Based in London, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye has emerged in recent years as a major talent in the international art scene, winning widespread acclaim for her large-scale, luminous portraits. Working in a luxuriously dark, muted palette offset by bursts of radiant colour, Yiadom-Boakye paints subjects from her imagination, whose stories she sometimes elaborates through short fiction. Whether with a shy smile, leering, or evading one's gaze, Yiadom Boakye's subjects consistently confront the viewer with a beguiling sense of intimacy and the implication of larger, hidden life. This volume surveys the artist's remarkable career to date through beautiful, full-page illustrations. Also featured are two critical essays that assess the artist's practice and distinctive approach to portraiture, an interview with the artist, as well as short stories by the artist that give life to her paintings.