Since 2009, historian and photographer Philipp Sarasin has been travelling the globe for his visual research on major cities and megacities. He visited Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Cairo, Nairobi, Dubai, Mumbai, Beijing, Jakarta, Panama City, and 10 other places, driven by his search for a relevant photographic image of the world in which we live. It is an urban world for more than half of humanity—and the trend is going up.
The Big City features some 120 of Sarasin’s colour photographs that are marked by his analytical observing eye. His focus is on urban space with all its images and signs, embedded in the faceless architecture that shapes 21st-century cities. Sarasin’s shots are neither architectural photography in the narrow sense nor classic street photography. He follows the tradition of urban photography, inspired in particular by the concepts of artists such as Stephen Shore, Thomas Struth, and Jeff Wall.
An essay by architectural historian and curator Martino Stierli and an introduction by Philipp Sarasin supplement the full-page colour plates in this striking volume.
Text in English and German.
D*Face, born Dean Stockton, is a British artist known for his distinctive blend of pop art and punk culture in street art. Drawing inspiration from American comics, he creates street art and exhibits globally, contributing to the rise of contemporary street art alongside artists like OBEY and BANKSY.
The purpose of this book is to give a wider insight into the practice of working within the streets and the public domain. What people most often see of street art is actually the middle point of an artwork’s lifespan, the clean image of a recently finished mural or a freshly peeled sticker but that’s not the whole picture. Not only is there a whole process leading up to the creation of a mural but there also exists a journey of change after work has been left to the streets. Paint fades, tags appear, stickers peel and crack – all these are part and parcel of what it means to work within the street. This book aims to tell that story.
A century ago, northern Thailand (or Siam as it was then known) was home to small communities of Westerners, many of them British diplomats and foresters (like Reginald Le May and Reginald Campbell) or American missionaries (like Lucy Starling and Mary Lou O’Brien). Though few in number, they left behind a considerable written legacy. The writing is invariably personal and often vivid, describing their hopes and aspirations, the challenges they faced in their work and daily lives, and their attachment to this enchanted land. This book makes a selection of that writing accessible to a wide readership, much of it for the first time. The texts are illustrated by 65 evocative photographs, many of them contemporary.
To mark one year from opening the new station, Art on the Underground launch a new publication on the work of Alexandre da Cunha at Battersea Power Station in London.
Sunset, Sunrise, Sunset is a monumental kinetic sculpture for the Underground station. Stretching 95m and 60m in length, the artwork incorporates two friezes that face each other along the length of the ticket hall. The artwork was inspired by the former control room at Battersea Power Station and its system of vertical bars that regulated the production and output of electricity into the city. Combining this with resonances of the daily flow of dawn to dusk, Sunset, Sunrise, Sunset refers to cycles, routine, the everyday and eternity.
Designed by Fraser Muggeridge Studio, the book features essays from art historian Dr Lisa Blackmore exploring the artist’s practice, a geographical and social history of the local area from architecture and design writer Gillian Darley, an essay on commissioning the work by Eleanor Pinfield and a creative prose work from experimental writer Rebecca Watson.
Writing in the immediate aftermath of World War II, wine merchant, gentleman soldier and cricketer Ian Maxwell Campbell casts an affectionate and occasionally wistful look back at the Golden Age of wine, when Bordeaux was affordable, Burgundy’s finest vintages tended towards cannibalism and other wines could be… well, surprisingly attractive. Among the tales of convivial drinking and anecdotes involving Winston Churchill and WG Grace, the author paints a vivid picture of a pre-war (and pre-phylloxera) wine world whose horizons were about to expand beyond all imagining.
Wayward Tendrils of the Vine, though, is much more than a collection of reminiscences. As Neal Martin points out in his Introduction: “The title alone is a perfect allegory for how we learn about wine, how knowledge grows organically over time, never knowing what the next bottle will teach us, how it might alter preconceptions or where it might lead.”
The Classic Editions breathe new life into some of the finest wine-related titles written in the English language over the last 150 years. Although these books are very much products of their time – a time when the world of fine wine was confined mostly to the frontiers of France and the Iberian Peninsula and a First Growth Bordeaux or Grand Cru Burgundy wouldn’t be beyond the average purse – together they recapture a world of convivial, enthusiastic amateurs and larger-than-life characters whose love of fine vintages mirrored that of life itself.
Originally published in 1999, and long out of print, this revised and updated version of Techniques of Drawing gives an overview of historical materials and drawing practices in Europe and Asia, using examples from the Ashmolean Museum, including highlights of the collection and lesser-known works. This up to date edition expands the text and illustrations to include non-western art, including Japanese, Chinese, Indian and Persian works of art, also including some more modern western art works than the first edition, which only covered western art from the 15th to 19th centuries. Expanding the scope of the book to include global perspectives, and the 20th century, involves new sections such as ‘Brush and Ink’ which includes Chinese landscape drawings, Japanese botanical works, as well as illustrating the famous Mughal Indian drawing by Abu’l Hasan in the Ashmolean collection. The book also includes a new section on gouache (opaque watercolour) which will be important for discussing Chinese, Indian and Persian paintings on paper.
Totems and Other Essays brings together 14 texts by architect, historian, and critic Irénée Scalbert. Written between 1998 and 2025, they reflect nearly three decades of critical engagement with architecture and its cultural contexts. Ranging in length and register—from concise meditations to extended analytical essays—the collection captures the evolution of Scalbert’s thinking as a critic, teacher, and participant in architectural discourse.
Organised thematically into sections on buildings, cities, lectures, and theory, Totems and Other Essays traces a loosely autobiographical arc.
Earlier pieces echo Scalbert’s formative years in London during a period of architectural ferment marked by the work of James Stirling, Norman Foster, and Richard Rogers, as well as his close association with a generation of contemporaries including Tony Fretton, Adam Caruso and Peter St John, and Tom Emerson and Stephanie Macdonald (6a architects). Later texts expand outward, both geographically and conceptually, as Scalbert brings a speculative and at times personal lens to questions of urbanism, nature, and meaning in contemporary architecture. The book culminates in Lives of a Critic, a postscript that offers candid thoughts on the vocation of architectural criticism in the 21st century.
Studio SKLIM is an innovative and forward-thinking design firm skilled at crafting bespoke spatial solutions. Based in Singapore and with a presence in India, the firm believes that the fast-changing contemporary life demands a rethink and reorganization of existing spatial parameters in design.
Studio SKLIM: Evolving Techne features ten carefully selected projects that exemplify the firm’s approach as integrates traditional practices with modern technology and sustainable practices. The selected portfolio presented in this monograph encompasses a diverse range of built and unbuilt projects, including residential, hospitality, workplace, and education. Each project includes stunning full-color photography, informative text, and explanatory diagrams to reveal the thought behind the design.
Celebrated art critic and curator Guy Brett made a unique contribution to art criticism and exhibition making through his championing of experimental artists from across the world, writing seminal monographic essays on artists such as Susan Hiller, Rose Finn-Kelcey, Lygia Clark, Hélio Oiticica, David Medalla, Rose English, Mona Hatoum, Takis and others. The 14 essays in this book bring together a unique gathering of artists, tracing their diversity and singularity. Many of these artists make works which arise out of their responses to the situation or the environment in which they find themselves, a process that draws on the countless interactions people have and the many ways that they connect.
Brett’s writing has a unique tone – lucid and widely researched, free of a narrow academicism. He has published widely in the art press, addressing topics such as the relationship between art and life, ideas about the participation of the spectator, and the importance of a kind of visual wit to both artists and writers.
Kettle’s Yard Art & Artists introduces readers to the key artists represented in the Kettle’s Yard collection. It focuses on works collected by Jim and Helen Ede between 1957 and 1973, which remain on permanent display in the Kettle’s Yard House.
Organised alphabetically by artist surname, each chapter features:
– An image of the artist’s work in situ at Kettle’s Yard
– Reproductions of significant artworks from the collection
– Biographical details covering early life, education, and major achievements
– Insights into the artist’s relationship with the Edes, Kettle’s Yard, and Cambridge
The text is enriched with excerpts from Jim Ede’s writings and archival material, including letters exchanged with the artists. Conceived as a companion to the Kettle’s Yard House Guidebook ISBN 9781904561613, this publication offers an accessible introduction to the art on display at in the Kettle’s Yard house and the stories behind the artists who created it.
From Jewellery to Contextual Art presents the work of the artist and professor Elisabeth Holder and showcases her unique evolution. Coming from a classical goldsmithing background, she placed jewellery in relation to ancient signs and the ornamentation that emerged from them, pursuing the examination of materials in the charged arena between mastery and dialogue, and posing the fundamental question of what jewellery is and can be. This led to a paradigm shift. Jewellery was recontextualised. Illustrated with examples from fields such as architecture and nature, it becomes clear that such jewellery forms are never excessive and are at once Contextual art.
Text in English and German.
As a street style and backstage photographer, Suzanne Middlemass can always be found close to the catwalks of this world. Fans admire her unusual photographs in fashion and lifestyle magazines such as VOGUE, Elle, GQ and Grazia. Now Middlemass has compiled her best shots in thematically sorted books under the series title It’s All About.
In the first volume, It’s All About Animal Print, the author devotes herself to the most stylish and craziest trends in leo looks, zebra patterns or tiger stripes. Middlemass not only shows extraordinary outfits by well-known designers who present their latest creations at the big fashion shows. For her pictures, the artist travels to the famous fashion shows of the Big Four in Milan, Paris, London and New York and photographs fashion, stars, influencers, or people who simply present a special style. Because whether it’s clothes, shoes, accessories or fingernails, leopard prints and tiger stripes are everywhere.
Skins by Gavin Watson is arguably the single most important record of ’70s skinhead culture in Britain. Rightly celebrated as a true classic of photobook publishing, the book is now reissued in a high-quality new edition under close supervision from the photographer.
The scores of black and white shots offer a fascinating glimpse into a skinhead community that was multi-cultural, tightly knit and, above all else, fiercely proud of its look. These are classic photographs of historical value.
“What makes Gavin’s photos so special is that when you look at them, there’s clearly trust from the subject towards the photographer, so it feels like you’re in the photo rather than just observing.” – Shane Meadows (Director of award-winning film This Is England).
The book, described by The Times as “a modern classic”, forms an important visual record of its time and has attained cult status in the genre, alongside works by other eminent photographers such as Derek Ridgers and Nick Knight.
“Arguably one of the best and most important books about youth fashion and culture ever published.” – Vice Magazine
The townhouse has become an ideal of city living, evoking elegance, proportion, and the sense of a private world in the heart of the metropolis. More than any particular interior or architectural style, the townhouse represents a way of life.
Townhouse takes you inside the world’s most beautiful and stylish townhouses, such as an 18th-century Amsterdam canal house restored by Soho House designer Vicky Charles, a classic John Nash London townhouse renovated by Albion Nord, and an exquisite Mediterranean Revival house in Los Angeles reimagined by Night Palm. From Victorian London terraces and New York brownstones to Miami Modernism, contemporary Australian and Beaux-Arts Paris, Townhouse is a stunning photographic journey told through interviews with the world’s leading interior designers.
A luxury fabric-bound edition with over 230 large-format colour images, Townhouse is this generation’s definitive survey of period and contemporary townhouse style.
The first monograph of renowned architect and interior designer Thomas Griem, featuring projects in London (5 projects), Hong Kong (2), Paris, Mallorca (3) and Ibiza. Thomas opened TG Studio in 2011 and this new book is a testament to the success of the studio’s creativity and approach to architecture and interior design. Thomas Griem trained in London at the University of Westminster and at the Architectural Association. He has also made furniture and lights, and has always been fascinated by the making, designing and creating of not only buildings or interior spaces, but products. His work as an architect has been diverse, however he found that his passion lay in designing timeless beautiful homes. It has always been exceptionally important for Thomas to genuinely respond to the particular requirements of the client, the site and significantly the budget.
L’Atelier Five is the invisible hand behind glamorous brand activations and dazzling installations, creating opulent and engaging experiences that are imaginatively crafted to resonate on an emotional level. L’Atelier Five: Contagious Creativity celebrates the firm’s tenth anniversary by showcasing its award-winning projects and special collaborations with the world’s most acclaimed and luxurious brands, including Bulgari, Cartier, La Prairie, Dior and Hublot, among many others.
This superb monograph also shares the entrepreneurial journey of L’Atelier Five’s founder and managing director, Saina Attaoui. From humble beginnings, Saina has created a thriving enterprise that’s taken the world of designer goods by storm. An alchemist, outsider, entrepreneur, innovator and creative, Saina brings the world’s most luxurious brands, and their customers, on the extraordinary journey with her.
A source of inspiration, creativity, and ambition, this sumptuous book will appeal to luxury brand enthusiasts and professionals, and interior and graphic designers, among others.
Zaha Hadid’s gift to the world was a creative genius that captured the collective imagination and influenced designers to challenge the perceived limits that were once imposed by both aesthetics and engineering. Her sudden death in 2016 shocked the global architecture community and the public alike, inspiring a commitment to maintain her passion to create built spaces and works that are as unique as they are endearing to a fascinated global following. Zaha Hadid Architects maintains its commitment to her ideals of fluidity, innovation, originality and organic progression. This practice is driven by the development of rigorous interfaces between natural topographies, human-made systems and innovative technologies that have resulted in almost 1000 landmark projects across the globe. With signature sophistication in the design, and superbly creative structures, Zaha Hadid led her firm to create transformative, cultural, corporate and residential spaces that entered into complete synchronicity with their surrounding environment. Inspired by the shared ideas and prominent for its breadth of practice, and beautifully packaged with detailed drawings, rich photography and insightful commentary, this exquisite book showcases and celebrates the intelligent design approach of the firm under the direction of one of the world’s most extraordinary and iconic leaders in the fields of architecture, design and urbanism.
This richly illustrated book follows the journeys of Dutch artist Isaac Israels (1865–1934), whose restless wanderlust took him across Europe and profoundly shaped his artistic vision. The son of painter Jozef Israels, Isaac immersed himself in the cultural life of cities such as Paris, London, and Berlin, and travelled extensively through Italy, Austria, Spain, Denmark, and Sweden. Even during the First World War, he continued to explore the continent, sketching the people and places he encountered. His dynamic paintings reveal a Europe in transition—vibrant, cosmopolitan, and increasingly modern. Through Israels’ eyes, the book reflects on themes of migration, identity, and the visual expression of “Europeanness” at the dawn of the 20th century. Presented by the Kröller-Müller Museum, home to one of the world’s foremost collections of modern art, it offers an evocative journey through both art and history.
As one of the leading critical voices on art of the postwar years, polymath Lawrence Gowing (1918–1991) combined a passion for close visual involvement with formidable literary skills. Edited by art historian Sarah Whitfield, four decades of Gowing’s writing are brought together for the first time in this volume, covering subjects from the Old Masters to Francis Bacon and Howard Hodgkin.
Having first gained success as a painter, Gowing’s 1952 monograph on Vermeer brought him early recognition as a writer with the ability to combine aesthetic experience with a meticulous historical perspective.
Gowing’s foremost commitment was to the pioneering painters of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, notably Paul Cézanne and Henri Matisse. The exhibitions he curated at the Tate and Museum of Modern Art famously helped to mould and reshape public perceptions. Characterised by a desire to instruct and encourage, his writing reflects a highly successful career as a curator and teacher.
Jean-Michel Wilmotte and his collaborators are leading more than 100 projects in 27 different countries, from the biggest to the smallest, from the most spectacular to the most ordinary, with the same fervour from the initial sketch to completion. This practice has recently completed the Russian Orthodox Spiritual and Cultural Center in Paris (France), the headquarters of L’Oréal Group in Clichy (France), the headquarters of Unilever group in Rueil-Malmaison (France), the Center for Arts of the International School of Geneva (Switzerland), the Allées Richaud & Allées Foch high-end residential buildings in Versailles (France), the Cultural Center of Daejeon (South Korea), the 36,200-seat Allianz Riviera Stadium in Nice (France), the London headquarters of Google and JCDecaux (United Kingdom), the Ferrari Sporting Management Center (Formula 1) in Maranello (Italy), a Convention and Exhibition Center in São Paulo (Brazil), and an ecological park in Baku (Azerbaijan) for the 2015 European Games. In these projects, which are both innovative and sustainable, the design always takes into account landscaping, lighting, materials, and finishes, while being respectful of the local and historic context of the site. This new title, as part of IMAGES’ renowned Leading Architects series, delves into the extraordinary work of this firm and the process of its innovative and creative team. Showcasing projects throughout the book with rich, full-colour images, detailed plans, and informative texts, this monograph is a must-have for any professional design collection.
It is 1994, the year of the OJ Simpson saga, Tony Blair’s rise to the leadership of the Labour Party, and South Africa’s first fully multi-racial elections. Nola Marks is a London nightclub hostess with an art history degree and itchy feet. Suddenly her world changes. She begins a new career with a fledgling publishing company, meets Lucian Freud, and finds herself adopted as his latest muse. Over the course of the following seven months, her professional and emotional worlds are turned upside down, as external forces impact in unexpected ways. Set ten years on from Tableaux, the author’s debut novel, the narrative cuts between divergent national cultures and different social tribes. With photographs by Jamie Noise, Nightingales combines art and storytelling in a compelling hybrid form.
One of Sweden’s most renowned contemporary architects, Johan Celsing has created a diverse body of work that spans from housing to public institutions such as museums, libraries, and churches – all of it united by an intense and realistic engagement with the craft of making buildings.
Johan Celsing: Buildings, Texts is the first book to comprehensively collect Celsing’s designs. It features both built and unrealised projects are featured through working drawings and sketches, watercolours, and images of models, as well as new photographs by London-based photographer Ioana Marinescu. In addition to more than seven hundred illustrations, the buildings are discussed in essays by architects, educators, and critics including Wilfried Wang, Claes Caldenby, Katarina Rundgren, and Elizabeth Hatz. The book also offers a selection of Johan Celsing’s own writings.
Artists of Nigeria analyses the influence of different art systems (museums, cultural institutions, art fairs, galleries, the internet) and cultures on the development of modern and contemporary Nigerian art in the past 100 years. Organised chronologically, and including biographical notes on the artists and lavish colour illustrations, this unprecedented book charts the development of modern Nigerian art, and analyses the works of significant Nigerian artists and art movements within the country and beyond. This comprehensive overview demonstrates the variety and vitality of Nigerian artists and confers on them a visibility they are often denied in global publications. Among the artists featured are Olowere, whose work is in the collections of the British Museum, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Smithsonian Institution; Chike Aniakor, who has a PhD from Indiana University; and Uche Okeke, whose work has been shown at the Sherman Gallery at Boston University.
Probably no artist was more prolific among 18th-century topographers than Grimm in recording the landscapes and historic buildings of Great Britain, and none played a more important role. Born near Bern in Switzerland, Samuel Hieronymus Grimm studied under various teachers before deciding to move to London in 1768, where he remained for the rest of his life. A talented watercolour artist, he earned an impressive reputation among his clients as a quick, accurate painter. The most important of his patrons was Sir Richard Kaye, who retained Grimm’s services for nearly two decades and during this period accumulated over 2,600 drawings and watercolours. Grimm was a tireless traveller, ranging far and wide over Britain and creating works of various kinds, from simple landscapes to highly detailed and now invaluable scenes of daily rural life. While in London, Grimm also revealed an unexpectedly sharp, witty side to his talent, publishing a series of political caricatures and drawings satirising the society of the time and its fashions. Some of Grimm’s most conspicuous commissions came from the Society of Antiquaries, which was keen to build a visual record of historical monuments at risk of being destroyed. In spite of the considerable success he enjoyed during his lifetime, his reputation quickly faded thereafter and the exhibition held in the Kunstmuseum in Bern in 2014 was the first show devoted entirely to his work. The accompanying monograph by Dr. William Hauptman restores Grimm to his rightful place in the history of British painting.