History of art Books

Book SynopsisTwenty chapters, authored by leading scholars from around the world, explore the astonishing variety of building styles and traditions that have evolved over millennia in a region of diverse terrains, extreme climates and distinctive local histories. Generations of highly-skilled masons, carpenters and craftspeople have deftly employed the materials-to-hand and indigenous technologies to create urban architectural assemblages, gardens and rural landscapes that dialogue harmoniously with the natural contours and geological conditions of southern Arabia. A sharp escalation in military action and violence in the country since the 1990s has had a devastating impact on the region's rich cultural heritage. In bringing together the astute observations and reflections of an international and interdisciplinary group of acclaimed scholars, the principal aim of this book is to raise awareness among the general public and policy makers of Yemen's long history of cultural creativity, and of the very urgent need for international collaboration to protect it and its people from the destructive forces that have beset the region.Following the editor's introduction, the book is divided into three parts. Part One introduces readers to the astonishing variety of architecture and building traditions across the country, from the Red Sea coast, eastward into the mountainous highlands, to the edge of the Sahara desert, and southward into the deep, dramatic wadis of the Hadhramaut. Part Two is dedicated to exploring the issues and the challenges of conserving and preserving Yemen's rich architectural heritage. Part Three offers vivid personal insights - both historical and contemporary - into the making of place and the construction of identities.Trade Review'This timely book shows how in Yemen mud technology has been stretched to its limits to produce buildings perceived as staggeringly beautiful by outsiders, and which are highly satisfying places in which to live and work, finely tuned to their environment, and with a strong sense of identity. But it also stresses just how vulnerable this architecture has become to changing social structures and, even more so, to the devastating impacts of recent conflicts. If this is all to survive, there needs to be a strong, shared understanding of its enormous value to humanity and of the skills and social structures needed to sustain it: this collection of essays offers a very substantial contribution to that task.' -Susan Denyer, World Heritage Adviser, ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites);'Architectural heritage of Yemen: Buildings that fill my Eye is an absolute must for anyone interested in the marvels of Yemeni architectural design. It offers a remarkable insight into the varied history, use and meaning of the country's many domestic and public places, ranging from the famous tower houses and the many citadels, minarets, mausoleums and mosques, to the narrow streets and alleyways that connect as well as divide them. Sadly, because of the impact of intense and prolonged conflict, this remarkable, rich and distinctive architectural heritage is now under serious threat of being damaged, abandoned or lost. Architectural heritage of Yemen is an excellent and timely reminder of the need to document and preserve, in Marchand's words, 'one of the world's finest treasure-troves of architecture', and to raise awareness of the need to protect not just the buildings, but also the people who have created, lived in and cared for it.'-Dr Marcel Vellinga, Reader in Anthropology of Architecture; Research Lead, School of Architecture, Oxford Brookes University; 'Yemen's rich and diverse cultural heritage has shown all its fragility in recent times and it is more than ever in need to be valued, protected and brought to the attention of the world. The richness and quality of scholarly contributions in this publication helps us to see beyond the beauty of the architectural expressions of different regions of the country. It helps us to appreciate the human creativity and ability to craft complex structures at times in very harsh environments, using a variety of locally available materials to adapt to climatic conditions and yet maintain a high quality in the design and in the diversity of the decorations. An intangible "savoir faire' that has been transmitted verbally for centuries though generations of local craftsmen and that is still present but also at risk of disappearing under the present circumstances. Prof. Trevor H.J. Marchand is taking us on an architectural journey around the country but he also reminds us very eloquently how much architectural heritage and the knowledge which made it possible, is at risk of disappearance and the first thing to do is to remind ourselves of our responsibility of citizens of the world to respect it and defend its values.'-Anna Paolini, Director of the UNESCO Office in Doha

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Book SynopsisThis lavishly illustrated volume of essays introduces a fascinating array of subjects, each exploring an aspect of the far-reaching "mercantile effect" and its impact across western Asia in the early modern era. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the increased movement of merchants and goods from China to Europe brought desirable commodities to new markets, but also spread ideas, tastes, and technologies across western Asia as never before. Through the newly-established Dutch, English, and French East India companies, as well as much older mercantile networks, commodities including silk, ivory, books, and glazed porcelains were transported both east and west. The Mercantile Effect shows a fascinating array of trade objects and the customs and traditions of traders that brought about a period of intense cultural interchange.Trade Review"This elegant volume edited by Sussan Babaie and Melanie Gibson is a pioneer effort. . . superbly illustrated and kaleidoscopically examined."--Newsletter of the Oriental Ceramic Society

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Book SynopsisThe Great Mosque of Damascus is an iconic monument of world architecture, and the oldest mosque still standing in something close to its original state. This book is the first in-depth study of its foundation by the Umayyad dynasty, just as the first Islamic century was drawing to a close. Towards the end of 705, the Umayyad caliph al-Walid determined to build a new monumental mosque at the heart of his capital Damascus. This required the seizure of a church that had stood there since the forceful closure, centuries earlier, of the Roman temple of Jupiter, the walls of which still stand today. When the Christians refused to cede their building, al-Walid decided to take it by force. This controversial act broke with the consensual politics of the early Islamic empire and triggered a major crisis, the ripples of which were felt as far afield as the Byzantine Empire. Still, events ran their course. Once the rubble of the church was cleared, al-Walid and his supervisors deployed complex logistics to create a building of dazzling opulence and splendour that marked a turning point in mosque architecture. The book anchors the foundation of the Umayyad Mosque in its pre-Islamic past and brings to life the commotion that followed the destruction of the church. Alain George explores the process whereby craftsmen and materials were gathered to build the new mosque, seeks to reconstruct its Umayyad appearance, and investigates the subtle aesthetics that underpinned its stupendous ornament. This beautifully illustrated volume is based upon extensive research on new textual and visual sources, including Umayyad court poems and rare nineteenth-century photographs.Trade ReviewAlain George offers the results of a fascinating investigation into the earliest mosque of Islam. Mobilizing literary as well as documentary sources, archaeology, art history, and old photographs, the book provides a vivid picture of the monument as it was designed and erected at the very beginning of the eighth century. At the crossroads of wars against Byzantium, theological debates and imperial construction, the Umayyad mosque stands as a stone palimpsest and a poem to the glory of Islam. An amazing scientific and aesthetic tour de force, which will become an indispensable reference for historians and will seduce architecture lovers. Mathieu Tillier, Sorbonne Universite; The Umayyad mosque in Damascus is one of the great monuments of Islamic architecture and the most impressive surviving eighth century building in Western Eurasia. It also has a long and complex history of rebuilding after fires and other disasters. For the first time we now have a book which does full justice to it. Alain George has used text, archaeology and perhaps most revealingly, old photographs to produce a rich scholarly, readable and exciting account of the mosque. This book marks a major advance in our understanding of the building and will be the first port of call for scholars and students alike who want to understand it. It is a magnificent achievement.- Hugh Kennedy SOAS, London University; This is an important study that brings many fresh insights to a building that has already generated much scholarship. Alain George is to be commended on his masterful examination of architectural, archaeological, textual, and photographic evidence. The author is sensitive to the need to resolve discontinuities between primary textual accounts and the physical record of the standing structures and excavated material. Comparative evidence is used effectively to illuminate the ways in which practices or features located in the Damascus mosque are part of a larger cultural framework. This book will be read by specialists, but will also gain a wider readership among researchers engaged with similar problems in other regions and historical periods -Marcus Milwright, University of Victoria, Canada.

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Book SynopsisAs one of the key figures in the first generation of British conceptual artists and a crucial force behind many of the Young British Artists, Michael Craig-Martin has dedicated a career to complicating the practice and reception of drawing. Often considered the 'high priest of the everyday', he is engaged with the methodical exploration of those objects and design classics that are so often taken for granted: the tap, the clothes hanger, the petrol pump, the Anglepoise lamp. For Craig-Martin, those objects that we value least, simply for their ubiquity, are often the most extraordinary. His is a world of revelation.

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Book SynopsisBased on the seventh instalment of the biennial Renwick Invitational, this striking volume, presents the work of Steven Young Lee, Kristen Morgin, Jennifer Trask, and Norwood Viviano. The four selected artists work in a remarkable variety of media including porcelain, raw clay, bone, gold, glass, metal, found objects and mineral pigments. Their visual sensibilities draw on sources ranging from traditional Asian pottery to vintage Americana, and from the romance of the Victorian Era to the algorhythmic precision of the computer. Together, they engage a current fascination in American craft with change, transformation, ruin, and reinvention.

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Book SynopsisThe Stephen K. and Janie Woo Scher Collection of portrait medals is considered to be the world's greatest medals collection in private hands. This fully illustrated volume features twenty of the best objects in the collection, with a checklist of one hundred and sixty more, and an essay which highlights why the Scher collection is noted for its comprehensiveness and outstanding quality. An accessible introduction to a remarkable collection, this volume brings to life these masterpieces of small-scale sculpture, compellingly conveying the circumstances of their creation and their historic significance. A selection of some 160 portrait medals from the Scher collection is accompanied by an illustrated essay on the art of the medal, its origins, uses, and relationship to other arts. An in-depth scholarly publication that catalogues the entirety of this important collection-consisting of some 879 medals-is planned for a later date. AUTHOR: Aimee Ng is Associate Curator at The Frick Collection, NY, and a specialist in Italian Renaissance art. SELLING POINTS: . A compact guide to one of the best portrait medal collections in the world . Includes an essay on the art of the medal from the 15th- to the 19th-century in Italy, Germany, France, the Netherlands and England . Beautiful images makes this an accessible and appealing introduction to the subject 40 colour

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Book SynopsisThis fascinating book tells the story of a little-known masterpiece by the Italian sculptor Antonio Canova (1757-1822)-the statue of George Washington for the North Carolina State House, delivered in 1821 and destroyed by fire ten years later. It brings together for the first time Canova's full-sized preparatory plaster model, sketches, engravings, drawings, and a selection of Thomas Jefferson's letters about the commission. This is a major addition to the current body of published knowledge on the work of Antonio Canova, as well as on the classical revivalist sculpture of the early nineteenth century on both sides of the Atlantic.Trade Review"A two-century-old statue of the nation's father, in the buff, is coming to the United States for the first time. And, no, he didn't pose for it."--James Barron, The New York Times, April 23, 2017 "Italian Art Rarities Will Make American Debut at the Frick"--Joshua Barone, The New York Times, April 7, 2017Table of ContentsDirector's Foreword; Preface and Acknowledgments; "The Boast and Pride of North America"-Antonio Canova's George Washington by Xavier F. Salomon; The Classical Conception of Antonio Canova by Mario Guderzo; Jefferson, Italy, and Palladio by Guido Beltramini; Appendix; Bibliography; Index; Photography Credits

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Book SynopsisMarking a crucial turning point in Caravaggio's life and artistic development, the Crucifixion of Saint Andrew exemplifies the artist's famous tenebristic style, developed during his rise to fame in Rome, and simultaneously signals a new, grittier realism in his work. Inspired both by a Spanish patron and by the urban topography of Naples, a city three times the size of Rome in Caravaggio's day, the Crucifixion of Saint Andrew became a mobile portent of Caravaggio's stylistic revolution when the viceroy brought it with him to Valladolid in 1610. Recounting the complex history of this masterwork and its understudied position in Caravaggio's oeuvre, this book reveals the ways in which the Crucifixion of Saint Andrew functioned first as a devotional aid and subsequently as a harbinger of Caravaggism abroad.Table of ContentsDirector's Foreword; Acknowledgments; Preface: Why Caravaggio?; Introduction; Part I. Caravaggio in Spanish Naples; Becoming Caravaggio; Martyring Saint Andrew; Caravaggio and the Myth of Naples; From Court to Cult: Viceregal Patronage in Seventeenth-Century Naples; Part II. From Naples to Valladolid; Collecting Caravaggio in Spain; Painting Caravaggio: Technique and Conservation in the Crucifixion of Saint Andrew; Authentic Replicas; Conclusion: Mobility and Stasis in the Art of Caravaggio; Notes; Bibliography; Photo Credits; The Cleveland Museum of Art Board of Trustees

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Book SynopsisA major new illustrated volume on the visual diary of extraordinary artist and traveller Henriette, Baroness Hyde de Neuville, who lived and worked in America during the early nineteenth century. Artist in Exile is the first in-depth, illustrated exploration of the life and work of Anne Marguerite Josephine Henriette Rouillé de Marigny, Baroness Hyde de Neuville (1771–1849), who arrived in America in 1807 as a refugee from Napoleonic France and embarked on an extraordinary journey of discovery. Her unparalleled, beguiling, watercolours and drawings - over 200, made while travelling through seven countries and on the high seas, published here together with previously unpublished documents and letters - provide an invaluable historical visual record of the early years of the American Republic and its racially diverse population. From this exciting material Henriette emerges as a cosmopolitan artist who exerted her influence in political and social circles on both sides of the Atlantic, courageously traversing the European continent, unescorted, to beg Napoleon to spare her husband's life. Neuville's status as a woman, and an outsider, made her a particularly keen and sympathetic observer of individuals from a range of socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. She drew the earliest ethnographically correct images of indigenous Americans, together with vistas predating the works of other traveler-artists, and long-vanished buildings. Although she arrived in America as an outcast, by the end of her second residency, as the celebrated wife of the French Minister Plenipotentiary, she was interacting with political leaders and making her mark on society in Washington, DC and New York City. Artist in Exile tells her compelling story. AUTHOR: Roberta J.M. Olson, who received her Ph.D. in Art History from Princeton University, is Professor Emerita of Art History at Wheaton College in Massachusetts, and Curator of Drawings at the New-York Historical Society, where she has worked since 2000. 276 colour illustrations

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Book SynopsisThis magnificent new volume presents works of art from the fabled collection of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (1674-1723), including masterpieces by Raphael, Titian, Veronese, Correggio, Poussin, Rubens, and Rembrandt, bringing them together for the first time since the collection’s sale and dispersal more than two hundred years ago. In this book a representative group of nearly forty works, paintings, books, engravings, and portraits, tell the story of the collection's formation and exceptional character, focusing on such themes as the importance of the collection in the duke’s lifetime; the art market in early eighteenth-century Paris; the display of the collection in public and private spaces; and its widespread fame and resulting impact on visitors and contemporary artists and collectors in Paris. This volume is both a celebration of the tricentennial of the city of New Orleans, as well as being a major contribution to art historical scholarship and is of great interest to art historians and collectors, as well as to the general public. The volume is structured to maximize scholarly interest, publish new research and consolidate what is known about Phillippe II’s collection, one of the greatest private collections of Western art ever assembled. It features contributions by an international array of leading scholars, including Françoise Mardrus, Louvre Museum; Nicole Garnier-Pelle, Musée Condé; Alexandre Dupilet, author and historian; Xavier Salomon, The Frick Collection; Rachel McGarry, Minneapolis Institute of Art; Julia Armstrong-Totten, formerly of the Getty Provenance Index; Jean-François Bédard of Syracuse University; and Kelsey Brosnan, curatorial fellow for European Art at New Orleans Museum of Art.Table of ContentsForeword and Acknowledgements; 1 The Orléans Collection and Its Publics by Vanessa Schmid; Catalogue nos. 1–6; 2 Philippe d’Orléans, Absolute Regent by Alexandre Dupilet; Catalogue nos. 7-11; 3 Philippe II d’Orléans’s Collecting by Françoise Mardrus; Catalogue nos. 12–18; 4 Antoine Coypel and the Regent by Nicole Garnier-Pelle; 5 The Refurbishment and Renovation of the Palais-Royal during the Regency by Jean-François Bédard; 6 The Regent’s Collection of Venetian Paintings by Xavier F. Salomon; Catalogue nos. 19–21; 7 New Trends and Old: Rubens and the Dutch and Flemish School at the Palais-Royal by V Schmid; Catalogue nos. 22–29; 8 The Emergence of the Bolognese School: The Collection of the Duc d’Orléans by Rachel McGarry; Catalogue nos. 30–36; 9 Contemporary Artists at the Palais-Royal by Kelsey Brosnan; 10 The Orléans Phenomenon in Great Britain by Julia I. Armstrong-Totten; 11 Appendix: The Orléans Collection by Julia I. Armstrong-Totten Previous Owners as Listed by Dubois de Saint-Gelais by V Schmid with K. Brosnan; Chronology; Checklist; Selected Bibliography; Index

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Book SynopsisTrevor Paglen is an American artist, geographer, and author. What I want from art," says Paglen, "is to help see the historical moment we live in." His photographs make visible things we're not meant to see; he regards this invisibility as emblematic of that moment. Looking toward the earth, sea, or sky as earlier artists have, Paglen captures the same horizon seen by Turner in the nineteenth century or by Ansel Adams in the twentieth. Only in Paglen's images, a drone or classified communications satellite is also visible. "For me," Paglen observes, "seeing the drone in the twenty-first century is a bit like Turner seeing the train in the nineteenth century." Turner was less interested in the technology than its effects on perception, by its ability to accelerate human motion. Paglen is interested in our evolving perception in space. Standing in the Western landscape where Adams worked, Paglen photographs the drone as it photographs him. His images suggest that our conceptions of space and visuality are undergoing radical change; the physical limits of vision are no longer a reliable measure of what is visible to (often mechanical) others.Trevor Paglen: Sites Unseen is the first major career survey for the artist in the United States. it presents Paglen's key photographic series: Limit Telephotography; Tapped Underwater Cables and Cable Landing Sites; and The Other Night Sky and Untitled (Drones). Other works included are Code Names, NSA Triptych, 89 Landscapes, Trinity Cube, Autonomy Cube, and The Fence. The volume includes an essay by curator John Jacob; an essay by Luke Skrebowski of the University of Manchester; and a conversation between the artist and Wendy Hui Kyong Chun and Katherine Crawford.

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Book SynopsisThe subject of writing and receiving letters, which recurs frequently in the work of Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675), is given dramatic tension in this masterful painting of two women in a mysterious moment of crisis. The artist seldom, if ever, surpassed the subtly varied effects of light seen here as it gleams from the pearl jewellery, sparkles from the glass and silver objects on the table, and falls softly over the figures in their shadowy setting. The Frick Diptych series sparks a dialogue between creative spirits and art historians, promising new insights into some of the Frick's most famous masterpieces. The third volume, to be published in 2019, will have a contribution by author Edmund de Waal on a pair of porcelain and bronze candlesticks by the 18th-century French metalworker Pierre Gouthiere.Table of ContentsDirector's Foreword; Acknowledgments; Two Letters on a Day in the Early 1660s by James Ivory; Vermeer's Mistress and Maid by Margaret Iacono; Bibliography; Index

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Book SynopsisA completely new and revealing story of Pre- and Post-Columbian art as told through over sixty extraordinary artefacts now in the Jay I. Kislak Collection at the Library of Congress. The history of the early Americas is a story of before and after, defined and divided by a pivotal moment of contact between two distinct cultures. On the European side it is a tale of exploration, high-stakes treasure-seeking, and conquest. For indigenous Americans - including the Maya, the Nahua, the Taino, and the Wari - it is the beginning of the end, a violent saga of disease, enslavement, and the loss of languages and rituals. This collision of cultures comes to life in the manuscripts, maps, archaeological objects, and rare books that make up the collection of early American treasures in the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. Collecting for a New World: Treasures of the Early Americas relates these encounters through vivid illustrations and interpretive descriptions of more than sixty rare and priceless items. In describing for the first time the journeys of the objects themselves - via African shipwrecks, secret meetings on airstrips, discoveries in castle libraries, and journeys into unknown archaeological sites hidden deep in the jungles of Guatemala - curator John Hessler reveals the role played by private collectors, whose knowledge, vision, and - in many cases, philanthropy - contribute so significantly to the collective understanding and interpretation of history and culture. AUTHOR: When not searching through Maya ruins in Central America, climbing in the Alps or mountain biking through some jungle, John Hessler is the Curator of the Jay I. Kislak Collection of the Archaeology and History of the Early Americas at the Library of Congress and a Lecturer in Quantum Materials, Mechanics and Computing, in the Graduate School of Advanced Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Founder of the Archeo/LAB, his current teaching and research focuses on the theoretical materials science of archaeological remains, the topological structure of ancient DNA, and the quantum properties of ancient nano-materials like Maya Blue. A Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in London, he is the co-director of the Mesoamerican Language, Theory and Decipherment Seminars, and is also on the faculty of the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia where he teaches a seminar called the History & Construction of the Mesoamerican Codex. The author of more than 100 books and articles, including, The New York Times bestseller MAP: Exploring the World, his research and writing has been featured in many national media outlets including Discover, Wired, CBS News, The New York Times, The Washington Post and most recently on NPRs All Things Considered. 100 colour illustrations

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Book SynopsisThis third volume in the Frick Diptych series offers fresh insight into a pair of candelabra that represent the pinnacle of luxury and taste in the years prior to the French Revolution. Vignon tells the fascinating story of these objects that are made of two small white vases with extraordinary gilt-bronze mounts by Pierre Gouthière, the celebrated eighteenth-century French chaser and gilder. Vignon's essay is paired with a text by De Waal in which he examines what it is to make, own, and desire such complex objectsTable of ContentsDirector’s Foreword; Acknowledgments; Pierre Gouthière by Edmund de Waal; White and Gold: Pierre Gouthière's Candelabras for the Duke of Aumont by Charlotte Vignon; Bibliography; Index; Photography Credits

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Book SynopsisAlthough he never studied at the Royal College of Art, Antony Donaldson's friendships with RCA students Patrick Caulfield, Allen Jones and Peter Phillips put him firmly in the vanguard of the Pop Art movement in London in the 1960s. Born in 1939, Donaldson was chosen in 1964 for the landmark New Generation exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery which included Allen Jones and David Hockney and he became the first Pop Artist to sell his work to the Tate. Like Hockney, Donaldson dreamed of a quiet and relaxed life in southern California and moved to Los Angeles between 1966 and 1968, where he painted daringly simple compositions using saturated colour and sensual forms. In later years Donaldson took up sculpture in a variety of media; his most famous piece is the giant Buddha-like head of Alfred Hitchcock, Master of Suspense, in the courtyard of the Gainsborough Film Studios in London. This monograph includes an illustrated chronology, an exhibition checklist and a bibliography

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Book SynopsisJohn Leslie Breck (1860-1899) was one of the founders of the American art colony at Giverny and was among the earliest American artists to embrace the Impressionist style. He was also one of the first to exhibit his Impressionist paintings in America and helped to popularize the style during his years working in the Boston area in the 1890s. Between 1887 and 1888 he and a handful of his American colleagues began visiting the French village of Giverny, where they met Claude Monet and subsequently explored the new approach to painting that Monet had helped to pioneer. Breck's canvases from this period, loosely brushed and filled with light and color, are a marked departure from his earlier works that are characterized by darker tonalities and tighter brushwork that typified the preferred style of the era. When Breck returned to America in 1892, he applied what he had learned to paintings of the New England landscape and frequently exhibited his work. Inspired by The Mint Museum's 2016 acquisition of John Leslie Breck's canvas Suzanne Hoschede-Monet Sewing, this volume includes approximately 70 of Breck's finest works, drawn from public and private collections. Along with his scenes of Giverny and America, this volume features a selection of paintings from his sojourn in Venice in 1897. Always interested exploring in new ways of seeing the world, Breck had begun to explore aspects of post-Impressionism and Asian aesthetics in the years before his early death, at the age of 39, in 1899. This volume also features up to 36 additional comparative images, including details, photographs, and paintings by Monet and other leading American impressionists including Willard Metcalf, Theodore Robinson, Lila Cabot Perry, Childe Hassam, and Arthur Wesley Dow, presented throughout the main essays and chronology and appendices.Trade Review"This is the book every artist deserves. It is exemplary in the way it illustrates all of Breck's outstanding works, gives us a much-needed, detailed account of his life in Giverny including his relationship to Monet and his step-daughters, explains his family and his ties to Boston, expands our knowledge by illustrating his work in Venice, Santa Barbara, and Gloucester, and forthrightly examines his good times and his troubled ones." Theodore E. Stebbins Jr., formerly curator of American Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Harvard Art Museums. "John Leslie Breck: American Impressionist is a revelation. Never before have so many of Breck's finest paintings been seen together. It's a must for anyone who loves Impressionism." George T.M. Shackelford, Deputy Director, Kimbell Art MuseumTable of ContentsSponsor’s Statement by Charles Bowman; Lenders; Foreword by Todd A. Herman; Acknowledgments by Jonathan Stuhlman; John Leslie Breck and American Impressionism: An Introspective Historiography by Erica E. Hirshler; John Leslie Breck His Life and Career by Royal W. Leith and Jeffrey R. Brown; Artistic Beginnings in Giverny by Katherine Bourguignon; The Exhibition That Never Was: John Leslie Breck’s Paintings of Venice by Royal W. Leith; “A Great Genius,” Yet a Man Apart: John Leslie Breck in Context by Jonathan Stuhlman; Appendix 1 A Week in Giverny: July 1888 by Royal W. Leith; Appendix 2 Song Lyrics by John Leslie Breck; Appendix 3 The Day: On Seeing John Leslie Breck’s "Studies of an Autumn Day” A Poem by Edward Breck; Chronology by Jeffrey R. Brown and Royal W. Leith; Exhibition History by Jeffrey R. Brown and Royal W. Leith; Exhibition Checklist; Index; Photo Credits

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Book SynopsisIn answering the question posed by its title, and drawing on his twenty year relationship with the artists, Michael Bracewell is the first writer to engage directly with Gilbert & George to understand why they have devoted their lives exclusively and continuously - to the vision of art they conceived within months of first meeting. What emerges piece by piece is a portrait of Gilbert & George as two men who are infinitely more intense, strange, determined and alone than their longstanding public image suggests.

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Book SynopsisThis new title celebrates 50 years of the creative force of nature that is the artistic partnership of Gilbert & George. Published in cooperation with the LUMA Foundation in Arles, France, on the occasion of their retrospective exhibition on show from 2 July to 23 September 2018. The book will feature five interviews with Gilbert & George by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Daniel Birnbaum, one for each decade of their practice. This title will be heavily illustrated with examples of Gilbert & George's artworks from their early years to their most recent series. Designed by Gilbert & George themselves, The Great Exhibition will feature their trademark style and panache. Introduced by a text co-authored by Obrist and Birnbaum, this publication will also feature several extracts from Michael Bracewell's 2017 publication What is Gilbert & George?. All text will be presented in both French and English.

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Book SynopsisThis fascinating volume showcases the work of British artist, poet and performer Liz Finch and presents a series of 25 sculptures created between 1975 and 2016. The gentle figures are strangely familiar, built using found and made objects that might otherwise be discarded. Knitted limbs and faces with stitched or collaged features are affixed to torsos made from cardboard boxes that are plastered with papier-mâché and painted. The fragile bodies are then suspended on pieces of frayed string and twisted wire from the shoulders or sometimes by the neck. Finch subverts the ordinary and engages with the uncanny; a strange and anxious feeling created by familiar objects in unfamiliar contexts. Featuring full reproductions of each artwork alongside close details that reveal their composition, the book is threaded with poetic texts by Finch that blur the lines between personal memories, surreal dreams and everyday reality.

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Book SynopsisOriginally a film by British avant-garde filmmaker Nichola Bruce, The Romance of Bricks is a portrait of the artist Liz Finch: a British painter, performer and poet. From her life-changing accident and rural solitude to the mad social whirl of 80s London anarchic performances and up to the present day, The Romance of Bricks sews together archival film over many years to produce an intriguing glimpse into the private world of the artist. Featuring commentary from Jools Holland, Christine Binnie, Jennifer Binnie, John Finch, Brian Clarke, Aubrey Fabing, Richard Strange, Nicola Bateman Bowery, Francesco Brusatin and Martin Harrison alongside an intimate dialogue with the artist herself.

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Book SynopsisHelen Bellany, twice married to the artist John Bellany, recalls their lives together in Scotland, London, and Italy, John's rise from poverty and obscurity to worldwide recognition, and the human cost inherent in creating great art. The sea was in both their hearts and in John's work from its earliest stages. From there, he deepened into a profound exploration of the human condition. The Restless Wave reflects the mystery, poetry and passion that was at the core of the inner life John and Helen shared. The couple had great friendships with such fellow artists as David Bowie, and John painted such internationally known figures as Billy Connelly, Sean Connery and Peter Maxwell Davis, as well as many portraits of his muse, Helen.Trade Review`Immediate, full of emotion.'-The Scottish Review of Books; `Bellany's life and art constitute a saga worthy of his seafaring ancestors. He could not have succeeded without Helen, as this book shows and both knew from the outset of their momentous voyage together.'-The Spectator; `In an effortless style, Bellany lays bare the imperfections of their relationship, capturing both testing times and happy memories. An honest and enthralling read.'-Scottish Field; `A marvelously tender biography.'-Fiona Green, The Islington Tribune; `Compelling ... a beautifully told tale of a remarkable man by a remarkable woman.'-Joan Bakewell; `The book is as much about [John] as it is about Helen, but she writes with great candour and without self-pity. Just by telling the story, she makes clear how much we owe to her for the gift of John's art.'-Duncan Macmillan, Scotland on Sunday; `The Restless Wave is a remarkable book, and deserves to be widely read. It is also, at approaching 400 pages, the longest love letter we've ever read: but so easy and rewarding to read at the same time.'-Undiscovered Scotland; `A touching (written) portrait of one of Scotland's great artists, and life as his muse.'-Bookseller review, Waterstones Sauchiehall Street; `One of the best biographies I've ever read.'-Dennis Canavan

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Book SynopsisThe Stebbins Collection - the private collection of Dr. Theodore E. Stebbins, Jr., the esteemed historian of American art and foremost expert on Martin Johnson Heade, and his wife, Susan Cragg Stebbins, successful author and art historian - consists of 70 American paintings, sculpture, and works on paper by 53 artists. Recently donated to The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, Florida, this incredible collection includes remarkable works by American masters ranging from Martin Johnson Heade and Thomas Eakins to Fidelia Bridges and John La Farge, well-known artists Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran and little-known figures like Arthur I. Keller and Walter Granville-Smith. Publication in October 2021 will not only highlight the significance of this private collection built over a lifetime by the Stebbinses, but it is also a valuable contribution to the field of 19th and early-20th-century American art, and to the history of collections and collecting.

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Book SynopsisThe Walters Art Museum is among America's most distinctive museums, forging connections between people and art from cultures around the world and spanning seven millennia. The museum features a stunning array of objects, from richly illuminated Qur'ans and images of the Buddha, to captivating narrative paintings and artfully crafted ceramics and metalworks. Official publication in March 2023 celebrates the reopening of the Museum's Arts of Asia and Islam collections in the renovated and reinstalled 4th floor of the Centre Street Building. Arts Across Asia and Islam will be the first volume in a series of titles which break away from the traditional academic approach. It is built around themes that transcend period, form, locale and medium, and forms part of the Museum's wider initiative to focus resources on developing new ways of interpreting its collections.Trade Review"What these photos and essays leave you with is a new understanding of looking at historic objects: as material output of cultures continuously on the move."—Sigrid van Roode, Bedouin SilverTable of ContentsForeword by Julia Marciari-Alexander, Andrea B. and John H. Laporte Director, The Walters Art Museum; Expansion and Exchange Across Borders; Moving Social Stature and Split Across Borders; Carrying Culture Across Borders; Further Reading; Index

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Book SynopsisLiving Histories: Queer Views and Old Masters is an exciting volume featuring the work of four New York based artists, each presenting a single new work in conversation with celebrated paintings in The Frick Collection, with particular emphasis on issues of gender and queer identity typically excluded from narratives of early modern European art. The idea of commissioning four works to display at Frick Madison emerged when four masterpieces by Vermeer, Holbein, and Rembrandt were loaned to exhibitions. Works by Jenna Gribbon, Doron Langberg, Toyin Ojih Odutola and Salman Toor were commissioned to replace them, alongside other works by these artists. This book is the result of the four New York artists' responses to the Frick's collection, and the conversations their work engendered. Written contributions are provided by Jonathan Anderson, Jessica Bell Brown, Christopher Lew, Jason Reynolds, Legacy Russell, and Russell Tovey. SELLING POINTS: . Queer art for the Old Masters . Ties in with a series of ongoing installations of works by contemporary LGBTQ+ artists produced in response to selected works at the Frick . Contributions by artists, writers and curators bring a diverse and rich perspective . Featured artists Jenna Gribbon, Doron Langberg, Toyin Ojih Odutola, and Salman Toor allow us to see long-familiar works in the Frick's collection in new ways . Doron Langberg's Lover is paired with Hans Holbein's Sir Thomas More;; Jenna Gribbon's What Am I Doing Here? I Should Ask You the Same with Holbein's Thomas Cromwell Salman Toor's Museum Boys with Johannes Vermeer's Officer and Laughing Girl and Toyin Ojih Odutola's The Listener with Rembrandt's Self-Portrait 45 colour illustrationsTrade Review"This work should be included in any art library. . . . The book’s grounding as not just about four Queer artists’ works, but as a larger discussion of portraiture and art history, allows this book to be helpful in a variety of classes or projects.”—Art Libraries Society of North America, (ARLIS/NA)Table of ContentsDirector's Preface Acknowledgments Foreword: Look at Us by Hanya Yanagihara Introduction: Why by Xavier F. Salomon "We Can Occupy This Space Now" by Stephen Truax Jenna Gribbon and Toyin Ojih Odutola: Color as Communique by Jessica Bell Brown Hindsight by Aimee Ng "The future eats the past, eats the future" by Russell Tovey Catalogue Jenna Gribbon's What Am I Doing Here? I Should Ask You the Same Jenna Gribbon in Conversation with Legacy Russell Doron Langberg' Lover Doron Langberg in Conversation with Jonathan Anderson Salman Toor's Museum Boys Salman Toor in Conversation with Christopher Y. Lew Toyin Ojih Odutola's The Listener Toyin Ojih Odutola in Conversation with Jason Reynolds Artist Biographies Index Image Credits

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Book SynopsisAn exuberant, radical style, Art Nouveau blithely trampled many of the Victorian Age's orthodoxies of art and design. Exploding age-old strictures with its fanciful approach to furniture, graphic arts, jewellery, architecture and more, Art Nouveau also embraced new technologies and incorporated foreign stylistic flourishes. It was also unabashedly luxurious and sensual. The Triumph of Nature: Art Nouveau from the Chrysler Museum of Art brings together approximately 120 of the finest Art Nouveau treasures from the uncommonly rich holdings of the Chrysler Museum of Art, drawing primarily from the gifts of Walter P. and Jean Chrysler, whose homes were once the havens for these opulent treasures. Designing for a range of clients and settings including domestic interiors, innovative artists such as de Feure, Majorelle, and Galle fashioned their eclectic works to play off each other in harmonious visual arrangements, conceiving of Art Nouveau as an enveloping style. This stunningly illustrated comprehensive volume gathers a profusion of Art Nouveau works and accessories-furniture, paintings, sculpture, mosaics, books, posters, prints, lamps, glass, and other stunning objets d'art- all of them originally designed and coordinated to complement each other in elaborate ensembles. AUTHORS: Lloyd DeWitt is chief curator and Irene Leache Curator of European Art, Chrysler Museum of Art. Carolyn S. Needell is Barry Curator of Glass, Chrysler Museum of Art. Gabriel P. Weisberg is a leading scholar on Art Nouveau, and on nineteenth-century French art. SELLING POINTS: . Features over 150 beautiful and finely crafted examples of Art Nouveau furniture, decorative arts, and graphic arts, all highlights from a remarkable collection . Collection is exceptional for its quality and breadth . All the major figures of this pivotal artistic movement that thrived from the 1880sthrough the First World War are well represented including Hector Guimard, Emile Galle, Louis Majorelle, Alphonse Mucha and many others 197 colour illustrationsTable of ContentsForeword by Erik. H. Neil, Director, Chrysler Museum of Art; Acknowledgments by David M. Furchgott, Founder and President, International Arts & Artists; Art Nouveau in the Chrysler Collection by Lloyd DeWitt; Design Reform in the Age of Art Nouveau by Gabriel P. Weisberg; Le Nouveau Verre: Innovation and Imagination in Art Nouveau Glass by Carolyn Swan Needell; Catalogue: Japonisme and Tiffany; Bing and the Maison de l’Art Nouveau; École de Nancy; Triumph of Nature; From Nouveau to Deco: The Triumph of Industry; Checklist of the Exhibition; Exhibition Tour Schedule; Selected Bibliography; Index; Image Credits

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Book SynopsisCraft Across Continents presents 50 objects in two-parts: the first 22 plates focus on works by Japanese makers; the second section of 21 plates on works by American and European practitioners. Marking the mid-way point of the volume is a special 8-page section, printed on a different uncoated paper stock, featuring large-scale, full-page images, including a portrait of the collectors and views of the glass, ceramics, bamboo and other objects as seen in the domestic setting of the collectors' private home. The wide-ranging and highly personal collection includes masterworks of twenty-first-century Japanese wood-fired ceramics, as well as works in porcelain by Satoshi Kino and Machiko Ogawa. Moreover, an additional 20-plus objects were gifted to the Mint in 2021 including further Japanese ceramics, a fine collection of Japanese bamboo sculptures by several generations of makers-a unique feature of the Collection-as well as an indigo resist-dyed wall hanging by Rowland Ricketts, an artist and farmer based in Bloomington, Indiana, using natural dyes and historical Japanese processes to create contemporary textiles. From Europe and the United States, there are major glass sculptures, a seminal installation by Danish maker Tobias Mohl, a mobile by Polish-trained artist Anna Skibska, and fine examples of cast blown, and lamp-worked glass. One of the most spectacular large glazed ceramic vessels in the collection is by the British maker, Gareth Mason. AUTHORS: Jen Sudul Edwards is chief curator and curator of Contemporary Art at The Mint Museum. Joe Earle is an author and curator. He was chair of the Asia, Oceania, and Africa department at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and served as vice president and director for the Japan Society Gallery at Japan Society from 2007-2011. Annie Carlano is senior curator of Craft, Design & Fashion at The Mint Museum. Rebecca Elliot is assistant curator of craft, design, and fashion at The Mint Museum. SELLING POINTS: . A wide-ranging and highly personal collection which through both its contents and its structure underscores the subtle interplay of Asian and Western craft practitioners and makers . Reveals how traditional methods of Japanese wood firing and textile dying inform and inspire contemporary makers in Europe and the USA . Accompanies a unique exhibition, which celebrates Lorne Lassiter and Gary Ferraro's unique collection of international craft acquired over decades, and which they have gifted to the Mint Museum to form a central part of its permanent craft collection . A a special 8-page central section features large-scale, full-page images of selected pieces from, and views of the collection as seen in the domestic setting of the collectors' private home 100 colour illustrationsTable of ContentsPresident’s Statement by Todd A. Herman, PhD; Sponsor’s Statement; Founding a Circle by Jen Sudul Edwards, PhD; Catalogue Entries: Japan by Joe Earle; Collectors and Connectors by Sharif Bey; In Their Own Words: An Interview with Lorne Lassiter and Gary Ferraro by Annie Carlano; A Couple of Rare Gems by Nancy Callan; Select Sources; The West by Annie Carlano and Rebecca E. Elliot; Authors and Image Credits; Acknowledgments by Annie Carlano.

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Book SynopsisThe nine essays in this volume were first presented at the Historians of Islamic Art Association's (HIAA) seventh biennial symposium entitled 'Regime Change' and they highlight some of the regimes of thought and changing trends that structure the field of Islamic art history.

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Book SynopsisExplore the works of one of the greatest artists of all time.Gustav Klimt: 50 Masterpieces Explored is a dazzling collection of 50 cards exploring the masterpieces of one of the most celebrated artists of all time.From the shimmering golds and rich hues of The Kiss to the intricate patterns of The Tree of Life, each card showcases the beauty and complexity of Klimt’s style. Through detailed analyses of each painting, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of Klimt’s techniques, symbolism, and life story, and how they influenced his art.Whether you’re an art lover, a Klimt aficionado, or simply looking for a beautiful and informative deck of cards, Gustav Klimt: 50 Masterpieces Explored is sure to captivate and inspire.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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