Filled with Bridget Riley’s mesmerising stripe paintings, this catalogue conveys the artist’s unique development in using stripes to animate the entire visual field.

Published in conjunction with the Bridget Riley: The Stripe Paintings 1961-2012 exhibition at Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin, key paintings and studies of Riley’s stripe works are collected for the first time. This well-illustrated title demonstrates how Riley regularly returned to this seemingly simple pictorial device to achieve complex, surprising results.

The volume includes full-colour illustrations alongside important texts by John Elderfield and Paul Moorhouse – in both English and German – which situate these exhilarating works within the artist’s oeuvre and a broader art historical context.

The book will coincide with the first Ashmolean NOW exhibition in Gallery 8, opening in July 2023. The Ashmolean NOW Program features exciting works by prominent early to mid-career artists based in the UK, seeking to attract new audiences interested in contemporary art. Artists who have established international reputations and emerging artists whose international status is anticipated with a strong degree of confidence are approached pro-actively. In addition to exhibiting their existing works, all artists are invited to create at least one new work as a response to the museum and/or its collections. This first exhibition presents two linked solo shows: paintings/drawings by Flora Yukhnovich, and paintings/drawings by Daniel Crews-Chubb. The double-sided style of the book will mirror the exhibition concept, while presenting itself as a unique, well designed object that has a life beyond the exhibition.

This book documents the remnants of the rich Buddhist cultural heritage of Cambodia after centuries of wars and destruction culminating with the genocide and cultural annihilation of the Khmer Rouge. The most important mural paintings of Cambodia are examined after discussion of Buddhist art in general, the function of murals, the architecture of the monuments hosting them, the painting techniques and narrative systems. Detailed study of paintings illustrating episodes of the Buddha’s life and of the ten Jatakas follows, ending with in-depth analysis of the Epic of Rama in Cambodia (Reamker). Paintings on scroll canvas (Prah Bot) are also reviewed. The second part of this book includes the description of 70 viharas with mural paintings that the authors were able to visit over a period of four years.

Light, colour, materiality. These are perhaps the most significant components of Wolfgang Kessler’s (b. 1962) paintings. An additional characteristic is the tranquillity and introversion of the figures, who are usually depicted individually before a black background. In contemporary painting, this practice is unusual. At the same time, it touches upon recollected images and a notion of beauty that are buried in our cultural memory. When the question arises as to whether painting is or may be beautiful, one likes to look far back to art-historical frames of reference. One might arrive, for instance, at Delacroix’s works, which started to engage with subjects that extended beyond the common notion of beauty.

Terribly Beautiful – Wolfgang Kessler is a painter of quiet yet aggressive, power. The comprehensive publication offers a detailed insight into Wolfgang Kessler’s complete paintings from 2013-2022.

Text in English and German. 

Milan – the epicentre of Italian fashion, art, and finance – awaits you at Expo 2015. 142 countries are participating in this modern world’s fair. 20 million visitors are expected, most of whom will storm the city’s famous sights along with the Expo’s pavilions and exhibits. This unconventional guidebook will tell you how to avoid endless crowds and queues, and instead track down the enthralling and little-known places that are hidden throughout this exciting metropolis: Try the best Italian food – in a supermarket! Explore the private studios of famous designers! Discover a flock of flamingos in a backyard garden! Go beyond La Scala and the Duomo, the Navigli and the Golden Triangle of Fashion, to uncover Milan’s best kept secrets.

Shaped by emperors, architects and artists, Paris is a city of splendour, elegance, and romance; cosmopolitan and colourful, its streets pulse with life. This sumptuously illustrated book celebrates its glory on the Grands Boulevards and Champs Elysées, and captures its cultural heartbeat in the artists’ quarter of Montmartre and the Quartier Latin on the Left Bank. To discover Paris is also to experience the finer things in life. The Paris Book dips into superb museums and galleries; visits opulent theatres, grand restaurants and bohemian cafés; browses the city’s flea markets, bookshops and chic boutiques; and cruises along the Seine. As Hemingway said, Paris is “a moveable feast”.

Basil Spence (1907-1976) was one of Britain’s most celebrated architects. This book explores his extraordinary career from the 1930s to the 1970s, focusing particularly on the post-war period. Initially known for his work on national exhibitions such as the Festival of Britain, Spence became a household name in 1951 when he won the competition to design a new cathedral for Coventry. He worked on an unusually wide range of projects from housing in Glasgow’s Gorbals to the University of Sussex and the British Embassy in Rome. Central to his work was a sensitivity towards materials and a commitment to working with artists. Spence’s work is discussed here in a series of essays introduced by a personal memoir specially written by the architect’s close family.

In 1925 a journalist on the Barcelona newspaper El Escándalo used the term Barrio Chino in a somewhat derogatory way to describe part of the older city. While the area in question represented a dystopian underbelly of the city, known for its impoverished living and working conditions together with its ‘red-light’ subcultures, it never existed as a ‘Chinatown’ in either a physical or social sense. However the name of this mythical community stuck from the 1920s onwards, appearing on maps and descriptions of the inner city but devoid of any hint of Chinese inhabitants or their culture. The book takes this as a starting point to chart the development of Barcelona over two hundred years using a series of ‘diaries’ and drawn images. These are set around four generations of a fictional Chinese dynasty and their imagined architectural participation in some of the major events in Barcelona’s modern history. As residents of the Barrio from the mid-nineteenth century, they individually document diverse contributions to the city during periods of dynamic growth. This is set against a backdrop of cataclysmic political change and exemplary forms of urban regeneration which have provided Barcelona with its contemporary ‘World City’ status as it plans for the future.

A disparate but exuberant group of scholars are brought together in Savannah by an eminent professor to explore and debate the history and characteristics of the city and its implications for a twenty-first century urbanism. This narrative represents a forceful and humorous interplay between formal discussion, informal interludes, irreverent comments, and less than academic relationships. Its serious purpose is to identify the urban challenges facing America in terms of containing and consolidating growth within livable communities. However like all such participatory events it is also an opportunity for informal personal agendas set against a backdrop of real life events. The text is interspersed with 90 drawings of Savannah, illustrating its unique and multilayered identity as a potential urban paradigm for the future.

Chris Wilkinson, the founder of the architectural practice WilkinsonEyre, is responsible for beautiful buildings and structures in London and beyond, including the Gasholders at King’s Cross, the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station, and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge. In this appealing publication, Wilkinson presents the sketches he makes while travelling for business and leisure, usually focusing on inspirational buildings or urban cityscapes. His travels have taken him as far afield as the West Indies, Russia, Egypt, Australia and Japan. Wherever he goes, he finds an hour or two to sit and sketch – whether in a hotel room with a view or on a café terrace with a cappuccino. From the medieval Tuscan town of Lucca to ancient Egyptian architecture, the Sydney Opera House and the skylines of London, Tokyo and New York, Wilkinson introduces each sketch and ruminates on his work, his travels, and the cities and buildings that have most inspired him. Contents: The UK, Italy, France, Spain, Malta, Greece, Morocco, the USA, the West Indies, Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia, China, Japan, Australia.

Faith Flowers is a guide to arranging flowers in places of worship. The book starts with the fundamentals of flower arranging and works up to advanced designs for festivals. Step-by-step instructions and photographs clearly show how to create many different arrangements. Flower recipes are included describing what is needed for each design. Lots of inspiration for new ideas and colour combinations. Flower designs are provided for regular services, weddings, funerals, Christmas, Easter and much more. Learn how to create a volunteer group to provide flowers for your worship services. Author Laura Larocci shares her knowledge from 16 years as Flower Guild Chair of one of the largest cathedrals in the country. Over the years she has organised, led and taught hundreds of volunteers at the cathedral and churches across the US. She shares the triumphs and struggles of creating beautiful flowers within budget and volunteer flower guilds. The book has good reference guides with photos of flower varieties, greenery and materials needed, sample ordering forms, budgets and tips for saving money. Sources for flowers and materials are also discussed.

“Welcome to the world of ultra-glamorous architecture as featured in new coffee table book Archiphantasy (The Images Publishing Group), penned by prolific architect Alexander Wong. The weighty, lavish tome showcases more than 30 cinemas, private homes, shops and hotels that have been designed by his visionary Hong-Kong-based firm Alexander Wong Architects.” – Daily Mail

In this highly-anticipated monograph, Alexander Wong presents a selection of incisive essays on contemporary architecture and design concepts, along with a wide range of magnificently photographed works, including dynamic retail spaces, glamorous and unique residential interiors, futuristic cinema design, office spaces of the future, and so much more. Each project highlights how Wong combines the best of what Asia-Pacific has to offer in superior design with an abstract aesthetic, yet high attention to detail.

New Orleans, like Venice, is built in a location that at first sight seems curious in the extreme. How could it be that these cities, built so precariously in the face of a watery threat, were to become among the great cities of the world? How could a site below sea level, at a swampy curve in the River Mississippi become one of the most visited cities in the United States, and possess a unique kind of magic that separates it from other cities?

Geoffrey H. Baker’s gem of an architectural guide answers these burning questions. Inside these richly illustrated pages he explains how the urban design works for this city’s plight, which is frequently handicapped by nature’s capacity to destroy in the form of hurricanes. Timothy’s beautiful photography showcases the unique topography and architectural fabric of New Orleans, and Geoffrey’s insight illuminates the city’s inimitable spirit that’s born of its constant battle for survival.

For many years, the artist Bernard Frize has lived in Paris in a bourgeois, typically French apartment with various fanciful elements. But now the Swiss architect Philipp von Matt has built a residence and studio for him right in Berlin’s rough city centre, which is the complete opposite of his other home: von Matt has created a cathedral made of exposed concrete, measuring some 600 square metres (approx. 6450 square feet). It is an austere, massive structure that has huge windows and overlooks smoking chimneys. The use of raw wood throughout the building contrasts with its bare walls. The staircase is designed as an extended living room and reception hall, and it connects the four floors spectacularly.

The exterior gives little hint of what to expect inside. Upon entering, one suddenly realises that the building gets narrower towards the rear and thus seems to be longer than it actually is. The straight lines of the walls, ceilings, and floors form acute angles, creating another dramatic spatial effect.

In addition, the materials are exceptional. The aim was to construct the house in the most environmentally friendly way possible. Clay was used to plaster the walls, the closet doors are made of wicker, and the ceramic tiles come from an old French wine basin.

This book, for the first time, provides a complete overview of the building, presenting a wealth of texts, layouts, models, and architectural photographs.

Text in English and German.

This unusual guidebook invites the inquisitive to head off the beaten track and explore many of the city’s lesser-known places.

This book guides even Mallorca connoisseurs to places that will amaze them. And it tells stories that hardly anyone has ever heard. You think you already know everything and then this picturesque island, and then you find it’s full of big and small surprises – 111 times!

John Ruskin assembled 1470 diverse works of art for use in the Drawing School he founded at Oxford in 1871.  They included drawings by himself and other artists, prints and photographs. This book focuses on highlights of works produced by Ruskin himself. Drawings by John Ruskin are uniquely interesting.  Unlike those of a professional artist they were not made in preparation for finished paintings or as works in their own right.  Every one – and they number several thousand, depending on what can be considered a separate drawing – is a record of something seen, initially as a memorandum of that observation but with the potential to illustrate his writings or for educational purposes, notably to form part of the teaching collection of the Drawing School he established after election as Slade Professor of Fine Art at Oxford University. In addition, because of the range of interests of arguably the only true polymath of his time, every drawing touches on some interesting aspect of art and architecture, landscape and travel, botany and natural history, often connected with his writings and lectures.  Ruskin’s life is one of the best documented of any in the 19th century, through letters, diaries and the many autobiographical revelations in his published writings: this allows the opportunity to give almost any drawing a level of context impossible for any other artist.  When there is so much background information, a single drawing reveals much about its creator, and becomes a window into the great sprawling edifice of his life and work.

The iconic Dome of the Cathedral of Florence, the largest masonry vault in the world, was built by Filippo Brunelleschi between 1420 and 1436. More than 100 years later, between 1572 and 1579, the vault was decorated with frescos by the artists Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari depicting the Last Judgment. Working with advanced imaging technology, total access, and Italy’s leading art photographer, this book presents in never-before-seen detail and completeness the entire pictorial cycle of the Dome. Contributions by noted art historians Marco Bussagli, Mina Gregori, and Timothy Verdon illuminate the art historical significance of this magnificent symbol of Florence and the Renaissance.

Text in English and Italian.

111 Places in County Durham You Shouldn’t Miss will unveil Durham’s secret depths and lesser-known delights, allowing it to step out from the shadow of its spectacular, UNESCO-listed cathedral and its highly-ranked university. 

This small, hilly city has its gems, but the county’s historic towns (Bishop Auckland, Barnard Castle, Newton Aycliffe), by the water (Hartlepool, Seaham) and nestled away in its tiniest villages (Kelloe, Tow Law) are home to Durham’s true hidden wonders. 

Discover the mysterious sea caves at Blackhall Rocks, or wander up Nose’s Point to Blast Beach. Traverse Durham city’s wonkiest staircase, or make your own mind up about the county’s most controversially-designed estate. 

Marvel at Killhope’s working Waterwheel, and uncover the county’s famous coal mining past. Unearth disused collieries and quarries reclaimed by the overgrowth surrounding them.  

Spot what’s left of a stone boar at Barnard Castle. Hear the real story behind Hartlepool’s most baffling local legend, and try to stand atop a haunted copse… if you dare.

First as the powerful bulwark of Christendom against the East in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and then as the victim of rapacious neighbours, Poland’s fate has been central to European culture. Her turbulent history has left a wealth of monuments and historic landscapes that have been virtually hidden from the rest of the world. This guide explores Poland’s remarkable heritage in full, with comprehensive coverage of art and architecture, and with introductions to the more recent contributions in film, music and theatre. The contents of this second, revised edition include introductions to Poland’s history and culture, detailed tours and practical information.

“The product of extensive archival research by members of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, these editions make newly accessible the work of the accomplished British designer.” — Architectural Record

The genius of Edwin Lutyens is now universally recognised. When the acclaimed English architect passed away in 1944, three large volumes of his drawings and photographs were commissioned from the thousands found in his office and were published by Country Life. In 2023, all three volumes will be republished by ACC Art Books.

This third and final volume showcases Lutyens’ detailed plans and elevations for the greatest examples of his townhouse renovations, memorials and public buildings, including the Cenotaph at Westminster, the Thiepval Memorial, and the colossal Midland Bank building in Manchester.

These reissues are once again bringing to the world’s attention not just the professionalism of a great architect, but also the loving care with which he set down the minutiae of his visions. They are among the few books in existence illustrated with his working drawings, as well as pristine photos of the finished masterpieces themselves. A beautiful tribute to a monumental figure in the history of modern architecture. 

Floral Poetry in Normandy features awe-inspiring floral designs of Cédric Deshayes, Meilleur Ouvrier de France finalist and Vice Champion de France 2019 in floral art. With an emphasis on showcasing the rich history of his native region, Normandy, Deshayes has beautifully captured magnificent floral arrangements in various locations.

More than 70 meticulously crafted floral designs, created using diverse techniques, are artfully presented across 35 picturesque sites scattered throughout the five departments of Normandy. In collaboration with his dedicated team and the skilled photographer Jean François Lange, Cédric embarked on an incredible journey spanning all four seasons, seeking out prestigious and historically significant sites for his floral displays. From the grandeur of Rouen Cathedral and the architectural marvels of Palais des Bénédictines to the majestic castles of Château de Tilly and Château de Carrouges, this stunning book captures the essence of Normandy’s cultural heritage. It also showcases the natural beauty of iconic towns like Êtretat and Honfleur, as well as hidden gems like Cidrerie des Hauts Vents and Abbaye du Bec Hellouin. Not to mention, a breathtaking glimpse of the world-renowned Mont-Saint-Michel.

This exceptional book captures the charm and history of Normandy and celebrates France’s cultural heritage in a way that is nothing less than breathtaking. 

Text in English and French.