Father Andrew, an artist and priest of the Archdiocese of New York, recounts his impressions during a peripatetic retreat in Tuscany some years ago, under the guidance of Timothy Verdon an art historian and Catholic priest. Timothy Verdon’s hope was to help the listeners open to the spiritual as well as aesthetic beauty of the buildings, sculptures and paintings seen and Father Andrew’s book tells that something of this sort happened, at least in his case. A Tuscan Résumé is an ‘inspired’ work, in response to the same Spirit that touched the architects and artists whose masterpieces Father Andrew describes.
In the last quarter of the 19th century, the Netherlands was a popular travel destination for artists. The American artists Gari Melchers and George Hitchcock visited the country in the 1880s. In 1884, they settled in Egmond aan Zee, then little more than a small, isolated fishing village. There they painted the life of the people and the landscape. Melchers soon garnered international success with The Sermon, while Hitchcock caused a furore with A Tulip Field. The presence of Melchers and Hitchcock in Egmond exerted a great attraction on professionals. A large crowd of artists travelled to Egmond, especially after Hitchcock in 1891 started his summer courses, which attracted remarkably many female artists. Among the artists who worked there were James Jesuba Shannon, Henri Moret, Florence Upton and Letta Crapo Smith. Longing for Egmond offers an overview of the developments in the Egmond artist colony and the key role played by Hitchcock and Melchers fulfilled there.
Renowned throughout the world as purveyors of beauty, mystery and allure, geisha have come to represent the epitome of Japanese elegance and chic. The rich 250-year history of these performance artists is vividly presented in this volume, taking the reader behind the mask-like makeup and into both the studios where they train and rehearse and the teahouses where they entertain. Geisha have altered definitions of feminine beauty and identity and are the prevailing icons of Japanese womanhood. Their influence on Japan’s decorative arts is documented by their beautiful kimono and hair ornaments and by the musical instruments and fans they use in their performances. The contributors to this book, all prominent specialists on Japanese culture, each consider a particular aspect of geisha tradition and aesthetics, from their music and dance to misperceptions of the profession by foreigners, from the portrayal of geisha as recurring characters in the theatre and film to profiles of talented women who choose this life and work today. Illustrated with woodblock prints and paintings as well as historical and contemporary photographs, this groundbreaking study also explores the dynamic tension between image and reality in the art of these exquisite entertainers. Geisha: Beyond the Painted Smile is a comprehensive presentation of geisha culture from its origins nearly three centuries ago to contemporary Japan. Disciplined performance artists of supreme grace and beauty, geisha are unique ambassadors of Japan’s traditional culture.
In the Buddhist parable of the oxherder, a herdsman’s search for his missing ox is likened to an individual’s journey toward enlightenment. Buddhist masters composed this parable, whose origins reach as far back as the literature of ancient India, to guide students of Buddhism in their spiritual journeys. The Oxherder: A Zen Parable Illustrated presents the earliest known Japanese handscroll illustrating the parable – the only one with paintings in colour. Unlike many early Japanese handscrolls and books, it is intact, from its preface explaining the basic tenets of Buddhism to its signed inscription dated 1278. Extremely popular among Zen Buddhists in mediaeval Japan, The Ten Oxherder Songs, as the parable is best known, divides the herder’s journey into ten stages, each illustrated by circularly framed images accompanied by a four-line poem. The paintings, rendered in the graceful traditional manner of Japanese narrative illustration, show the progress of the oxherder (a seeker of truth) toward enlightenment (the ox). Appearing with the ten pictures are the preface and the ten songs that accompany the images, both in the original and in translation, and the final inscription.
This edition contains 126 colour plates (more than twice as many as the first edition), alongside 140 black-and-white illustrations. It invites the reader to appreciate the works of the greatest botanical illustrators both past and present.
This monograph is the first title in a new series titled Opera Maestra, specifically focused on the work and itinerary of the artists who made history, from an unprecedented perspective. The series begins with Leonardo da Vinci, captured by the expert Marco Versiero.
At the core the analysis is the specific soul, among the thousands of Leonardo’s, that Marco Versiero wants to underline: his mirror-soul; namely, Leonardo’s eye between Human and Nature. In other words, the eye that allowed the artist to mediate between his favourite dimensions (the human and the natural one), and allowed them to communicate with each other without cancelling themselves, but rather managing to reflect one in the other’s light, like in front of a mirror.
An essential biographical note introduces the reader to Marco Versiero’s pages, enriched with 61 detailed pictures. The pictures, proposing not only a selection of Leonardo’s paintings but also of his drawings, enhanced with comprehensive captions, tell the itinerary of the genius from the years of his apprenticeship in Verrocchio’s workshop till the days of his maturity.
Holly Addi is a U.S.-based artist who creates abstract paintings focused on the philosophy of beauty in imperfection. With a background in psychology, Addi examines energy, colour, space, and landscape through tempered abstraction. Addi considers her practice as a “composition of imperfectionism.” By utilising abstraction, she creates moments by means of rules and omissions, acceptance and refusal, providing a space for contemplation. Her works do not reference any particular form, and interpretation becomes multifaceted. She has exhibited nationwide, and has been featured in Architectural Digest, My Domain, and Electrify Magazine. Holly’s work can be found in public and private collections worldwide.
Embark on another cosmic adventure and discover the striking artistry of NASA’s mission patches and logos. This beautifully illustrated book offers a visual tour of NASA’s heritage symbolism from the early Mercury missions of the 1960s to the rovers, orbital telescopes and brand-new lunar capsules of the 2020s.
The countdown is underway! NASA’s first Moon landing since 1972 is now on the near horizon and this follow-up to the popular Space: Posters & Paintings is the perfect way to prepare for take-off. Celebrating the achievements of the men and women who dared to venture into the beyond, Space Mission Patches uncovers the story of the space administration through the indelible artwork of their historic insignias. Perfect for space aficionados, design enthusiasts and kids old and young, this meeting of art and exploration is the definitive testament to the enduring legacy of NASA’s trailblazing journeys to the unknown.
Today, known for its black and white portraits covering entire buildings, Hendrik Beikirch today presents the Siberia project, a project in the continuity of Tracing Morocco started in 2014. The intensity of these powerful foreign faces recalls a familiarity that can be experienced anywhere in the world. Beikirch takes these studies of humanity with him on his travels and permeates them as traces of personified life in new contexts. The project is the result of Beikirch’s meeting with this distant immensity that is Siberia. From this project was born the book Siberia, which gives an overview of all the works created, paintings, and 10 murals carried out all over the world.
Text in English, French and Russian.
In the comprehensive monograph Wonderland, artist Thomas Riess (b. 1970), who lives in Vienna, presents works from the last seven years. Riess, who works primarily in painting and video, intensively explores the complex themes of time and reality. His works depict mystical landscapes, floating, abstract forms and disintegrating figures—all of which appear to oscillate between appearance and reality, fact and illusion, events and remembrances. His work often revolves around humankind in a society flooded by media. Faces that are often altered beyond all recognition confront the audience with fundamental questions regarding individuality and authenticity. Riess’ paintings and video art are simultaneously aesthetically pleasing yet provocative and challenging. They remind us of our own mortality and focus on existence as a constant ephemeral state of flux.
Text in English and German.
In one unique volume, Arison ushers readers from Auvers to Arles, Giverny to Mont Sainte- Victoire, in her quest to rediscover the lives, dwellings, and paintings of the Impressionists.
In 2000, deeply shaken by her husband’s recent death, author and world traveller Lin Arison took a trip through France with her granddaughter Sarah. Though Arison was in mourning, and Sarah was initially sceptical about art, the two surprised themselves by discovering renewed joy in the work of the Impressionists and the settings that inspired them. In the years that followed, Arison’s personal odyssey became an extraordinary collaboration with photographer Neil Folberg, a collaboration culminating in “Travels with Van Gogh and the Impressionists: Discovering the Connections.” In one unique volume, Arison ushers readers from Auvers to Arles, Giverny to Mont Sainte- Victoire, in her quest to rediscover the lives, dwellings, and paintings of the Impressionists. En route, she debunks long-held myths about Van Gogh and Berthe Morisot, befriends twenty-first-century descendants of some of the masters, and finds inspiration in the Impressionists’ mutually supportive relationships. Gracefully blending memoir, travelogue, art history, and biography, Arison’s intimate narrative brings new insight to our understanding of these artists and their legacy. Interspersed with Arison’s text, and with handsome reproductions of the original masterpieces, Neil Folberg’s photographs capture the central spirit of the Impressionists’ work and reapply that spirit to contemporary subjects and settings. Following an intuitive sensibility that never misses its mark, Folberg deploys each artist’s individual vision to new and striking ends, undergoing an artistic transformation of his own in the process. Together, Arison’s words and Folberg’s images explore the enduring impact of France’s great late nineteenth-century painters, and the ways in which their revolutionary visions of their own world still impart great meaning and beauty to ours.
Sculptures of Stones by Ronny Delrue depict female statues that are either made of bricks or covered with masonry-like patterns. They form a critical riposte to the heroic male statues of former leaders that are scattered around our cities. Furthermore, the forms also broaden our prior knowledge of the depiction of figures in the public sphere. Sculptures of Stones shows drawing to be a form of spontaneous expression. It offers an alternative to the all-pervasive means of instant communication that govern the world today, namely digital tools and social media systems. Delrue’s drawings are both action and representation. Unlike the electronic devices, a drawing redeems the option of an unmediated, direct action and reflection in and on the world. It re-positions the function of the artist as a free, sovereign subject, who touches the world and is ready to participate and influence history.
English, Dutch and French.
Marylène Madou was established in Belgium early 2017, launching the brand with a successful collection of printed scarves and today print still is the ultimate starting point in each collection. Every textile print is created in-house by the designer herself, exclusively using her own original paintings and digital illustrations.
Marylène Madou: Prints & Patterns provides an overview of Marylène’s most distinguishing print designs and patterns, a treat for print admirers and textile enthusiasts worldwide with Italy, the UK, and the Benelux being the largest sourcing countries for the materials. For the manufacturing of her ready-to-wear, she is in a unique position, working with a local atelier in Belgium. A collection of both highly detailed and more stylized prints, highlighting Marylène’s multidisciplinary design process, covering more than 190 pages, divided into 5 chapters. Marylène Madou: Prints & Patterns is printed on high-end paper, with a recognisable print all over the cover. The holographic pink foil makes the title stand out among the crowd.
Text in English and French.
Another Chance Encounter celebrates Lubaina Himid’s first UK museum exhibition since 2018. Beautifully designed in collaboration with the artist, this fully illustrated book documents three new bodies of paintings and installations created for the exhibition at Kettle’s Yard, one made in collaboration with artist and master printmaker Magda Stawarska. Inspired by the unique Kettle’s Yard house and collection, Himid’s new work illuminates figures and histories often considered marginal. Himid will populate the Kettle’s Yard house with paintings in cupboards and drawers, and display a new collection of found and made objects and in the galleries. The publication follows Himid as she brilliantly crafts alternative histories with her distinctive bold colours and characters. The book will include new texts by Amy Tobin, Amelia Groom and Aneta Krzemien in conversation with Magda Stawarska, as well as Himid’s own writing.
“Although the street art is generally conveyed in a very natural matter, even his dead animal paintings seem at peace.” – Streetartbio.com “Detached from the artist’s identity, his detailed, illustrative animal paintings have brought him back to the world. With local species of animals as his main focus, ROA inevitably starts a dialogue about human interaction with nature and the environment, whether it is painting on the walls of a museum or in an abandoned rural factory.” – Hi Fructose – The New Contemporary Magazine “One of the most influential acts of street art around the world.” – The Huffington Post Fascinated by nature, the anonymous muralist and street artist ROA is inspired by the beauty of its non-human inhabitants. With great attention to detail, ROA draws over-sized black and white creatures of endemic or endangered species on buildings around the world, from Moscow to Mexico City, and from Los Angeles to London. His subjects are frequently survivors; scavengers, rodents, and unusual animals that thrive in their particular milieu.
Thorvald Hellesen (1888-1937) was a Norwegian avant-garde artist who lived and worked in Paris in the 1910s and 1920s. He and his wife, the French artist Hélène Perdriat, were part of a circle of artists that included Pablo Picasso, Fernand Léger, Constantin Brâncuși, Piet Mondrian, Theo van Doesburg, and many others. In his short yet intense life, Thorvald Hellesen created an impressive unique oeuvre, oriented on Modernism, consisting of oil paintings, watercolours, gouaches, drawings, design projects, and textiles. Nevertheless, even in Norway he is only known to a few. With this publication the authors Dag Blakkisrud, Matthew Drutt, and Hilde Mørch have created a written portrait of Hellesen. In addition to classifying him within the history of art, they try to find explanations as to why his artistic practice is only now being considered important and interesting for Norwegian and international art history.
Text in Norwegian.
Over her forty-plus-year career, Gunderson has tackled subjects from clouds to royalty to the cosmos.
Widely collected in Hollywood and New York, artist Karen Gunderson is perhaps best known for her work since the 1980s, when she transitioned from painting in colour to working only in black. Over her forty-plus-year career, Gunderson has tackled subjects from clouds to royalty to the cosmos. Her long-developed, labour intensive technique, including rigorous brushwork and paint layering, employs a range of black shades that create a unique three-dimensional effect: The multiple textures from the paint catch light and make the paintings shimmer and appear to move, alternating with shadows and highlights that illuminate her subjects—historic royal figures, bodies of water, mountains, and constellations—depending on how the viewer moves in front of each artwork.
Since taking the helm of the National Galleries of Scotland in 1984, Sir Timothy Clifford has overseen the acquisition of some of the finest, and best-loved works in the national collection. This book chronicles the development of the collection under his directorship and casts light upon the wide range of acquisitions, including the fascinating stories behind their purchase. Lavishly illustrated, highlights of the book include The Virgin Adoring the Sleeping Christ Child by Botticelli, The Three Graces by Canova (purchased jointly with the Victoria and Albert Museum, London), and the most recent major acquisition, Venus Anadyomene by Titian. Works from the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art’s internationally renowned Surrealist collection are also featured, as well as paintings from the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.”
It is Cadell’s zest for life and the diversity of his subjects that makes him unique in the group of artists popularly known as the Scottish Colourists. Influenced by direct contact with the European avant-garde movements taking place at the turn of the century and with early knowledge of the work of Matisse and the Fauves, Cadell’s paintings are confident and rich with colour. Celebrated for his stylish portraits of Edinburgh New Town interiors and his vibrantly coloured, daringly simple still life’s of the 1920s, exceptional in British art of this period, he also captured the beauty of nature, especially in the evocative works portraying his beloved Iona.
Thorvald Hellesen (1888-1937) was a Norwegian avant-garde artist who lived and worked in Paris in the 1910s and 1920s. He and his wife, the French artist Hélène Perdriat, were part of a circle of artists that included Pablo Picasso, Fernand Léger, Constantin Brâncuși, Piet Mondrian, Theo van Doesburg, and many others. In his short yet intense life, Thorvald Hellesen created an impressive unique oeuvre, oriented on Modernism, consisting of oil paintings, watercolours, gouaches, drawings, design projects, and textiles. Nevertheless, even in Norway he is only known to a few. With this publication the authors Dag Blakkisrud, Matthew Drutt, and Hilde Mørch have created a written portrait of Hellesen. In addition to classifying him within the history of art, they try to find explanations as to why his artistic practice is only now being considered important and interesting for Norwegian and international art history.
This is the exceptionally rich story of Rembrandt’s fame and influence in Britain. No other nation has witnessed such a passionate – and sometimes eccentric – enthusiasm for Rembrandt’s works. His imagery has become ubiquitous, making him one of the most recognised artists in history. In this book, some of the world’s leading experts reveal how the taste for Rembrandt’s paintings, drawings and prints evolved, growing into a mania that gripped collectors and art lovers across the country. This reached a fever pitch in the late 1700s, before the dawn of a new century ushered in a re-evaluation of Rembrandt’s reputation and opportunities for the wider public to see his masterpieces for themselves.
The story of Rembrandt’s profound and inspirational impact on the British imagination is illustrated by over 130 sumptuous works by the master himself, as well as by some of Britain’s best-loved artists, including William Hogarth, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Eduardo Paolozzi and John Bellany.
Foreword; Introduction; 1 Rembrandt’s Fame in Britain, 1630 1900: An Overview- Christian Tico Seifert; 2 Rembrandt and Britain: The Modern Era – Patrick Elliott; 3 ‘The Finest Possible State’: Cataloguing and Collecting Rembrandt’s Prints, c.1700 1840 – Stephanie S. Dickey; 4 From Studio to Academy: Copying Rembrandt in Eighteenth-century Britain – Jonathan Yarker; 5 Regarding Rembrandt: Reynolds and Rembrandt – Donato Esposito; 6 Rembrandt: Paragon of the Etching Revival – Peter Black; 7 Rembrandt and Britain: A ‘Picture Flight’ in Three Stages, 1850 1930 – M.J. Ripps; Catalogue; Bibliography.
“Forget ordinary stationery! teNeues, the luxury German publisher, transforms notecards, journals, puzzles and even clipboards into works of art, with its latest lineup highlighting paintings by celebrated names such as Vincent Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Claude Monet.” – Life & Style Magazine
Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) was an Austrian symbolist painter and a founding member of the Vienna Secession movement. His paintings, characterised by luxurious, radiant colour, mosaic-like patterns, abstract floral motifs, and expressive lines, are among the most popular and celebrated works of the Art Nouveau style.
Our QuickNotes boxed notecards are full colour, collectable greeting / notecards that are blank inside and can be used to convey personal greetings, thank-yous and invitations. This QuickNotes notecard box holds 20 full colour cards with and 20 classic white envelopes. 4 notecard styles are included, all wrapped up in a keepsake box with magnetised lid.
“The book is compact, beautifully designed, and includes excellent essays by Linsey Young and Kathleen Soriano, with introductions on each section by the artist, reproductions of each work in the show, as well as others on Cooper and Soriano’s wish list which could not be accommodated.” — Printmaking Today
Eileen Cooper OBE RA has been consistently successful across her 50-year career, the influence of her art seen in the range and depth of her work as well as in her contribution to art education. Cooper’s artistic experiences – which, in the words of Linsey Young, disrupt the neat patriarchal understandings of women – are brought together in this thoughtfully designed and elegant hardback. Early works are illustrated alongside previously unseen drawings, paintings, prints, ceramics and portraits, many of which will surprise readers. The authors also consider Cooper’s work in relation to the collections of Leicester Museum & Art Gallery, including works by Peter Doig, Paula Rego, Pablo Picasso, Dame Laura Knight and Lotte Laserstein.
The catalogue Max Neumann – Journey comprises around 80 paintings and works on paper from all creative phases of the painter and graphic artist Max Neumann (b. 1949), who is an important representative of contemporary German figuration. His enigmatic human figures seated in enraptured pictorial settings are not geared toward capturing a subjective, distinct portrayal, but toward the crystallisation of an unmistakable humanlike allegory. His characters, in their at once disconcerting and graceful silhouettes, fall out of time and history as symbolic markers of a human state of mind. Neumann does not intend to narrate any incidents; he rather traces emotional human qualities, confronting the viewer with his own desires, fears, obsessions, and phantasms.
Text in English and German.