the wit and vision of an exceptional draughtsman at work. Joanna Lumley, Sir Peter Hall and Melvyn Bragg are just a few of the people who argue their views for and against, on subjects as wide ranging as Henry VIII, Oswald Mosley, Virginia Woolf, Princess Diana and David and Victoria Beckham.

Matthew Parris's stimulating introduction shows how caricature and portraiture combine to illuminate all sides of an individual's character. As a sketch writer for The Times who has anchored his career in making people laugh at politicians, he appreciates the humour of caricature but exposes how merciless and revealing it can be. Gerald Scarfe's long and prestigious career has included work in many of the world's best-known publications, including Punch, Private Eye, The Sunday Times and the New Yorker. He is also acclaimed for his innovative, award-winning designs for theatre and cinema.