Axis

Axis was a quarterly review of contemporary ″abstract″ painting and sculpture during the pre-World War II period of 1935-1937. Edited by Myfanwy Evans, the wife of artist John Piper it was published in only 8 editions. The price at the first issue was 2 shillings and 6pence a copy. This equates to approximately £22 a copy in 2023. Not at all cheap.

Evans was motivated by the French abstract artist Jean Hélion, (1904-1987) to show the British counterparts the concerns of the Paris-based Abstraction-Création group. Although short-lived, the magazine was significant in introducing knowledge of contemporary European trends to Britain and contained references to British artists such as Henry Moore, Ceri Richards, John Piper, Arthur Jackson, Ben Nicholson, Paul Nash, Barbara Hepworth, Edward Wadsworth and very many non-British artists.

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