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Britain’s most famous art critic, Brian Sewell gives his take on almost every important contemporary English art exhibition of the last 25 years. Naked Emperors is the first collection of his London Evening Standard articles to be published in nearly 20 years. Sewell, often divisive and always controversial, is well known for his acerbic views on conceptual art and the Turner prize. He has upset so many in the art world that many of his contemporaries once called for his sacking in a signed letter. He will reflect on the state of English contemporary art and what the future holds for it.

Sewell has been art critic of the London Evening Standard since 1984. He studied history of art at the Courtauld Institute under the tutelage of Anthony Blunt, worked at Christie’s as an expert in Old Masters, and has been a consultant to museums and galleries. His television work includes The Naked Pilgrim on a pilgrimage to Santiago, and Dirty Dali: A Private View. Sewell has also recently published two volumes of his autobiography, Outsider I and Outsider II. He will be reflecting on his life in a separate event at this year’s festival on Sunday, March 24, at 10am.