Fields of Marks: The Life and Work of Milan Ivanič

New for November 2026: Now available to YorkBookShop readers with P&P FREE

A fully illustrated biography mapping a lifetime of resilience​, migration, ​and artistic ​evolution

Fields of Marks: The Life and Work of Milan Ivanič is much more than a traditional biography. The ‘fields of marks’ of the title refer to the immense variety of mark-making in 159 works across six decades of Ivanič’s work. Roz Ivanič ​elegantly weaves the ​intimate story of her and Milan’s lives with details of how each work came into being, and discussion of its form and content.

The book begins with the artist’s childhood as ‘the boy who couldn’t stop drawing’ in the 1950s in the Socialist Republic of Czechoslovakia, and his life-changing decision to leave in 1970 for a future with the author in Britain. Their life together takes them to many places in the UK and beyond, settling ​and bringing up their family in the North West of England, Milan drawing and painting wherever they went.

​“A pathbreaking biography of a great talent: a first-hand account of one painter’s passion for capturing the world around him”

Mary Gavagan

Readers will discover:

• A Dramatic Historical Journey: A rare look at growing up under a socialist regime and navigating the profound cultural shift of relocating to Britain. At its core, this is a deeply human narrative about leaving home, crossing borders, dislocation and building a life from scratch—a theme that resonates powerfully in today's cultural climate.

• Insights into Process: An exploration of the challenges, dilemmas and decision-making of a practising artist.

• Visual Inspiration: Vibrant, full-colour reproductions of Ivanič’s paintings, drawings, and prints, alongside an analysis of their content and composition.