John Carter RA has made some of the most beautiful and lucid artworks of the last fifty years. The apparent simplicity and directness of his abstract reliefs belie an ambiguity that extends even to their definition, as Carter seeks to subtly re-imagine the relationship between sculpture and painting. With commentaries from the artist and in-depth analyses of key pieces, this lavishly illustrated book is the first comprehensive survey of Carter s work. The reliefs for which he is best known are shown together with examples of his drawings, prints and public sculpture, to reveal the originality of his mind and the love of exactitude and clarity that drives his practice. Chris Yetton traces the artist s development, from his early interest in the forms of architecture and the imagery of commercial graphic art to his recent experiments with geometry, situating the work in the context of European art and assessing Carter s singular contribution to the post-war flowering of British abstraction. Formerly the Dean of Art and Head of Art History at Chelsea College of Art and Design, London, Chris Yetton has written extensively on post-war British abstract art, including the work of Ian Stephenson, James Hugonin and John McLean. Professor Mel Gooding is an art critic, writer and exhibition organiser. His many books include monographs on Patrick Heron, John Hoyland, Gillian Ayres and Ceri Richards. Dr Britta E. Buhlmann is Director of the Pfalzgalerie, Kaiserslautern.