This is the story of how the lives of British artists, from the late-nineteenth century to the present day, reflected and refracted the profound changes and historical events in the wider world. In a brilliant narrative that vividly evokes the personalities who populate and drive this story--including Aubrey Beardsley, Damien Hirst, and Barbara Hepworth--author Michael Bird reevaluates how we look at the history of modern Britain.

Bird illuminates how British artists have been remembered, reimagined, and reshaped by a century of dramatic events. Generously illustrated, This is Tomorrow is an absorbing narrative of how history has changed--and continues to change--how artists see and are seen.