Class of ’68

ARTWAS at a crossroads between the 19th and 20th centuries: impressionism, romanticism and naturalism arrived alongside the more formal traditions. Shimmering with bright colours, it was popularised in later years by prints from such masters as Cézanne and Monet. But the discipline was relatively short-lived. After the first exhibition of Fauvism in 1905, art would never be the same; the avant-garde movements had arrived and, with it, form was simplified and – to some eyes – distorted. We can only imagine how a Pablo Picasso or Wassily Kandinsky would have been received on first sighting.

There have been key turning points in the automotive industry too. Post-war Jaguar was, by necessity, a continuation of its prewar models until, that is, the mighty XK engine was unveiled in 1948, powering the sublime XK 120. There were no diversions, no other models hovering around in