History of art Books

Book SynopsisScandinavian design is still seen as democratic, functional and simple, its products exemplifying the same characteristics now as they have done since the 1950s. But both the essence and the history of Scandinavian design are much more complex than this. Scandinavian Design: Alternative Histories presents a radically new assessment, a corrective to the persistent mythologies and reductive accounts of Scandinavian design.The book brings together case studies from the early twentieth century to today. Drawn from fields as diverse as transport, engineering, packaging, photography, law, interiors, and corporate identity, these studies tell new or unfamiliar stories about the production, mediation and consumption of design. An alternative history is created, one much more alive to national and regional differences and to types of product.Scandinavian Design analyses a century of design culture from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden and, in so doing, presents a sophisticated introduction to Scandinavian design.Trade ReviewMost 20th-century accounts of Scandinavian design have depended on clichéd descriptors such as 'humane', 'democratic', 'organic' and 'blond'. The authors of the twelve highly stimulating essays in this new anthology on the subject, skilfully assembled by design historian Kjetil Fallan, overtly reject those tired terms and, instead, offer 21st-century readers a reinvigorated account that is richer, more diverse and, most importantly, more analytical and scholarly. The book brings together new information, new approaches and a new set of narratives that make us look again at the idea of Scandinavian design. These alternative histories challenge existing orthodoxies and, as such, are guaranteed to become key design historical texts of the 21st century. * Professor Penny Sparke, Kingston University, London *This landmark book nudges our understanding of Scandinavian design beyond IKEA and Hans Wegner's teak chairs. Heralded for some time, the subject has, until now, offered a frustratingly limited selection of literature in English. From the Reverse Vending Machine's 'Hole in the Wall' to Oslo's streamlined 'Goldfish' trams, design stars like Jacob Jensen to the Swedish Cooperative Union's plastic grocery bags and 'graffiti board', Scandinavian Design covers material that will appeal to casual readers. But its smart, knowledgeable essays make this book a first stop for anyone interested in the full story of Scandinavian design. * Elizabeth Guffey, Purchase College State University of New York *Table of ContentsIntroduction, Kjetil Fallan, University of Oslo, Norway 1. A Historiography of Scandinavian Design Kjetil Fallan, Anders V. Munch, University of Southern Denmark, Pekka Korvenmaa, Aalto University, Finland; Espen Johnsen, University of Oslo, Norway, Sara Kristoffersson and Christina Zetterlund, both Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design, Sweden PART 1: NETWORKS 2. 'What's Worth Copying Is Worth Protecting': Applied Art and the Evolution of Danish Copyright Law, Stina Teilmann-Lock, University of Copenhagen, Denmark 3. Hand-Woven Fabrics by the Yard: Unveiling Modern Design Industry of the Interwar Period, Leena Svinhufvud, Design Museum Helsinki, Finland 4. Designing the 'Consumer in Infinity': The Swedish Co-operative Union's New Consumer Policy, c. 1970, Helena Mattsson, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden 5. Designing a Hole in the Wall: The Reverse Vending Machine as Socio-Technical System and Environmental Infrastructure, Finn Arne Jørgensen, Umeå University, Sweden PART 2: APPROPRIATIONS 6. Just Decoration? Ideology and Design in Early Twentieth Century Sweden, Christina Zetterlund, Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design, Sweden 7. Goldfish Memories: Recounting Oslo's Streamlined Aluminium Trams, Kjetil Fallan, University of Oslo, Norway 8. Creature Comforts: Soft Sofas and the Demise of Modernist Morality in 1970s Finland, Minna Sarantola-Weiss, Helsinki City Museum, Finland 9. Jacob Jensen and the Lifa Kitchen: Branding the 'Lifestyle Kitchen' with Designer Personality and Mythology, Hans-Christian Jensen, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark PART 3: MEDIATIONS 10. Something Old, Something New, Something Stolen, Something Blue: Designing a Chocolate Bar, Stig Kvaal and Per Østby, both Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway 11. Exhibitable Furniture: Interpreting Images of Design, Malene Breunig, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark 12. The Advantages of Being Swedish: Volvo in America, Jeff Werner, Stockholm University, Sweden 13. From Policies To Politics: Finnish Design on the Ideological Battlefield in the 1960s and 1970s, Pekka Korvenmaa, Aalto University, Finland Epilogue, Kjetil Fallan Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisAlthough a quintessentially English sculptor, Henry Moore experienced outstanding success in the United States. A man much admired and revered, he was the natural choice for corporate and civil commissions, with many seeing ownership of his work as an expression of rank and aspiring wealth. The fact that the United States contains the greatest number of his sculptures, as opposed to his home country, cannot simply be attributed to superior spending power. Based on original sources, and containing many previously unpublished images, Pauline Rose's book explores the reasons for Moore's fame in America, and the construction of his American persona. An autonomous, creative genius was a seductive and popular idea for the Americans, a perception encouraged by the photographs, films and writings of him in the press. The impact of Moore's presence was likely even stronger precisely because he did not fulfil the expected traits of either the modern artist or the modern celebrity. Rose's work focuses on contextual factors surrounding Moore's reception: political and economic imperatives within the United Kingdom and the transatlantic Special Relationship between the United Kingdom and America. Exploring the ways in which Moore was presented to an American audience via text and imagery and the influential network of his supporters which spanned the two countries, this insightful book examines a range of sculptural commissions in key American cities. His popularity is likely to be related to the ambitions of politicians and businessmen alike who perceived Moore's monumental sculptures as expressions of citizenship and humanity, particularly against the backdrop of the Cold War. This text is a valuable and innovative addition to studies on Moore. It will be indispensable to all those interested in twentieth century art history and cultural studies, Anglo-American relations, and the vibrant relationship between text and image.Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. Cultural Export: Promoting henry Moore in the United States 3. The Englishness of Henry Moore 4. Cast in Bronze: Civic and Corporate Ambitions 5. From City Hall to Shopping Mall 6. The After-Life of Henry Moore

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Book SynopsisWhat can modern art have to do with ancient sculpture? Surely the excitement of modern art lies in its utter repudiation of classical example? Elizabeth Prettejohn's important and revisionist new book argues otherwise: that ancient sculpture and modern art have been in constant dialogue since Johann Joachim Winckelmann invented the modern discipline of art history. It shows how ancient sculptures could inspire artists such as Rodin, Leighton or Picasso, and how modern artworks could help to interpret sculptors such as Pheidias and Praxiteles. The Modernity of Ancient Sculpture will have strong appeal to students of modern art and the classics alike.Trade ReviewNever less than persuasive, in the subtlety and accessibility of its visual or verbal analyses, the book includes revelatory ideas on almost every page.' - Jason Edwards, Reader in the History of Art, University of York 'This is a wonderful book. It commands, with enviable ease, both ancient and modern data, and moves seamlessly and to excellent effect between evocative description and theoretical criticism. This is a book which any graduate student starting to work on ancient art will in future have to read. It is fundamentally enlightening about the way in which sculpture has been studied - and about what it is to study sculpture. It is certainly a book that the exhibition-going public and the serious visitor to the British Museum (or indeed to English country houses with classical sculpture collections) ought to read as well. It manages to be repeatedly eye-opening.' - Robin Osborne, Professor of Ancient History, University of CambridgeTable of ContentsCONTENTS List of Illustrations ix Acknowledgements xv Introduction 1 1. The Discovery of Greek Sculpture 38 2. The Artist, Ancient and Modern 104 3. Modernism 171 Notes 257 Selected Bibliography 287 Index 291

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Book SynopsisThe films of Claire Denis probe the idea of global citizenship and trace the borderlines of family, desire, nationality and power. Her films, including Chocolat, Beau travail and White Material explore connections between national experience and individual circumstance, visualizing the complications of such dualities. Following a foreword by Wim Wenders, international contributors explore the themes she addresses in her films, such as kinship and landscape, neo-colonialism and New French Extremity. Original interviews with an editor, actor and two composers familiar with Denis's working style and with Denis herself, also reveal fresh facets of this intrepid filmmaker.Trade ReviewThis book compiles insightful essays and interviews concerning the work of one of the most innovative and particular narrative filmmakers of our time -- Claire Denis. I feel so lucky to have this remarkable body of films accessible to my consciousness! Thank you, Claire Denis. Jim Jarmusch Claire Denis's films are unequalled in contemporary cinema in their political rigour, sensitivity, artistic verve, and sheer sensuality. This beautiful, exploratory book responds to these films through interviews with the director and her collaborators, photographs and tributes, and through a series of coruscating critical essays from the finest writers in the field. Emma Wilson, Professor of French Literature and the Visual Arts, Cambridge University. Marjorie Vecchio has put together a stunning volume, full of intellectual verve and breathtaking insight that throws light on the work and critical impact of Claire Denis. Unpretentious yet spot on in terms of philosophical framing, the contributions will occupy a central place in the ever-growing archives of film criticism and the theoretical soundtrack that accompany every screening of our ability to think. Avital Ronell, Philosopher, New York University.Table of ContentsMarjorie Vecchio - Introduction Wim Wenders - Forward: “Klärchen“ 1. Interviews Martine Beugnet -‘To Let The Image Sing’: Conversations with Dickon Hinchliffe and Stuart Staples Kirsten Johnson - Interview with Nelly Quettier, Paris July 2011 - Interview with Alex Descas, Paris July 2011 Jean-Luc Nancy - Interview with Claire Denis, European Graduate School, Saas-Fee, Switzerland Summer 2011 (Trans. Nathalie Le Galloudec) 2. Relations Catherine Wheatley - La Famille Denis Sam Ishii-Gonzales - Reinventing Community, or Non-Relational Relations in Claire Denis’s I Can’t Sleep James S. Williams - Beyond the Other: Grafting Relations in the films of Claire Denis 3. Global Citizenship Cornelia Ruhe - Beyond Post-colonialism? From Chocolat to White Material Florence Martin - Trouble Every Day: The Neo-Colonialists bite back. Rafael Ruiz Pleguezuelos - Foreignness and Employment: A Study of the Role of Work in the Films of Claire Denis Jean-Luc Nancy - The Intruder According to Claire Denis (Trans. Anna Moschovakis) 4. Within film Noëlle Rouxel-Cubberly - Delivering: Claire Denis’s opening sequences Laura McMahon - Rhythms of Relationality: Denis and Dance Firoza Elavia - That Interrupting Feeling: Interstitial Disjunctions in Claire Denis’s L'Intrus Henrik Gustafsson - Points of Flight, Lines of Fracture: Claire Denis’s Uncanny Landscape Adam Nayman and Andrew Tracy - Arthouse/Grindhouse: Claire Denis and the “New French Extremity” Filmography Index

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Book SynopsisIn July 1996, Edinburgh College of Art offered a Masterclass with the Italian-Scottish sculptor, Eduardo Paolozzi. He particularly wanted to run this course in his home city. Although born in Leith, the eldest son of Italian immigrants, Paolozzi left Scotland after studying at Edinburgh College of Art to pursue further studies in London and to establish an international reputation as a sculptor. Plans for two previous classes elsewhere had fallen through. The selection process chose 17 students with widely different backgrounds. Plunged into ten days of unconventional tutoring, each found widely differing responses. Paolozzi asked the members of the class to keep a diary of their time with him. Ann Shaw, a former journalist with The Glasgow Herald, documented her days and recorded scenes of chaos and progress. Her unabridged account is illustrated throughout with some of the photographs she took as the appointed 'official' class photographer. Paolozzi is seen as human, vulnerable, gracious and rude, inspiring and shy.

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Book SynopsisThis is the first book to take seriously (though not too seriously) the surprisingly neglected role of humour in art. "Art and Laughter" looks back to comic masters such as Hogarth and Daumier and to Dada, Surrealism and Pop Art, asking what makes us laugh and why. It explores the use of comedy in art from satire and irony to pun, parody and black and bawdy humour. Encouraging laughter in the hallowed space of the gallery, Sheri Klein praises the contemporary artist as 'clown' - often overlooked in favour of the role of artist as 'serious' commentator - and takes us on a tour of the comic work of Red Grooms, Cary Leibowitz, 'The Hairy Who', Richard Prince, Bruce Nauman, Jeff Koons, William Wegman, Vik Muniz, and many more. She seeks out those rare smiles in art - from the Mona Lisa onwards - and highlights too the pleasures of the cute, the camp and the downright kitsch.

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Book SynopsisThis book examines the way that objects 'speak' to us through the memories that we associate with them. Instead of viewing the meaning of particular designs as fixed and given, by looking at the process of evocation it finds an open and continuing dialogue between things, their makers and their consumers. This is not, however, to diminish the role of design in shapinghuman consciousness. The contributors do not view objects as blank carriers onto which humans project prior psychic dramas, but rather, place crucial importance on the precise materials from which they are made, their social, economic and historic reasons for being, and the way that we interact with them through our senses. This book therefore studies the physical withinthe intellectual, directly testing the concept of material culture. With telling illustrations, and spanning the Renaissance to the present day, leading scholars converge across disciplines to explore the souvenir-value of jewellery, textiles, the home, the urban space, modernist design, photography, the museum and even the sunken wreck. Together they show howthe sense of the past and of history, far from being a 'radical illusion' as some post-modernists claim, has been a deeply felt reality.Trade Review'Deftly combines the study of memory with material culture, enhancing our understanding of both. The book opens up a new field of research. Its combination of history and theory, and its emphasis on the tactile and tangible components of memory clearly signal the future direction of scholarship about how we use objects to give continuity and meaning to human experience.'Professor John Brewer, University of Chicago'A triumph of intellectual choreography ... sets the mind spinning.' Design History Society Newsletter'All the chapters make excellent reading, well researched, always stimulating, often most entertaining, with relevant and moving photographic illustrations. The bibliographic references and the detailed index greatly facilitate its use.' 'Material Memories' will certainly occupy a central place in the growing literature on material culture, as it bridges history, anthropology and art studies.'Journal of Design History'Focusing on the concept of the souve

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Book SynopsisIn Baghdad, an enormous monument nearly twice the size of the Arc de Triomphe towers over the city. Two huge forearms emerge from the ground, clutching two swords that clash overhead. Those arms are enlarged casts of those of Saddam Hussein, showing every bump and follicle. The "Victory Arch" celebrates a victory over Iran (in their eight-year-long war) that never happened. This text is a study of the interplay between art and politics - of how culture, normally an unquestioned good, can play into the hands of a power with devastating effects. Kanan Makiya uses the culture invented by Saddam Hussein as a window into the nature of totalitarianism and shows how art can become the weapon of dictatorship. Under Saddam Hussein, culture connived in his evil - this text explains how. It should be useful reading for anyone concerned with the power of culture and the culture of power.Trade Review"Brilliant and moving. The kind of totalitarian propaganda discussed by Makiya is relevant not only to explain the grip of power of Saddam Hussein but to other Arab countries." -Peter Partner, The New York Review of Books "...elegantly savage critique of Saddam Hussein's architectural follies... His book deserves to rank with the classic analyses of Nazi and Stalinist art: superb, as a study of kitsch, a study of tyranny - and an account of why the latter always loves the former." -Boyd Tonkin, The Independent "The Monument provides an unusual and groundbreaking examination of the cultural control that Saddam Hussein exercised on his people, and the importance of his so-called artistic legacy... shows how art can become the weapon of dictatorship." -Fred Rhodes, The Middle East Magazine "Makiya writes stridently, but he is also capable of patient rational analysis unravelling what the Monument teaches about the abuse of art for political purposes." -Robert Hillenbrand, Times Literary Supplement

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Book SynopsisThe Erotic Object: Sexuality in Sculpture From Prehistory to the Present The power and eroticism of sculpture, form, volume and space are sensitively explored in this wide-ranging study, which takes in the history of sculpture from prehistoric times to contemporary art. Featuring discussions of many famous sculptors, including: Michelangelo Buonarroti, Antonio Canova, Auguste Rodin, Eric Gill, Andy Goldsworthy, Jasper Johns, Constantin Brancusi, Pablo Picasso, Barbara Hepworth and Gianlorenzo Bernini. Many contemporary artists are studied too, including installation and performance artists (Catherine Elwes, Karen Finley, Ana Mendieta, Carolee Schneemann), and women sculptors such as Alice Aycock, Mary Miss, Rebecca Horn, Nancy Graves, Eva Hesse, Kathe Kollwitz and Judy Chicago. ? Regardless of what sculpture depicts, it can be seen as erotic. The surfaces, materials and forms are sensuous: wood, stone, marble, granite, clay, bronze. Touching is pleasure. It is a pleasure that is, perhaps, pre-institutional, pre-industrial and pre-political. Touching cuts through socialand cultural constructs, such asart, ideology, education and war, and goes back to aprimeval form of being. At same time, touching is a sense of the both personal and societal. John Keats said, ''touch hasa memory''. Sculpture activates this fundamental relation with things. Sculpture renews contact with the simple but utterly crucial experiences such as touch, sight, and smell. Fully illustrated, with many rare and fascinating illustrations, including prints, paintings and buildings as well as sculptures and statues. This book has been revised and updated. ISBN 9781861714092. 296 pages. www.crmoon.com

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Book SynopsisAfrican headrests have been moved out of the category of functional objects and into the more rarefied category of 'art' objects. Styles in African headrests are usually defined in terms of western art and archaeological discourses, but this book interrogates these definitions of style through a case study of headrests of the 'Tellem' of Mali.""African Dream Machines"" questions the assumed one-to-one relationship between formal styles and ethnic identities or classifications.The notion of 'authenticity' as a fixed value in relation to African art is de-stabilised, while historical factors are used to demonstrate that 'authenticity', in the form sought by collectors of antique African art, is largely a construct, which has no basis in historical reality.The final chapter seeks to understand the significance of African headrests in relation to a number of different perspectives: the western fascination with the headrest as a synecdoche for ""otherness""; their iconography in terms of subject matter (human and animal figures); and the ways in which headrests are used as support to the head of a sleeping person.Each of the many headrests discussed is illustrated in a drawing by the author.Trade ReviewScholarship on sub-Saharan Africa is very thinly theorised. Few scholars seem to have the range to make connections with art practice elsewhere and generally offer interpretations which struggle to get beyond ethnographic documentation. Few monographs engage with the wider debates. This book is an exception... The author is one of those at the forefront of this engagement. Professor John Mack, World Art Studies, University of East AngliaTable of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements Notes on the Use of African Ethnic Names and Country and Place Names References to illustrations in the Text and Notes on Illustrations Chapter 1 Headrests and Art Chapter 2 A Matter of Style, or Why Style Matters Chapter 3 Methodology, Position and Limitations Chapter 4 The Geographical and Chronological Distribution of the Contribution of the Columned Headrest Chapter 5 Authenticity and History Chapter 6 East African Headrests: Identity, Form and Aesthetics Chapter 7 Tracing Histories: Central and Southern African Connections Chapter 8 Not just a Curious Beauty: The Anatomy of Meaning in Useful Objects Notes to Chapters Bibliography List of Illustrations Index

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive guide to reading Japanese art signatures, this text is designed for both the layman and the scholar, with a simplified approach that allows users to find and identify over 11,000 names of Japanese artists and craftspeople, from all periods and in all media.

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Book SynopsisRevised and updated, this latest edition of Blue Guide Jordan offers an in-depth exploration of this historically rich destination. The expert authors know every corner of the Hashemite Kingdom and offer detailed guidance to its many ancient sites, its desert forts, its crusader castles, wadis and campsites, as well as the energetic capital of Amman. Detailed maps and plans throughout.

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