A collection of works by stained glass artist Sir Brian Clarke abstracting the emblematic shape of Spitfires.

In Spitfires, Brian Clarke reimagines the ominous silhouette as it is held in his memory, flying over the industrial cotton mills of Northern England. The Spitfire is a recurring motif that is not only quintessentially but historically and heroically British, made delicate by Clarke’s whirling stained-glass landscape of golden-green around them, pinning their shapes down like Victorian insect collections. A master of stained glass, Clarke resurrects these mechanical butterflies from their funereal shape and brings them to life through light and colour.

Over the last five decades, Clarke has consistently pushed the boundaries of stained glass as a medium, both in terms of technology and its poetic potential. His reputation is based on major installation projects all over the world and the significant artistic and technical breakthroughs he has contributed to this thousand-year-old medium.

Spitfires is a showcase of Clarke’s artistic innovation whose structural masterpieces harmonise painting and architecture in a sublime dance of light and colour. This book contains 130 illustrations that capture the stillness of Clarke’s synchronised fleet of Spitfires. Featuring shots from his permanent installation in Soho, London and an introduction from the artist himself.