art historian and writer

BOOKS

A New York Times most anticipated non-fiction book of 2026.

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upcoming TALKS

Join Jo for a talk near you!

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podcast

Listen to Sculpting Lives, a best podcast pick from The Guardian, Royal Academy and more.

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It’s publication day! Thank you everyone who has pre-ordered TOTEM. It’s now the no. 1 bestseller in sculpture on the very big website beginning with A which is thrilling! Thank YOU. TOTEM is nominally a book about sculpture but at its he
Some snaps from the launch of TOTEM: The Untold Story of Sculpture! It went in a flash, such a joy to celebrate. It is a book which takes in 40,000 years of human creativity, and we even made our very own Angel of the North with my cape.. thank you t
Summer feels over, schools are going back and there is a noticeable chill to the air. September is here. The autumn ahead is fun though! Please join me if you can at a talk, I would love to see you, and hear your questions all about sculpture.. nothi
What a carve up! I wrote in @thetimes today all about the incredible story of sculpture and why it matters so much to us. There are only so many ways to pose with a newspaper, even Steve the Pug got bored.. but thank you for letting me share my exci
Steve the Pug loved TOTEM’s first newspaper review. The Mail on Sunday calls it ‘beautifully written’ and ‘an exhilarating global journey’ with ‘wide-ranging storytelling’. I’ve also included some photo
For @ft_weekend I wrote about the indefinable magnetism of Patmos. Following in the footsteps of Barbara Hepworth, I walked old cobblestone paths through overgrown rye grasses and past shaded forests of cypress and pine up to an ancient monastery. Pa