Julian Barnes reflects on his early encounters with art. The Laughing Cavalier did not impress his younger self, but as a teenager in Paris he began to discover what he liked. Show more

Georges Braque 'thought the ideal state would be reached when we said nothing at all in front of a painting'. His comrade Picasso was more voluble. Show more

With reference to Claes Oldenburg and his exaggerated works, Julian Barnes considers the jolly japes of pop art and what they actually achieve. Show more

Julian Barnes notes how Lucian Freud was never very keen on being the subject of a biography but was perfectly content to ruthlessly expose the flesh of the women who sat for him. Show more

For Julian Barnes, modern art begins with Paul Cezanne, an artist whose portraits 'are all still lives'. Show more