Limited Edition Spotlight: Stuart

During our 50th year, it's a good time to look back and shine a light on some of our favourite back catalogue editions, many of which new subscribers may not be aware of. Today, we wanted to focus on Stuart: The Life & Art of Stuart Sutcliffe, a deeply personal tribute to the talented artist and original founding member of The Beatles.

 

A book of many years dedicated research, Stuart is created by some of those that were closest to him: his sister Pauline Sutcliffe, his fiancée Astrid Kirchherr, and his friends Cynthia Lennon, Jürgen Vollmer and Sir Paul McCartney.

 

Limited to only 2,000 copies worldwide, we will be increasing the price of this edition to £375 on the 1st of April. Secure your copy today with a £50 saving by clicking here.

 

 

 

A close friend and fellow art school student of John Lennon, Stuart Sutcliffe was invited to join The Beatles as bass player for a series of gigs in Hamburg in 1960. Stuart's passion for his art led him to leave the band and concentrate on his painting, staying in the city with his fiancée, Astrid Kirchherr.

 

This Deluxe edition contains an illustrated biography of Stuart, as well as a facsimile reproduction of one of his sketchbooks, filled with paintings and drawings from Liverpool and Hamburg, which highlight Stuart's artistic development and state of mind at the time. Many art critics have maintained that, had Stuart lived beyond his 21 years, he would likely have become one of the foremost British painters of our time. In Hamburg, he studied with teachers including pop art legend Eduardo Paolozzi, and despite his young age, he amassed a sizeable body of visual art, with an emphasis on abstract expressionist painting.

 

 

 

In Stuart, the close friendship with John Lennon and Stuart's deep love for Astrid Kirchherr are each explored more intimately than ever before.

 

Through extensive interviews with Paul McCartney, Astrid Kirchherr, Jürgen Vollmer, Cynthia Lennon and Stuart's family, friends and teachers, Stuart offers a fascinating and revealing insight into the young artist's life and The Beatles' early days in Liverpool and Hamburg.