The Roundel
100 Artists Remake a London Icon

Edited by Tamsin Dillon
with contributions by Jonathan Glancey,
Claire Dobbin and Sally Shaw
Art works by 100 contemporary artists

The London Underground logo is instantly recognizable, even by those who have never visited the city. Simple and effective, ubiquitous and reassuring, it not only expresses the all-embracing nature of the capital’s transport network, it also serves as a powerful brand for London itself. Found the length and breadth of the metropolis, it is now one of the best known and most fondly regarded corporate symbols in the world, and has spawned a host of similar designs from Salt Lake City to Shanghai.

The Roundel presents the company’s famous sign rethought and refashioned by one hundred international artists. At once imaginative and playful, bold and irreverent, these new interpretations reinvent the logo in photography and paint, drawing and print, collage and sculpture. Artists as diverse as Jeremy Deller, Sir Peter Blake, Roger Hiorns, Cornelia Parker, Yinka Shonibare, Gavin Turk, Susan Hiller and Richard Wentworth offer a personal and affectionate take on the familiar motif, revealing in their own words what inspired their creations.

A fascinating text by design writer Jonathan Glancey looks at the genesis of the Roundel a century ago and considers the reasons for its enduring success. Claire Dobbin of the London Transport Museum discusses many of the artistic uses of the symbol in earlier decades, while Sally Shaw, member of the original commissioning team at Art on the Underground, highlights some of the new works and reveals how they came about. Amusing and absorbing, The Roundel is a true gem of a book. It will delight all lovers of London and transport fanatics, as well as those who follow the latest trends in art, graphic design and corporate branding.

What others say

'Full of imaginative reworkings of the symbol which has had an impact on transport systems from Shanghai to Salt Lake City … an excellent new book' — It's Nice That (www.itsnicethat.com)

'An affectionate mix of realistic and impressionistic ideas in painting, drawing, print and sculpture' — Treehugger (www.treehugger.com)

Tamsin Dillon is Head of Art on the Underground, the programme of art commissions on the London Underground.
Jonathan Glancey is an architectural critic and writer. He was architecture and design editor at the Guardian from 1997 to 2012.
Claire Dobbin is a former senior curator at London’s Transport Museum.
Sally Shaw is Cultural Strategy Officer for the Greater London Authority and a former curator for Art on the Underground.

Contributing artists
Phillip Allen • Polly Apfelbaum • David Austen • Simon Bedwell • Vanessa Billy • Sir Peter Blake • David Blandy • Rut Blees Luxemburg • Simon and Tom Bloor • Martin Boyce • Rachal Bradley • Andrea Büttner • David Burrows • Alice Channer • Declan Clarke • Steve Claydon • Lucy Clout • Henry Coleman • Joel Croxson • Stuart Cumberland • Jeremy Deller • Luke Dowd • Sean Edwards • Chris Evans • Rose Finn-Kelcey • Doug Fishbone • Alicia Framis • Alex Frost • Franziska Furter • Ryan Gander • Jaime Gili • Alison Gill • Liam Gillick • Lothar Götz • Brian Griffiths • Henrik Håkansson • Thomas Helbig • Lothar Hempel • Knut Henrik Henriksen • Susan Hiller • Roger Hiorns • Karl Holmqvist • Des Hughes • The Hut Project • James Ireland • Jim Isermann • Juneau Projects • Alan Kane • Ian Kiaer • Scott King • Serena Korda • Torsten Lauschmann • Delaine Le Bas • Liliane Lijn • Michael Lin • Tim Machin • Lorna MacIntyre • Andrew Mania • Marta Marcé • Paul McDevitt • Peter McDonald • Eline McGeorge • Paul Morrison • Jack Newling • Paul Noble • Nils Norman • Harold Offeh • Cornelia Parker • Janette Parris • Toby Paterson • Paul Peden • Paola Pivi • Sam Plagerson • Olivia Plender • Ruth Proctor • Imran Qureshi • Damien Roach • Roland Ross • Giles Round • Paul Ryan • Yinka Shonibare • Jamie Shovlin • Bob and Roberta Smith • Georgina Starr • John Stezaker • Vincent Tavenne • Mark Titchner • Hayley Tompkins • Joëlle Tuerlinckx • Gavin Turk • Charlie Tweed • Donald Urquhart • Sophie von Hellermann • Emily Wardill • Richard Wentworth • Martin Westwood • Pae White • Clare Woods • Richard Woods • Catherine Yass