Help keep Alfred Wallis's real story in print

Aim

I would love to keep Alfred Wallis's real story in print, but I can only cover 25% of the cost of producing a second edition. Can you help?

Please help keep Alfred Wallis Child Pauper To Artistic Luminary in print

Eight years of research have revealed a very different story behind one of Britain's best-loved artists.

Alfred Wallis (1855–1942) didn't become an artist until he was 70. Before that, he was a Cornish fisherman, sailor, marine stores dealer, and family man living through poverty and enormous personal loss. His paintings greatly influenced British Modern Art, and he is now one of Britain's best loved artists.

I funded the first edition of his biography myself because I believed his real story deserved to be told. The book has now won the Leonard Truran Cup for Most Outstanding Entry at the 2026 Holyer an Gof Publishers' Awards, and has received outstanding reviews from art historians, writers and artists.

Andrew Wilson, former Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary British Art at Tate Britain, described it as: “An utterly compelling read – the depth of research is unparalleled and changes the understanding of Alfred Wallis’s painting in so many ways.”

I would love to keep this research in print and bring out a second edition, incorporating a small amount of new material, and adjustments resulting from further research. The total cost of printing and image licensing is £12,000. I am putting in £3,000 myself and am asking supporters to help raise the remaining £9,000.

At selected donation levels, your name can become part of the story, joining those already named on the website - www.alfredwallis.co.uk/sponsors - or in the second edition itself, helping to keep his legacy alive for future generations. Higher levels also include the opportunity to enjoy an online or in-person talk about Alfred Wallis and the research behind the book. 

If you would like to help ensure Alfred Wallis's true story lives on, I'd be enormously grateful for your support. And if you can't donate, sharing the campaign with someone who loves art, St Ives, Cornwall or social history would help enormously.

Every contribution, however large or small, will help make the second edition possible.

Many thanks,
Matilda

Reviews:

“By far the most complete account that has been written to date, and clearly the result of many years of research.”
James Scott, British Art Journal

“One of the most absorbing books I have ever read.”
Cornelius Browne, writer and artist

"An incredible piece of scholarship. It has completely transformed my understanding and respect for Wallis’s work.”
David Tovey, art historian and author

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 6th December 2026 at 10:52am