Monday 211st December 2020

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BOK REVIEW  By Peter Baker

The MICHAEL TURNER Collection: Over 50 years of motorsport-themed Christmas cards

If this book were given to me this Christmas, I’d creep away somewhere quiet, probably with a good supply of cold turkey, mince pies and Scotch whisky, put my feet up, and the rest of the family wouldn’t see me until well into the New Year.

Anyone who has tried to commit to canvas knows just how difficult a process it is. Tony Hancock, the much-applauded comedian, summed things up nicely: ‘they paint with light’. So true. If I discovered a Michael Turner painting sharing wall space in the Louvre or the Tate with the other Turner, I wouldn’t be at all surprised. But imagination is one thing, consistently reproducing exciting moments in motorsport history, that takes the breath away, quite another.

Artist Michael Turner has been doing exactly that for over 50 years, while his precis of annual highlights, reproduced by his own company, Studio 88, has appeared as unforgettable Christmas cards sets since 1960.

Now Porter Press International, along with author Chas Parker have combined Michael’s total festive production into just one, 204-page volume, each picture accompanied by his own recall. Magic. No other word. And all these ‘works of art’ are available at a modest £70, or less if you use our Retro-Speed Magazine discount code. Try buying a picture of burning Rome at that price?

Recommended. Five stars.

The MICHAEL TURNER Collection: Over 50 years of motorsport-themed Christmas cards
Written by Chas Parker with Michael Turner
ISBN 978-1-907085-99-4
Available from Porter Press International
Price £70.00