Polish painted Feliks Topolski saw things in a very particular light — and not always a very flattering one. In 1960, after the Harry Ransom Center acquired a selection of his work that included an enormous portrait of George Bernard Shaw, Topolski was commissioned to paint portraits of 20 of the 20th century’s greatest British authors. The resultant series, Twenty Greats, was (quite understandably) not particularly well-liked by most of the authors in question, but we think the paintings are so devilishly ugly that they become beautiful again, drenched in sloppy expressive glory. Click through to see some of our favorite portraits from Topolski’s series, and then be sure to head over to The Daily Beast to see the entire set — and find out what their subjects had to say about them. … Read More
Edith Sitwell
Recent Features
- 60m
- 19h
- 19h
-
20h
The 10 Best Songs We Heard This Week: Boards of Canada, Talking Heads
-
21h
So Bad It's Good: Vintage '70s Cheese in 'Avenging Disco Godfather'
- 22h
-
23h
Exclusive Infographic: Which 'Arrested Development' Character Are You?
-
23h
The Extraordinary Liberace Deserves Better Than Textbook Gay Biopic 'Behind the Candelabra'
-
24h
The Most Hilariously Bizarre 'Arrested Development' Merch on Etsy
-
1d
Flavorwire Exclusive: Alissa Nutting on Her Favorite Short Story
Popular Posts
- 2d
- 2d
Exclusive Supercut: All The 'Arrested Development' "Chicken" Dances - 2d
- 4d
Surprising Early, Alternate Versions of Iconic Movie Posters - 4d
20 Highbrow Books to Read on the Beach This Summer
11 Shows That Wouldn't Exist Without 'Arrested Development'
The 20 Most Beautiful Libraries on Film and TV



