Search results for ""Thames Hudson Ltd""

In 334 BC the twenty-two-year-old King Alexander of Macedon led his army across the Bosphorus to challenge the mighty Persian empire. Ten years later his conquests had taken him to the edge of the known world. But, as Asia Minor, Egypt and parts of India lay at his feet, Alexander was dying, his huge empire soon to be split up. Alexander the Great celebrates his legendary life and his legacy to civilisation in a host of illustrations woven into the fascinating story, written by a renowned specialist in the history of the period.

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Supremely successful at the beginning of his life; lonely, bankrupt and virtually ignored at its end, Rembrandt produced some of the most powerful and psychologically penetrating works in the whole of world art.Poverty, illness, the deaths of his wife, children and devoted mistress – nothing deflected him from his inner vision and his unique handling of light: which would change the course of painting for ever.

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Through his intense vision Van Gogh was able to create paintings that speak directly to us all, and today this disturbed and rejected misfit is the most universally loved of all artists. The story of his thirty seven years of poverty, loneliness and failure is in fact a triumphant saga of absolute dedication and the final realization of genius. This extravagantly illustrated volume in the hugely popular New Horizons series, includes the story of his life; his relationships with his brother Theo and contemporaries such as Toulouse-Lautrec, Pissarro and Gauguin; his descent into madness and his eventual suicide. As well as the many reproductions of paintings and drawings by Van Gogh and his contemporaries, extensive documentary evidence includes extracts from his letters, critical writings and documentary photographs.

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An entirely fresh perspective on the history of western art that uses timelines to trace cultural development from prehistory to the present. Most surveys of the history of art come neatly packaged. They are divided up into historic periods, artistic schools and movements, and the careers of individual painters. They may make the subject appear more manageable, but they are oversimplifications. In reality, movements and careers overlapped and intertwined, reacting to events in the world around them. A Chronology of Art places the genuine developments of the art world into sharp focus. By prioritizing a purely chronological approach and side-stepping the clichés of conventional, academic pigeonholes, it presents an entirely fresh perspective on the subject. The book is structured around a central timeline, which features lavish illustrations of paintings, together with commentaries, and additional information about the social, political and cultural events of the period. The tex

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The definitive biography of the greatest photographer of modern times - a vital addition to the library of everyone with an interest in photography. Henri Cartier-Bresson was the eye of the 20th century. His lens chronicled the decisive moments of his time from Chinese communist victories to the Spanish Civil War and the Liberation of Paris. A co-founder of Magnum Photos, Cartier-Bresson produced unparalleled portraits of his contemporaries, capturing the spirit of Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre and William Faulkner. Cartier-Bresson took Pierre Assouline into his confidence over a number of years, detailing his youthful devotion to surrealism, lifelong passion for drawing, and experiences of war and prison camps. This sensitive biography emerges from a meeting of two minds, revealed with the same truth as one of Cartier Bresson's photographs.

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An authoritative step-by-step manual, combining tutorials, inspirational galleries, extensive cross-referencing and advice on metal jewelry-making. Thanks to the popularity of workshops and classes, metal jewelry-making is no longer the exclusive realm of professional jewelry designers. Now, with a little patience and the right instruction, anyone can learn to create beautiful jewelry with metalsmithing techniques. This book is one of the most comprehensive volumes on metal jewelry-making available. Freshly commissioned, full-colour photographs accompany detailed step-by-step tutorials, while comprehensive sidebars detail the relevant considerations for applying each technique to a variety of different metals, with cross-references where applicable. The book also includes profiles of contemporary practitioners, providing readers with an understanding of a wide range of different working methods, materials and developing techniques. With its combination of tutorials, inspirational galleries, extensive cross-referencing and advice, Metalsmithing for Jewelry Makers is an authoritative reference that is guaranteed to appeal to professionals and amateurs alike.

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Our fast-changing world seen through the lenses of 140 leading contemporary photographers around the globe. With close to 500 images, many previously unpublished, this landmark publication takes stock of the material and spiritual cultures that make up ‘civilization’. Ranging from the ordinary to the extraordinary, from our great collective achievements to our ruinous collective failings, Civilization: The Way We Live Now explores the complexity of contemporary civilization through the rich, nuanced language of photography. Featuring images by some 140 photographers – from Reiner Riedler’s families at leisure parks, Raimond Wouda’s high schools, Wang Qingsong’s Work, Work, Work and Cindy Sherman’s Society Portraits, to Lauren Greenfield’s displays of ostentatious wealth, Edward Burtynsky’s oil fields, Pablo Lopez Luz’s views on a sprawling contemporary megalopolis, Thomas Struth’s images of high technology, Xing Danwen’s electronic wastelands and Taryn Simon’s Contraband, Civilization draws together the threads of humankind’s ever-changing, frenetic, collective life across the globe. Visually epic, Civilization is presented through eight thematic chapters, each featuring powerful imagery and accompanied by provocative essays, quotes and concise statements by the artists themselves.

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A panoramic insider’s account of the global art industry, revealing the fascinating but mysterious workings of the world of contemporary art. Over the last few decades the contemporary art world has become more globalized and more visible than ever before – and yet in many ways it remains closed and obscure. What actually happens behind the doors of a contemporary artist’s studio? At an auction house before a major sale? In the vaults of an art storage unit? How can art museums keep up with Instagram – and why does everyone seem to hate art fairs? Join curator, writer and art historian Matthew Israel on a year-long journey through the contemporary art world. From Los Angeles to Hong Kong via Venice, Basel, Paris and New York, from biennials in summer to auction houses in autumn, Israel reveals the joys and anxieties of this sometimes baffling, often intimidating field. Blending an insider’s knowledge with in-depth profiles, interviews with key art-world figures and a keen ear for an anecdote, A Year in the Art World is a compelling, generous companion for any art-lover curious about how art is being made, valued, sold, cared for and looked at today.

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A fully updated, third edition of this essential practical foundation course in fashion design. Becoming a successful fashion designer involves understanding a wide variety of core principles. This foundation course is an ideal introduction for students, dressmakers and anyone interested in the creative side of fashion. Step-by-step tutorials, practical exercises and inspirational interviews with industry professionals teach you how to create your own unique fashion design collections. Design schools around the world are now emphasising design thinking and conceptualisation more than just mere skill building. Packed with scores of new images, this new and fully updated edition provides students with more diverse methods of creating fashion, including digital design iteration and final projects, fabric design development, 3D 'sketching' on the dress form, paper collage design techniques and much more. This book concludes with practical advice for anyone considering a career in fashion, offering ideas on building a portfolio, preparing for interviews and continuing on a path to a professional career.

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A stunning showcase of the unique lifestyle opportunities afforded by contemporary courtyard design in the Asia-Pacific region. Courtyards have long played an important function in residential design, regulating light, shade and the use of space. With thousands of years of tradition as inspiration, contemporary architects are realizing courtyard living afresh. This lavish survey of 25 residences across the Asia-Pacific region features homes from Australia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, India, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. Structured by courtyard function, the book consists of five chapters – on privacy; multigenerational living; sightlines; light and ventilation; and living with nature – that are richly illustrated with photography as well as architectural illustrations showing courtyard positions within floor plans. Showcasing the unique lifestyle opportunities afforded by contemporary courtyard design, this is an inspirational resource for anyone interested in indoor-outdoor living.

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When we look at the landscape, what do we see? Do we experience the view over a valley or dappled sunlight on a path in the same way as those who were there before us? We have altered the countryside in innumerable ways over the last thousand years, and never more so than in the last hundred. How are these changes reflected in – and affected by – art and literature? Spirit of Place offers a panoramic view of the British landscape as seen through the eyes of writers and artists from Bede and the Gawain-poet to Gainsborough, Austen, W. G. Sebald and Barbara Hepworth. Shaped by these distinctive voices and evocative imagery, Susan Owens describes how the British landscape has been framed, reimagined and reshaped by each generation. Each account or work of art, whether illuminated in a manuscript, jotted down in a journal or constructed from sticks and stones, holds up a mirror to its maker and their world. With 80 illustrations

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A unique portrait of one of the creative geniuses of the 20th century, by the distinguished critic David Sylvester. Controversial in both life and art, Francis Bacon was one of the most important painters of the 20th century. His monumental, unsettling images have an extraordinary power to disturb, shock and haunt the spectator, ‘to unlock the valves of feeling and therefore return the onlooker to life more violently’. Drawing on his personal knowledge of Bacon’s inspirations, intentions and working methods, David Sylvester surveys the development of the work from 1933 to the early 1990s, and discusses critically a number of its crucial aspects. He also reproduces previously unpublished extracts from his celebrated conversations with Bacon in which the artist speaks about himself, modern painters and the art of the past. Finally, Sylvester gives a brief account of Bacon’s life, correcting certain errors that elsewhere have been presented as facts. Divided into the sections ‘Review’, ‘Reflections’, ‘Fragments of Talk’ and ‘Biographical Note’, Looking Back at Francis Bacon is a unique portrait of one of the creative geniuses of our age by a writer of comparable distinction.

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Work allows us to pay the bills. The practical and conceptual divide between work and leisure profoundly shapes our lives. Work is where many of us derive our status and our sense of purpose. Work is so much part of our lives and our culture that we have internalized beliefs about its value and have built our economies and lives around those beliefs. This book reviews how the meaning, status and structure of work have changed across history and cultures. Amidst the Covid-19 crisis, the growth of AI and the climate emergency, it questions the need for the ‘growth escalator’, in which society relies on continuous growth to flourish, and suggests that we should find ways to step off or at least slow down the ‘hedonic treadmill’, in which we crave ever more goods only to tire of them ever more quickly. This book posits that we are approaching a new era of work. It outlines some of the factors that might lead to change, including the adoption of forms of universal basic income, the growth of the zero- or low-cost economy (renewable energy, user-generated content, community mutual support), and the growth of self-employment and quasi-autonomous ways of working (including from home) in organizations. It concludes that such changes might foster a more fundamental shift: a growing intolerance to the idea of work as a burden and a desire to transform it from something imposed on us into simply the means by which we live our best lives together, recreating in modern conditions with modern resources, a prehistoric unity between being and working.With 190 illustrations in colour

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China’s shop cats are little emperors of their own retail kingdoms, keeping rodents at bay and enticing customers inside. And now they are also the stars of this delightful little book, the companion to Shop Cats of Hong Kong. Marcel Heijnen’s compelling photographs take you from shop to shop across the provinces of China, where traditional retail and street life merge, rolling back the shutters on a little bit of Chinese culture and a whole lot of moggy charm. Meanwhile, Ian Row’s intuitive haiku and stories invite you into the cats’ innermost thoughts – sometimes catty, sometimes sweet, but always with a whisker or two of love.With 90 illustrations in colour

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PHUNK is a contemporary art and design collective based in Singapore. Founded in 1994 by Alvin Tan, Melvin Chee, Jackson Tan and William Chan when they were students at Lasalle College of the Arts, they developed a novel approach to collective art-making based on the collaborative aesthetic of a rock-and-roll band and informed by a shared interest in urban subcultures. They have exhibited widely and collaborated with artists, designers and international brands, producing work across a broad range of mediums. Inspired by 'Control Chaos', a key work that sparked PHUNK's creative journey, this monograph is organized around three themes: ‘Collective Consciousness’, which explores PHUNK’s early development; ‘Criti-Cool’, which looks at the challenges of practising art in Singapore; and ‘Connecting Worlds’, which examines works that reflect our increasingly globalized world. With accompanying texts based upon exclusive interviews with the collective, this inspirational overview is richly illustrated with original artwork and will be essential reading for anyone interested in Singapore’s art and design scene over the past twenty-five years.With 367 illustrations, 298 in colour

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An anthology of compelling essays by Marina Warner, one of our pre-eminent writers and critics. Art-writing at its most useful should share the dynamism, fluidity and passions of the objects of its enquiry, argues Marina Warner. In this new anthology of some of her most compelling work, she captures the visual experience of the work of several artists with a notable focus on the inner lives of women through an exploration of the range of stories and symbols to which they allude. Metamorphosis features vividly in the imagery, stories and media of the art that Warner has chosen to write about: in connection with animals in the work of Louise Bourgeois, for instance; with the Catholicism of Damien Hirst; and with performance as a medium of memory and resistance in the installations of Joan Jonas. Rather than drawing on connoisseurship, the author's approach grows principally out of anthropology and mythology. She argues that art and aesthetics increasingly fulfil a magical socia

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Tells the fascinating story of the journey taken by the Bauhaus – both the concept behind the school and some of the individuals who represented it – from Germany to Britain and the USA. Bauhaus Goes West is a story of cultural exchange, not only between the Bauhaus émigrés and the countries to which they moved, but also in the other direction, focusing in particular on Britain. Most significantly, perhaps, it considers in detail the presence in the UK during the 1930s of three of the school’s most important figures – Gropius, Marcel Breuer and László Moholy-Nagy – using meticulous research to tell for the first time the stories of their British experiences in parallel. After considering some of the lesser-known Bauhäusler who stayed in Britain for life, the book concludes by returning to the lives of the main protagonists and their continuation of the Bauhaus ideals in America. Taking as its starting point the cultural connection between Britain and Germany in the early part of the 20th century, Bauhaus Goes West offers a timely re-evaluation of the school’s influence on and relationship with modern art and design, offering fresh insights and challenging assumptions along the way.

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Iconography, the study of symbols – be they animals, artefacts, plants, shapes or gestures – is an essential element of art history. This guide unravels over fifty of the most common and intriguing visual symbols from across the globe from 2300 BCE to the present day. While symbols cross dialects and national boundaries, their meanings can vary and are often culturally specific. The snake, an object of fascination and mysticism in Aztec culture, usually represents sin in the west. Yinka Shonibare’s Last Supper (2013) plays on the grapevine’s historic associations to satiric and startling effect. Matt Wilson explores symbolism’s subtle implications and overt and covert meanings, providing an indispensable tool for interpretation. A reference section includes suggestions for further reading and a glossary of art and historical terms.

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Chronic obesity is on the rise; our food is laced with additives and chemicals; and the environment is being devastated by factory farming, pesticides, fertilizers and monoculture. It is time to re-evaluate what we eat and how we eat it, and re-think the practices of agribusiness, food processing manufacturers and supermarkets. This insightful volume unpacks the growth of obesogenic environments in which fast-food outlets proliferate and a diet heavy in saturated fats, refined sugars and ultra-processed foods is increasing the incidence of diabetes, heart disease and cancer as well as behavioural disorders and allergies. It explores how our bodies and brains respond to different flavours and food groups, and the ways in which corporations have exploited this through the creation of hyperpalatable food products that deliver a sensory ‘bliss point’ while withholding nutritional value, and marketing their products to maximize profit at the expense of public health. It examines the disastrous impact of modern agribusiness on climate change, biodiversity loss and antibiotic resistance, and analyses the controversy around the safety and regulation of genetically modified crops, as well as their impact on farming communities and their potential to bring about food shortages. Finally, solutions to regaining a healthier relationship with food are carefully evaluated, from eating organic produce to reintroducing family meals, and from changing how we buy food to adopting a plant-based diet.With 150 illustrations in colour

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An inspirational collection of the world's most beautiful scenic runs, selected by the editors of cult independent running magazine Like the Wind. Trail running is as simple as it sounds: just put one foot in front of the other, somewhere unpaved and outdoors. The opportunities it presents are endless, with a wide variety of routes that stretch over mountains, forests and deserts, in hot climates and frigid ones, through some of the most wild and beautiful places on Earth. Targeted at both novice and experienced runners, this book presents the finest trail-running locations around the world. From the heights of the Alps to the snowy expanses of the Arctic to the jungles of Latin America and the outback Down Under, each destination is brought to life by a different trail runner, showcasing exactly what makes each location so spectacular, as well as providing practical information to keep you moving on the ground. Compiled by the editors of Like the Wind, the first independent running magazine, each run offers an unparalleled experience, while the foreword was written by renowned American ultramarathon runner Dean Karnazes. As trail-running events assume the popularity and buzz of music festivals – tens of thousands of people run in some of the world’s toughest endurance races – this book offers a passport to exotic places and experiences, on and off the trail, at a time when getting off-grid and alone with yourself has never been more important. The Trails • The Dolomites, Italy: Davide Grazielli • The Lofoten Islands, Norway: Linda Helland • The Chamonix Valley, France: Simon Freeman • Inverie & The Knoydart Peninsula, Scotland: George Bauer • Corsica, France: Guillaume Peretti • The Pyrenees, France/Spain: Tobias Mews • The Kungsleden, Sweden: Anna Gatta • The Lake District, England: Ricky Lightfoot • Jura, Switzerland: Julie Freeman • British Columbia, Canada: Hilary Matheson • The White Mountains, USA: Stefanie Bishop • Sedona & Flagstaff, USA: Rob Krar • Sierra Norte De Oaxaca, Mexico: Emma Latham Phillips • Patagonia, Chile: Jenna Crawford • Great Himalaya Trail, Nepal: Lizzy Hawker • The West MacDonnell Ranges, Northern Territory, Australia: Tom Le Lievre

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Surveys the history of changing tastes in food and fine dining – what was available for people to eat, and how it was prepared and served – from prehistory to the present daySince earliest times food has encompassed so much more than just what we eat – whole societies can be revealed and analysed by their cusines. In this wide-ranging book, leading historians from Europe and America piece together from a myriad sources the culinary accomplishments of diverse civilizations, past and present, and the pleasures of dining. Ten chapters cover the food and taste of the hunter-gatherers and first farmers of Prehistory; the rich Mediterranean cultures of Ancient Greece and Rome; the development of gastronomy in Imperial China; Medieval Islamic cuisine; European food in the Middle Ages; the decisive changes in food fashions after the Renaissance; the effect of the Industrial Revolution on what people ate; the rise to dominance of French cuisine in the 19th and 20th centuries; the evolution of the restaurant; the contemporary situation where everything from slow to fast food vies for our attention. Throughout, the entertaining story of worldwide food traditions provides the ideal backdrop to today’s roaming the globe for great gastronomic experiences.

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Where are the tombs of Alexander the Great or Cleopatra? Both rulers were buried in Egypt, but their tombs have never been found despite years of intensive research and excavation. Yet we have tantalizing clues. Searching for the Lost Tombs of Egypt describes the quest for these and other great ‘missing’ tombs – those we know existed, but which have not yet been identified. It also discusses key moments of discovery that have yielded astonishing finds and created the archetypal image of the archaeologist poised at the threshold of a tomb left untouched for millennia. In this gripping account, Chris Naunton explains the mysteries of the missing tombs and presents all the evidence, skilfully unravelling the tangled threads surrounding the burials of the heretic pharaoh Akhenaten and his son Tutankhamun, and the burial place of Imhotep, architect of the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, among others. Could other such tombs lie undiscovered in the Valley of the Kings? In fact, the Valley almost certainly does guard hidden treasures. Amazing finds of unsuspected tombs continue to occur there and elsewhere in Egypt, making headlines worldwide – all are covered in this book. As well as immersing the reader, step by step, in the action of the search and the thrill of discovery, the book also explores the reasons why tombs remain such a central part of both the popular perception of Egyptology and the continuing allure of ancient Egypt.

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A singular thinker and an uncompromising seeker after artistic truth, Cézanne channelled a large part of his wide-ranging intellect and ferocious wit into his letters. This translation by Alex Danchev is based on a thorough re-examination of Cézanne’s correspondence with family, friends and major figures from the literary and art worlds. Danchev’s great achievement is to allow readers in English to hear Cézanne’s voice for the first time in his own idiomatic, idiosyncratic style. And he sounds rather different from the Cézanne we thought we knew – richer, wittier, wiser, more philosophical, more irascible, above all more fully human. The letters offer fresh perspectives on his artistic vision, politics, friendships, psychology, philosophy, literary tastes and classical frame of reference. They provide an intimate insight into the preoccupations and personality of a legend.

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The Big Idea shortlisted for series design in the British Design and Production AwardsAs concern grows over the environmental costs and ethical implications of intensive factory farming, an increasing number of us are embracing diets and lifestyles free from animal products. Has the time now arrived for us all to reject the exploitation of animals completely and become vegan? Would adopting a wholly plant-based diet be beneficial for our health? How would a majority vegan population affect the global economy and the planet? Does it make any sense to go flexitarian or vegetarian? Molly Watson explores the history, rationale and impact of veganism on an individual, social and global level, and assesses the effects of a mass change in diet on our environment, the economy and our health.

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Today’s discerning traveller is looking not merely for luxury but for a unique experience. But in this age of low-cost flights and easy travel, how do you avoid the crowds and find the hidden gems? Not via sponsored search results or thousands of indistinguishable reviews, that’s for sure. What you need is on-the-ground, in-person, tried-and-trusted knowledge. In this new guide to France – the most visited country on the planet – Herbert Ypma surprises and delights with his unequalled eye for detail and his unerring ability to judge what makes the difference between a good experience and a truly memorable one. The numerous experiences and tips that he maps out across the length and breadth of France fall into four key categories. ‘Staying in Character’ presents thirtyfive places to stay, from the grand to the eccentric, all embodying the soul and character of their setting – whether it’s bedding down in a surf shack at Soulac-surMer or soaking up centuries of history at the luxurious Château de Canisy. ‘Eclectic Experiences’ offers thirty stand-out experiences, from climbing the Dune de Pyla to salsa-dancing in a calanque (a fjord-like inlet); ‘Legend for Lunch’ points you in the direction of twenty of the most authentic places to eat, while ‘Convincing Context’ presents ten experiences enhanced by nuggets of history. Together they amount to a new map of authentic French experiences, making this the must-have 21st-century guide for the world’s most exacting traveller.

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The Library at Trinity College Dublin dates back to the establishment of the college by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592. The library is the largest in Ireland, containing more than 6.2 million volumes and an extensive collection of early manuscripts, including the internationally famous Book of Kells, which attracts around 1 million visitors annually from around the world. A visit to the Book of Kells includes a visit to the Long Room, the main chamber of the Old Library, and one of the most beautiful and impressive libraries and architectural spaces in the world. In this, the first of a new series called Pocket Photo Books, photographer Harry Cory Wright explores the richness of the architecture and collections of the Long Room, resulting in a book that brings the reader close to the sense of being there. With a brief introduction by Trinity’s Librarian and College Archivist, Helen Shenton, about her own experience of the Long Room, this beautifully designed book of exquisite photographs will appeal to all visitors to Trinity College Dublin, and to anyone keen to explore in detail one of the most awe-inspiring libraries and architectural spaces in the world.

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It is often forgotten just how provocative Impressionist canvases seemed when they were first exhibited in 1874. The advocates of the new style rejected the established principles of art prevalent at that time in France. This book traces Impressionism’s origins to its spread to America and Australia. Ralph Skea shows how Impressionist artists transformed everyday subject matter. Daringly using colour and rapid brushstrokes, the Impressionists worked out of doors, creating paintings that captured the transient effects of light and feeling. Impressionism’s initial shock factor gradually gave way to widespread acceptance, but only now can we appreciate how profound its influence has been on modern art.

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How can a modern painter go about learning the techniques and methods of a longdead master? Drawing on years of research and practice, this book shows you how. Tony Smibert brings us a virtual ‘apprenticeship’, sharing a method and approach of his own that emulates Turner and yet is contemporary, original and innovative. Smibert is known for watercolours inspired by Turner and the golden age of British watercolour (1750–1850). His method of painting in Turner’s style, informed by a fifty-year journey into non-Western painting cultures, ingeniously draws together ideas and principles from East and West to bring out an entirely new perspective on Turner’s practice. A working manual for artists, the book brings together elements of practice from historic masters including Leonardo, Claude Lorraine and Monet as well as Turner. This is a book for anyone aspiring to learn from any master, explaining the practice and philosophy of traditional apprenticeship from the point of view of diverse models. Even to those who may never paint, Turner’s Apprentice offers a tantalizing glimpse of the thrill of painting and learning, and an inspiring tool for art appreciation.

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The Book of Kells, dating from about 800, is a brilliantly decorated manuscript of the four Gospels. This new official guide (German language edition), by the former Keeper of Manuscripts at Trinity College Library, Dublin, provides fascinating insights into the Book of Kells, revealing the astounding detail and richness of one of the greatest works of medieval art. The illustrations in the guide include reproductions of complete pages, and details that allow one to marvel at the intricacy of the decoration. The Book of Kells is explored through its historical background; its structure; its decorative elements, including the richness of its symbols and themes; the scribes and artists who worked on the manuscript; and the tools and pigments used in its creation.

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Perfectly attuned to the rising interest and market for men’s style, The Parisian Gentleman presents the leading men’s style-makers, from hidden ateliers and little-known studios to internationally renowned names such as shirtmakers Charvet, shoe-makers Berluti and recently revived trunkmakers Moynat. The stories of each house, and the creatives and craftsmen behind them, bring alive the clothes, capture fading traditions, and celebrate an unceasing dedication to quality. Hugo Jacomet personally knows many of the leaders of these sought-after marques, many of which are difficult to access, so the portrait he paints of each maker derives from first-hand knowledge. Impeccable photography, much of which was shot exclusively for this publication, provides an exquisite complement to the words. An essential addition to the well-dressed man’s private wardrobe and collection.

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Tim Walker is one of the most visually exciting photographers of our time. This book showcases many of his most dazzling images – ‘his daydreams turned into photographs’. Some of the biggest names in fashion and contemporary culture are here: Alber Elbaz sporting a pair of rabbit ears; Agyness Deyn in the sand dunes of Namibia; Alexander McQueen and a memento mori of skull and cigarettes; Helena Bonham Carter poised with Ray-Bans and a Diet Coke; Stella Tennant in a pink cloud among the rhododendrons of an English country garden… The singer and musician Kate Bush contributes a foreword and Walker himself an afterword, as well as illuminating his pictures throughout with personal observations. This exceptional and beautifully designed overview of a career caught in mid-flow reveals just how much one man’s singular vision has influenced contemporary tastes in fashion, beauty, glamour and portraiture.With 174 illustrations

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Focusing on the British Isles, the author explores a period of huge societal change – the Neolithic, or ‘New Stone Age’ – through the most iconic artifact of its time: the polished stone axe, using an ancient stone axe-head brought to him by a local quarry worker as a guide to the revolution that changed the world. These formidable creations were not only crucial tools that enabled the first farmers to clear the forests, but also objects of great symbolic importance, signifying status and power, wrapped up in expressions of religion and politics. Mixing anecdote, ethnography and archaeological analysis, the author vividly demonstrates how the archaeology on the ground reveals to us the evolving worldview of a species increasingly altering their own landscape; settling down together, investing in agricultural plots, and collectively erecting massive ceremonial monuments to cement new communal identities. As a direct result of the invention, and intensification, of agriculture, the planet entered the Anthropocene, or the current ‘age of humanity’: an era in which we are changing the world around us in significant, accelerating and often unpredictable ways. As the author poignantly concludes, our ancestors set us on the path to the modern world we live in; now seven billion humans must face the challenges that presents.With 76 illustrations, 24 in colour

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The Big Idea shortlisted for series design in the British Design and Production AwardsWhen we are born, we are each assigned a gender based on our physical anatomy. But why is it that some people experience such dissonance between their biological sex and their inner identity? Is gender something we are or something we do? Is our expression of gender inborn or does it develop as we grow? Are the traditional binary male and female gender roles relevant in an increasingly fluid and flexible world? This intelligent, stimulating volume assesses the connections between gender, psychology, culture and sexuality, and reveals how individual and social attitudes have evolved over the centuries.

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A work of history, but also about art and architecture, trade and commerce, travel and exploration, economics and politics, this is above all a book about people and how, over the millennia, they have managed to live closely together. From the origins of urbanization in Mesopotamia to the global metropolises of today, great cities have marked the development of humankind – Babylon and Nineveh, Athens and Rome, Istanbul and Venice, Timbuktu and Samarkand, their very names are redolent both of history and romance. The Great Cities in History tells their story from early Uruk and Thebes to Jerusalem and Alexandria. Then the fabulous cities of the first millennium: Damascus and Baghdad in the days of the Caliphates, Teotihuacan and Maya Tikal in Central America, and Chang’an, capital of Tang Dynasty China. The medieval world saw the rise of powerful cities: Palermo and Paris in Europe, Benin in Africa and Angkor of the Khmer. In the early modern world, we journey to Islamic Isfahan and Agra, and Prague and Amsterdam in their heyday, before arriving at the phenomenon of the contemporary mega-city: London and New York, Tokyo and Barcelona, Los Angeles and São Paulo. A galaxy of more than fifty distinguished authors, including Jan Morris, Colin Thubron, Simon Schama, Orlando Figes, Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, Misha Glenny, Adam Zamoyski and A. N. Wilson, evoke the character of each place and explain the reasons for its success, seeing what each city would have been like during its golden age.

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How to Write About Contemporary Art is the definitive guide to writing engagingly about the art of our time. Invaluable for students, arts professionals and other aspiring writers, the book first navigates readers through the key elements of style and content, from the aims and structure of a piece to its tone and language. Brimming with practical tips that range across the complete spectrum of art-writing, the second part of the book is organized around its specific forms, including academic essays; press releases and news articles; texts for auction and exhibition catalogues, gallery guides and wall labels; op-ed journalism and exhibition reviews; and writing for websites and blogs. In counselling the reader against common pitfalls—such as jargon and poor structure—Gilda Williams points instead
to the power of close looking and research, showing how to deploy language effectively; how to develop new ideas; and how to construct compelling texts. More than 30 illustrations throughout support closely analysed case studies of the best writing, in Source Texts by 64 authors, including Claire Bishop, Thomas Crow, T.J. Demos, Okwui Enwezor, Dave Hickey,
John Kelsey, Chris Kraus, Rosalind Krauss, Stuart Morgan, Hito Steyerl, and Adam Szymczyk. Supplemented by a general bibliography, advice on the use and misuse of grammar, and tips on how to construct your own contemporary art library, How to Write About Contemporary Art is the essential handbook for all those interested in communicating about the art of today.

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Human beings have been transforming Mediterranean landscapes into art for at least thirty thousand years. Today’s artists, sculptors, designers, architects and gardeners explore age-old vernacular materials, skills and sites to produce extraordinary landscape art that affirms an ideal of partnership with nature while celebrating layers of living in this multifaceted region. Each work observes the logic of place as determined by climate, geology, flora and fauna, architecture and land use. Illustrated with hundreds of exceptional photographs by award- winning photographer Clive Nichols, and drawing on nearly forty years of exploration by Louisa Jones, this book offers a fresh vision of the Mediterranean, past and future, linking cultural diversity and natural balance as discovered in its gardens, landscape design, literature, art and architecture.

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The eight guides in the City Cycling Europe series are each devoted to a different city: London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Antwerp/Ghent, Berlin, Paris, Barcelona and Milan. Each compact volume features cycle-friendly neighbourhoods, itineraries, cycle maps and places to visit where cyclists are always welcome. Aimed primarily at those looking to take casual weekend breaks, there is also information for hardcore racing enthusiasts and special routes for those wishing to escape the traffic.

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The Tower of London has over two million visitors a year, with the Crown Jewels as its centrepiece. This paperback edition of the official illustrated history of the Crown Jewels, the most famous jewelry collection in the world, incorporates spectacular new photographs with stunning details. Accessible and up-to-date text, based on original research, includes the story of two of the largest and most famous diamonds in the world – the Kohi-nûr and the Cullinan. This is the perfect souvenir for visitors to the Tower of London, as well as an ideal introduction for anyone interested in English history and monarchy.

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A distinguished team of 26 military historians reveal the decisive conflicts that have shaped world history from the 5th century BC to the 21st century. The course of history rarely changes so swiftly and decisively as on the battlefield. In this masterly overview, an international team of historians reconstructs and analyzes seventy key clashes from 490 BC to the 21st century and appraises their impact on the world order. Their studies encompass not only the great land battles, but sieges such as Constantinople and Tenochtitlan; naval battles at Trafalgar and Tsushima; and aerial struggles including the Battle of Britain. Truly global in scope, the collection marches from the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9, where the German tribes annihilated a Roman army, to Hakata Bay in 1281, where the Japanese defeated the Mongols, to the heart of the American Civil War at Gettysburg in 1863 and beyond. Together they show how technology and tactics advance in tandem, as battlefield commanders respond to advances in mobility, communications and firepower, how certain principles endure, and how victory in battle may not win the war. Illustrated with over 80 specially commissioned battle plans, this is an essential introduction to the great battles in history.

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Superbly illustrated with more than 150 specially commissioned colour photographs, this book beautifully demonstrates the dazzling strengths of Morocco’s crafts – a centuries-long tradition which intermingles influences from both Black Africa and Islam, and from the spectacular cultural alliance of the Moors and the Spaniards. This pioneering account, based on the author’s own first-hand research, examines vibrantly coloured textiles, jewelry, leather, wood and metalwork and an enormous variety of pottery and ceramics. Complete with guidance for collectors and a uniquely revealing analysis of the belief systems, festivals and ceremonies to which the arts relate, this book by the leading scholar in the field will be invaluable to collectors, designers and all those looking for original decorative ideas.

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Political intrigue and treachery, heroism and brutal violence, victory and defeat – all this is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry, an epic account of one of the pivotal episodes in English history embroidered on a strip of linen. Famously, it shows the stricken Anglo-Saxon king Harold dying on the battlefield of Hastings in 1066 amid a shower of arrows, as axes clash, spears fly and fallen warriors are trampled beneath charging hooves. However, there is much more to this remarkable historical and artistic treasure, which tells its tale with an intensity and immediacy that speak to our modern world, almost 1,000 years after its creation. Many mysteries and questions still surround this unique embroidery and not all is as it might appear at first glance. Who made it, when, why, where and what for? David Musgrove and Michael Lewis skilfully lead us through the full story of the Tapestry and the history it relates, providing illuminating insight into a world of fascinating details that might otherwise be overlooked or their significance missed. They set the events in the context of the machinations on either side of the English Channel in the years leading up to the Norman Conquest, and tease out what the Tapestry tells us of the deeds of kings as well as aspects of everyday life in medieval Europe. A complete and accessible up-to-date account, illustrated throughout in colour with new photography, this is the definitive guide to the Bayeux Tapestry and its legacy, exploring the rich narrative behind its stitches and the turbulent times in which it was created.With 145 illustrations in colour

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In the last few decades, the world of contemporary art has become more globalized and visible than ever before. And yet this world has long been perceived as closed and obscure, provoking in the uninitiated a range of responses from reverence to bafflement and rage. Taking the reader on a cross-continental journey through a notional calendar year in the field of art, Matthew Israel lifts the veil on a world that emerges from his narrative as diverse, adventurous, nuanced and meaningful to all. From Los Angeles to Hong Kong via Paris and New York, the author travels among the world’s best-known artists, curators, critics, gallerists and institutions as they work towards some of the art world’s most defining international events. A Year in the Art World relates the exploits of a curious insider, who ventures deep into the workings of the art industry to ask: what is it that people in the art world actually do? What drives an interest in working with art? How do artworks acquire value? And how has technology transformed the art world of today? Israel combines in-depth personal profiles with expert context to reveal both new and longstanding artworld realities. From biennials in summer to auctions in the fall, this fascinating narrative reveals how ‘the art world’ describes a realm that is both surprisingly vast and deeply interconnected.

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The art of the past can seem very far away, obscured both by time and by knotty academic theory. Foregrounding the experience of the contemporary viewer, Look Again shows how this need not be the case. Ossian Ward’s simple, ten-step programme acts as an aid to looking, breaking down the often obscure strategies of the Old Masters into intuitive categories – from Art as Honesty to Art as Vision. Look Again’s novel approach is influenced by John Berger’s Ways of Seeing, but is here updated for the art world of the 21st century. Key to this book is an emphasis on ways of experiencing Old Masters – more than just looking. Just as contemporary art should be judged by how it moves us, cajoles us and envelops us, so too can the great paintings of the world be seen as immersive, captivating, even participatory experiences. Ward does not deny the specific complexities and barriers associated with looking at art from other eras. Instead he offers readers a new formula to help illuminate this kind of art. His method not only provides the viewer with the tools to interpret a work of art, but also assumes that we hold some of this knowledge within ourselves already. In other words, everyone can share the enriching experience of Old Master paintings.

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One of the most wide-ranging and ambitious creative minds of his generation, Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson has produced a dizzying spectrum of work around the world. Best known for his large-scale public works in a wide range of settings, from museums to gardens, his constant inventiveness and publicly oriented projects across the globe have entranced huge numbers of people. Focusing on a single artwork situated across a large site in his native country, the project’s title refers to the glaciers that formed the landscape around sites in Denmark, as can still be seen in the country’s topography and geology. Five mirrors, ranging from a perfect circle to elongated ellipses, reflect the changing sky above and the contemplator’s own gaze as if in the surfaces of glacial pools. This book offers a unique and highly detailed insight, captured over the course of four seasons, of a singular landscape. Working with geologists, landscape architects and other specialists, Eliasson has created a unique space seen by few. This publication documents and enhances the work itself through photographs, essays and collaborators who render the poetic power of the project in images and words. Exquisitely produced and packaged in a limited quantity, this very special volume is a gift to collectors, bibliophiles and all those seeking new perspectives on one of the world’s leading artists.

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Today’s artists have an unprecedented level of choice with regard to materials and methods available to them, yet the processes involved in making artworks are rarely addressed in books or exhibitions on art. Here, Glenn Adamson and Julia Bryan-Wilson argue that the materials and methods used to make artworks hold the key to artists’ motivations, their attitudes to authorship, uniqueness and the value of objects, the economic and social contexts from which they emerge, and their approach to the perceived opposition between materiality and conceptualism in art. The book’s introduction sets out a history of trends in artistic production and the possible catalysts for the proliferation of production strategies since the mid-twentieth century, followed by nine chapters that explore different methods and media. Detailed examples are interwoven with the discussion, including visuals that reveal the intricacies of each technique or material and its overall effect when presented as an artwork. Artists featured include Ai Weiwei, Ron Arad, Chris Burden, Katharina Fritsch, Isa Genzken, Jeff Koons, Los Carpinteros, Haroon Mirza, Takashi Murakami, Gerhard Richter, Doris Salcedo and Santiago Sierra

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A landmark compendium - the first authoritative publication to cover in its entirety one of the most significant holdings of Matisse in the world. Here is a vibrant celebration - slipcased and beautifully produced - of the Barnes's extraordinary Matisse collection. Composed of fifty-nine works from every stage of the artist's career, it is among the most important in the world. At its heart are Matisse's most historically significant paintings, Le Bonheur de vivre, also called The Joy of Life, and The Dance, the monumental mural that Albert C. Barnes commissioned to fill the lunettes of the Foundation's main gallery, transforming both the space and the artist's career. An essay by Yve-Alain Bois addresses the evolution of The Dance and its role in Matisse's career; Karen Butler looks at what Barnes thought of Matisse; and Claudine Grammont's considers how and why he collected his work. The artworks themselves, sumptuously reproduced, are the subjects of interpretive analyses that tell the stories of their acquisition and address their critical reception. The book includes major contributions by Barbara Buckley and Jennifer Mass on the artist’s technique and a report on the latest findings on the pigments used in Le Bonheur de vivre.

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This book, published to coincide with a major exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, explores and celebrates Turner’s lifelong fascination with the sea. It also sets his work within the context of marine painting in the 19th century. Each chapter has an introductory text followed by discussion of specific paintings. Four of the chapters conclude with a feature essay on a specific topic.

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In My View is a collection of reflections by 78 contemporary artists in which each artist reveals the influence and inspiration he or she has found in a particular artwork or artist. Among the artists are John Baldessari, Daniel Buren, Chuck Close, Michael Craig-Martin, Tacita Dean, Marlene Dumas, Antony Gormley, Susan Hiller, Thomas Hirschhorn, Candida Höfer, Vik Muniz, Jorge Pardo, Raymond Pettibon, Ed Ruscha, Bill Viola and Rachel Whiteread. The works chosen range from the fifteenth to the mid-twentieth century, some of them iconic, others lesser known. The accompanying essays are often very personal, recalling childhood memories and life-changing moments, and capturing the joy and excitement that come from encounters with great art. The stories show the profound connections that exist between artists past and present and offer an alternative look at art history from the 15th century to the 1960s, through the eyes of contemporary artists themselves. Simon Grant’s introduction identifies themes that emerge and contextualizes the history and practice of artists looking back at the work of others.

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