In this remarkable modern history of Britain, the ebbs and flows of the twentieth century are explored through ten pivotal artworks. Each coastal piece, created between 1912 and 2015, opens a window onto the ideas that have shaped our society, from the impact of the world wars and colonialism to conceptions of class and nationhood.

Bold and imaginative, Looking to Sea is an exquisite work of cultural storytelling, and a fascinating portrait of our island nation.

'At once bold and delicate, far-reaching and fine-tuned' - Alexandra Harris

'A smart and clear-eyed set of meditations on marine gaze, made with a painterly touch worthy of the chosen artists. Empathy and intelligence lift memoir into cultural history' - Iain Sinclair

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'A remarkable and compelling book. It is both a wonderfully sustained mapping of the intersection between artists, writers and the sea and a meditation on belonging and displacement. I loved it.' ― Edmund de Waal

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'This history of twentieth-century Britain, refracted through ten artistic responses to the sea, is beautifully written - authoritative and questioning; scholarly, but also vividly insightful about bodies, private lives, feelings, the often-overlooked quotidian. ― Aida Edemariam

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'Held within a neatly conceived structure and based on far-reaching research, this book is not only about art but also about national identity, belonging and displacement. It churns with large ideas as well as persuasive arguments . . . Le Brun has an eye and ear for details that catch the reader's attention. She handles words with great skill and piercing thought ― Frances Spalding ​​