Sven Berlin was one of the most celebrated and multi-talented artists in the burgeoning art colony of St. Ives but on leaving Cornwall for the New Forest in 1953 struggled against the odds to maintain his reputation.
 
Sonia Aarons, who co-curated the Penlee House exhibition Sven Berlin Out of the Shadows in Penzance in 2012, has written the first full account of this larger-than-life protagonist - Sven Berlin Timeless Man. Drawing on letters to and from his close friends, manuscripts and archived documents, all-encompassing research has allowed her to paint a true picture of a complex man who engaged the hearts and minds of all he met, albeit on occasion not in a good way.
 
The events that led up to Berlin’s departure in a Gypsy wagon from Cornwall have been frequently documented (the break up of the Crypt Group and formation of the Penwith Society), but the extraordinary story of his life before St. Ives, his experiences during WWII, and the pursuit of his artistic and literary career in the New Forest, Isle of Wight and in Dorset are little known. 
Read a review here.
Sven Berlin Timeless Man (ISBN 978-0-9572736-2-7) is a finely produced and printed hardback publication with 412 pages of text and 100 pages of full colour and black and white photographs illustrating Berlin’s life and work. Published in 2016 by Millersford Press. Priced at £55.00 plus post and packing.