Beckett Again: I Can't Go On

by Tom Phillips RA

This silkscreen print by Tom Phillips RA is from a series in which he responds to the life and work of writers who have inspired him. The combination of mesmerising mark-making and response to selected snippets from literature are characteristic of Phillips’ thought-provoking imagery.

Produced in a limited edition of 75, each print is signed and numbered by the artist.

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£750.00

Artwork details

Material Silkscreen Print
Dimensions 37 x 44.5cm
Edition of 75

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Product story

The subject of this work, derived from the last section of Samuel Beckett’s novel The Unnamable, is both a tribute to the author and the paradoxical impulses of a creative pursuit.

“You know that lovely line of Beckett — ‘I can’t go on, I’ll go on’ — that’s how it feels.”


The RA Editions programme generates valuable revenue for the RA and in particular the RA Schools.​​

Tom Phillips is renowned for his pioneering artist’s book, A Humument, which was given a dedicated gallery at the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition, 2015. For that work, he drew, collaged and painted over the pages of an obscure Victorian novel, The Human Document, by W.H. Mallock. By revealing and obscuring parts of its text he transformed each page into a unique work of art.

Beckett Again: I Can’t Go On by Tom Phillips is a new limited edition print in a series in which he responds to the life and work of writers who have inspired him. The combination of his mesmerising mark-making and responses to carefully chosen snippets from literature are characteristic of Phillips’ thought-provoking imagery.

All proceeds from sales of this work go directly to support the non-profit-making areas of the Royal Academy, particularly the RA Schools.

About Tom Phillips RA

Tom Phillips RA was born in London in 1937, attended Camberwell School of Art then teaching at Bath Academy of Art, Ipswich and Wolverhampton Art College between 1965 and 1972.Phillips’s first solo show was in 1965 at the Artists International Association Gallery in London, followed by an exhibition at the Angela Flowers Gallery in 1970. His 1989 show at the... Go to artist page