Cirrus@Austlit

'In the 1990s Betty Churcher drew her way around the galleries of the world as she arranged artwork loans for blockbuster exhibitions at the National Gallery of Australia.

'In 2014 she discovered a sketchbook she had forgotten and decided to create a final companion volume to her bestselling Notebooks series. She wrote the manuscript in six months, but died shortly after completing it.

'A prize-winning artist in her own right, Betty's sketches were inspired by works of some of the biggest names in art: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rubens and Vermeer through to Picasso, Cezanne, Monet and Duchamp. Betty's sketches and notes bring their artworks to life as she explores the stories of how they were created and reveals each artist's influences.

'As in the bestselling Notebooks and Australian Notebooks, The Forgotten Notebook showcases Betty Churcher's greatest talents: championing art and sharing the excitement of discovering meaning in the great artworks of the world. ' (Publication summary)

'In Australian Notebooks, Betty Churcher revisits some of the artworks she most cherishes—a seminal Picasso, early works of the Heidelberg School, a striking portrait by Lucian Freud—and invites us to look afresh at the treasures that can be found in Australian galleries.

'Taking in the glorious work of Australian artists such as John Olsen, Arthur Boyd and Sidney Nolan, as well as masterpieces by Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse and Giambattista Tiepolo, through her own accomplished skteches Betty draws out the particular charm and context of each piece.

'Interwoven with extraordinary stories—one canvas flew off the back of a truck on the Pacific Highway; another was imported from Imperial Russia, paid for with a briefcase full of cash—Betty's engaging insights bring the artworks to life.

'With gorgeous full-colour reproductions, this is a book to turn to again and again for inspiration, solace and delight.' (Publication summary)