The latest and by far most comprehensive study of Sri Lankas preeminent painter, George Keyt: The Absence of a Desired Image. Authored by Dr SinhaRaja Tammita-Delgoda, Sri Lankas leading art historian, and published by the Taprobane Collection, one of Sri Lankas most extensive collections of art, George Keyt: The Absence of a Desired Image places Keyt in the context of his times, focusing on areas that have not been studied in relation to his career. The book features paintings, photographs, illustrations, and images hitherto unpublished and archive material hitherto undocumented in previous studies on Keyt. Crucially, it features interviews with people who knew or knew of Keyt, including the historian K. M. de Silva and the American anthropologist Ellen Dissanayake, as well as Dr Sarath Amunugama, Godfrey Gunatilleke, Tilak Samarawickrema, and Keyt’s daughter Diana. Reputed in not just Sri Lanka but also India, and exhibited in not just Asia but also Europe, George Keyt (1901-1993) shaped the course of cultural modernism across the region. He associated closely with the leading modern Indian artists of his day, including the novelist Mulk Raj Anand and the painter M. F. Husain. The book sheds light on these aspects of his career, drawing from both written and oral sources. The book also explores his early career, where he embraced Buddhism and came under the influence of Kandyan art and culture. It incorporates archive material from this period, including a series of his line drawings that depict stories from the life of the Buddha, among other subjects, as well as several of his poems, essays, and stories.