For the 550th anniversary of the birth of Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) the Muscarelle Museum (Williamsburg, Virginia) hosted the exhibition Michelangelo: The Genesis of the Sistine, running from March to June, 2025. The exhibition was an extraordinary account of the master’s preparatory drawings for the Sistine Chapel frescoes, never before exhibited in America.
Before his death, Michelangelo destroyed many of his sketches, including numerous studies for the Sistine Chapel. Those that have been saved remain significant and iconic, providing a window into his creative process, highlighting his initial plans and his extraordinary vision for the frescoes of the Sistine ceiling. They range from what may be considered the first schematic study for the Sistine ceiling, to the numerous sketches of faces, limbs, and whole figures depicted in various positions, appearing as preparation for the figures later frescoed.
Thanks to rigorous scholarly research, this catalogue provides new insights into Michelangelo’s legacy, giving the reader an enriching and compelling experience.
“My approach is simple. It is nothing other than what I am thinking at the time I make each piece of clothing…The result is something that other people decide.” – Rei Kawakibo, Interview Magazine, 2008
“Kawakubo’s will matches that of Coco Chanel and her influence goes perhaps even further; she is a designer who sees a bigger picture and has impacted the very shape of fashion, moving its foundations.” – Terry Newman
The Genius of Rei Kawakubo: The woman who founded Comme des Garçons celebrates a designer that is revered as the most avant-garde and experimental in the world. Having created a fashion label that is a global inspiration and one of the few independent brands still run by its founder, Kawakubo infuses her designs with the philosophies of Mu-Ma and Wabi-Sabi to create clothes that are truly special.
Beginning with Kawakubo’s early days when she began developing her brand in Japan, The Genius of Rei Kawakubo: The woman who founded Comme des Garçons goes on to look at her principles of anti-fashion and the art of imperfection, including seminal design details from some of her key collections. With chapters on Kawakubo’s collaborations with other designers, her shops, perfumes, and lots more, this book presents the brand and its founder in all its glorious detail.
Written by Terry Newman – the bestselling author of Marilyn Monroe Style – we learn just how canny a businesswoman and creative an artist Kawakubo is and how, through various avenues and alliances, she has created a vast Comme des Garçons empire.
Written by Antony Penrose, son of American feminist icon Lee Miller and British artist Roland Penrose this delightful narrative introduces the fascinating lives of Lee Miller; War Correspondent and Surrealist photographer and her husband Roland Penrose; Surrealist artist and co-founder of the ICA, whilst taking a tour of their extraordinary home in the Sussex countryside. Farleys’s exterior has no hint of visual excitements to be discovered. Bright walls & corridors filled with remarkable & eclectic art. The book gives a glimpse into amazing lives of Lee Miller & Roland Penrose. This special anniversary edition, 75 years at Farleys, has new photography and never seen before insights to the house.
The collection of 18th- and early-19th-century French silverware brought together by Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian is the most important of its time and one of the most significant sections of the Gulbenkian Museum’s collection. Amassed between 1900 and 1950, these pieces constitute a unique group due to their diversity and quality. The collection comprises over 150 works, including several world-class masterpieces that represent the collector’s taste.
The catalogue is dedicated to a selection of silver works of different typologies, such as centrepieces, tureens, salt cellars, candelabras and candlesticks, made by renowned silversmiths such as François-Thomas Germain, Antoine-Sébastien Durant, Robert-Joseph Auguste and Martin-Guillaume Biennais. Despite this diversity, these works all share the characteristics that make this collection unique: quality and authenticity combined with original designs, technical expertise and distinguished provenances, with former owners including members of European aristocracy and the Russian imperial family. These works were mostly purchased in Paris, but there is also an important group of works from the Hermitage collection, acquired through negotiations made between Calouste Gulbenkian and the Soviet government between 1928 and 1930.
After an initial text about Calouste Gulbenkian’s passion for 18th-century French silverware, the most prominent pieces of the collection are presented in chronological order of acquisition and are accompanied by comprehensive descriptions and analyses, as well as detailed information on hallmarks, inscriptions, provenances and historical and bibliographical sources. An excellent photographic survey, carried out specifically for the purpose, illustrates the 43 catalogue entries.
At the end of the publication, the reader can find a list of secondary silverware, an index of names and the group of archive documents and bibliography consulted.
Images Credits: Panorama
The world as we know it is on its last legs; the old order is faltering. In these uncertain times, it’s tempting to lose faith in the future. But what if this is precisely the beginning of something new? F*ck the System, and Other Bad Ideas for the Future unravels the chaotic forces behind the geopolitical scenes and asks a fundamental question: can Europe emerge as a strong player in the emerging world order? What do we need to build a Europe that is sovereign, resilient, and radically innovative? This is a manifesto to understand the present and imagine the future—provocative, sharp, and unorthodox. It breaks with old logic and prejudices, finding in today’s disorder the seeds of something better. For thinkers and doers, for citizens, entrepreneurs, and policymakers who believe Europe can be more than an old continent in crisis.
The Letting Go is a long-standing, performative, and participatory practice by artist Natascha Stellmach. It explores themes of vulnerability and empowerment. Following a meditation and in response to the question, “What would you like to let go of?”, the practice involves identifying, naming, embodying, and experiencing healing and impermanence through the body. Its method includes ritual tattooing without ink (a bloodline tattoo) to address a personal obstacle and initiate an intimate enquiry.
Over a period of almost 10 years, Stellmach performed more than 120 sessions with individuals in galleries and privately, including herself. Through evocative photography, academic research, and participant-contributed selfies and reflections, the publication invites readers to embrace “the wonder in our wounds” and offers a deeply human portrait of what it means to let go.
The book includes a welcome message by acclaimed actor Sandra Hüller, as well as essays by curator and arts writer Kelly Gellatly and psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Dr. Matthew McArdle.
Text in English and German.
The America’s Cup has been the world’s most prestigious yacht race for over 170 years. This beautifully illustrated and fully updated new edition tells the story of the cup from its inception through to the most recent race, held in 2024.
Named in 1851 in honour of the first winner (New York pilot, ‘America’), the Cup was dominated by American yachts for well over a century. At last, in 1983, Australia II wrestled the trophy away from the USA, albeit briefly. At Barcelona in 2024, the Cup produced one of the best contests yet, with the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron winning the race for a fifth time, and a British yacht, Britannia, competing in the finals for the first time in 60 years.
With a painting of each race since 1851, by marine artist Tim Thompson, and detailed descriptions of the boats involved, The Story of the America’s Cup 1851-2024 is an elegant, insightful celebration of a storied contest.
Focusing on Calouste Gulbenkian’s determination to preserve his cherished art collection intact after his death, this book tells the story of the creation of the Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon. It begins with the efforts of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, founded in 1956, to reunite an exceptional art collection then dispersed between Paris, Washington D.C. and London. The book examines the legal, diplomatic and practical measures that made this mission possible and follows the planning of a museum shaped by the most advanced museological thinking of the 1950s and 1960s, whereby the artworks themselves guided decisions across architecture, exhibition design and museography. It also highlights the key roles played by the first generation of Portuguese women curators and international consultants, from cataloguing the works to trial exhibitions and final installation. Ultimately, the volume shows how the Foundation interpreted and translated Gulbenkian’s taste and character into museum form, resulting in a unique and enduring institution.
“Keevil, Preston and Ireland have done a magnificent job. Beautifully designed and put together in every way, this handsome coffee-table-sized hardback book is a fitting tribute to the world’s most game-changing wine tasting.” — Tamlyn Currin
Paris, May 1976. A young Englishman and an American journalist decide that California’s emerging wine stars should be better known in France. They set up an expert panel to blind taste them against the best of Bordeaux and Burgundy and, contrary to every expectation, the California wines emerge triumphant. The wine world was shocked to its core…
The tasting came to be known as ‘The Judgement of Paris’; it was the trigger for California’s winemakers to grow in confidence and stature – and it allowed other ‘pretenders’ to make their claim to the French wine throne. 50 years on, this book takes stock.
– Warren Winiarski of Stag’s Leap shares the journey of the winning wine
– Profiles and tasting notes of the competing wines – plus, stunning photography of the wineries then (1970s) and now…
– The Response from Bordeaux: was losing to California all bad?
– Interview with Steven Spurrier and Patricia Gallagher: did they know they were stirring up something big?
– Was it all a Storm in a Parisian Wine Glass? … or just 1970s clickbait?
– The JOP in Context: seven other events that shook the wine world
– Aubert de Villaine (Domaine de la Romanée-Conti), Jasper Morris MW, David Gleave MW, Jane MacQuitty, William Kelley (Wine Advocate), John Williams (Frog’s Leap), Hugh Johnson, Jancis Robinson MW, Karen MacNeil, Jane Anson (and many more) on what the JOP means for the wine in our glass…
– The Judgements that Followed: Chile vs Bordeaux, Champagne vs Franciacorta, Sonoma vs Burgundy…
– Presented as a beautiful, cloth-bound commemorative edition with rare archive photography and colour images
You can’t design for the future without understanding the past. This idea underpins the new collection presentation at the Design Museum Gent. Founded in 1903, the museum has undergone a 4.5-year renovation and has now reopened, showcasing nearly 500 objects. To mark the occasion, two catalogues have been released: one extensive and in-depth, and a smaller volume highlighting 50 key pieces from the new collection presentation. Both are structured around five themes: imitation/copy, comfort, migration, folding/bending, and connections. In Models from the Past for the Future, these themes are explored through essays by experts such as British design historian and curator Cat Rossi and Vienna based art historian and curator Sebastian Hackenschmidt, alongside a range of shorter visual contributions. In 50 Highlights ISBN 9789059968189 the same themes provide the framework for a curated selection of the most significant objects in the collection presentation. Both catalogues are available separately, but also as a beautifully designed combo ISBN 9789059969308.
You can’t design for the future without understanding the past. This idea underpins the new collection presentation at the Design Museum Gent. Founded in 1903, the museum has undergone a 4.5-year renovation and has now reopened, showcasing nearly 500 objects. To mark the occasion, two catalogues have been released: one extensive and in-depth, and a smaller volume highlighting 50 key pieces from the new collection presentation. Both are structured around five themes: imitation/copy, comfort, migration, folding/bending, and connections. In Models from the Past for the Future ISBN 9789059968158, these themes are explored through essays by experts such as British design historian and curator Cat Rossi and Vienna based art historian and curator Sebastian Hackenschmidt, alongside a range of shorter visual contributions. In 50 Highlights ISBN 9789059968189 the same themes provide the framework for a curated selection of the most significant objects in the collection presentation. Both catalogues are available separately, but also in this beautifully designed combo.
the bear and the butterfly by Ruth van Haren Noman presents a captivating series of watercolour paintings that explore transformation, intuition, and the interplay between strength and fragility. Drawing inspiration from nature and human emotion, Noman creates fluid, expressive compositions where bears and butterflies serve as central motifs, symbolising resilience, change, and the delicate balance of opposing forces. Each painting invites viewers into a meditative dialogue, offering space for reflection and introspection.
The book includes insights from interviews and texts by the artist herself. With high-quality reproductions, the bear and the butterfly highlights Noman’s mastery of watercolour techniques, her sensitivity to colour and form, and her ability to convey narrative through abstraction. The book is an essential volume for collectors, curators, and enthusiasts of contemporary painting and visual storytelling, emphasising the transformative power of art to explore emotion, intuition, and the natural world.
This theoretical work on architecture examines the meaning and relevance of a neutral stance in the face of contemporary urban chaos. It stems from a desire to move beyond a paradigmatic reading of urbanisation and to establish a calmer relationship to this condition. The neutral stance in question is not one of passivity, but of heightened receptivity. It articulates a desire for a just relationship with the present that is attentive and unassuming, and that readily accepts the polyphonic character of the contemporary city. Its central argument concerns the creative and productive potential of neutrality and the way it engages with chaos as an inexhaustible source. This research draws on a broad body of multidisciplinary work (art, literature, photography, psychoanalysis etc.) to define a position within the architectural discipline.
The publication emerges from Ido Avissar’s in-depth research at the École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Versailles. It is closely connected to a monograph on the work of LIST, the architecture and urban planning office founded by Avissar in 2012, and complements it with a more in-depth theoretical perspective.
Whether in an Alpine or urban setting, Stefano Cagol views the signal as a universal language that transcends political, geographical, and symbolic borders. In his public space projects, the Italian artist combines light, ritual, and technology to create stunning scenes through which he demonstrates the global reach and societal relevance of contemporary art. This book focuses on Cagol’s central performances in Brixen, Wolfsburg, and Cairo, among other places. With the aid of critical essays and through numerous images, these performances are situated within the overarching context of an oeuvre shaped by the pressing debates of the Anthropocene age and the resulting limits to what the planet can withstand.
Commissioned around 1470 by the commander Bartolomeo Colleoni and designed by the architect and sculptor Giovanni Antonio Amadeo, the chapel, situated in Bergamo, represents one of the finest examples of Lombard Renaissance architecture. Its façade, richly decorated with polychrome marble inlays, reflects the revival of classical antiquity that characterised late fifteenth-century Lombard art. The funerary monument of Colleoni combines biblical scenes with antique motifs and is crowned by an equestrian statue inspired by the tombs of medieval lords in Lombardy and Veneto. The chapel also preserves important artworks, including the Renaissance tomb of Medea Colleoni, sculptures by Pietro Lombardo and his workshop, and paintings by Giambattista Tiepolo, Giuseppe Maria Crespi, and Angelika Kauffmann. The guide also illustrates the history and artistic heritage of the Luogo Pio Colleoni, the institution responsible for completing the chapel and for its future upkeep.
Formula 1 is no longer just the pinnacle of motorsport—it is the greatest show on Earth. Every Grand Prix weekend transforms cities into global stages where speed meets style, technology meets glamour, and the world’s biggest stars gather to witness history unfold. Formula 1 – The Greatest Racing Spectacle in the World takes readers beyond the grid and into the extraordinary universe surrounding the championship. From iconic street circuits and legendary venues to celebrity-filled paddocks, exclusive hospitality, spectacular concerts, luxury yachts, fashion, and unforgettable moments, this visually stunning volume captures the atmosphere that makes Formula 1 unlike any other sporting event. Richly illustrated with breathtaking photography, the book celebrates the people, places, and experiences that define the modern Formula 1 lifestyle. More than a story about racing, it is a portrait of a global phenomenon where world champions, Hollywood icons, musicians, royalty, and millions of passionate fans come together for the ultimate celebration of speed, spectacle, and luxury.
“It’s less of a traditional reference book and more of a meditation on place – through its people, purpose, and possibility. With a healthy yet necessary and perhaps overdue dose of historical context, political awareness, nuance, and care, they offer a portrait of California wine that finally acknowledges all the hands that shaped it.” — Decanter
“The most complete panorama yet of California wine today… An ambitious, thought-provoking book, The Wines of California is a new classic for you to read and add to your bookshelf.” — World of Fine Wine
“… It’s as interested in power structures as in Parker points, and that’s what makes it essential.” — Forbes
“… anybody interested in how California wine became a world force ought to read this book.” — NY Times
“This book is core, essential. For anyone just beginning their journey, this will put wine in context in straightforward language with little jargon…. Brown’s book is both current and timeless. Chukan Brown takes at in-depth look at the forces that made, moved and continue to shape Califorina wine. In investigating the history, they look hard at the instrumental part played by Indigenous Peoples and the reliance of the wine (and other agricultural sectors) on inexpensive farm labour. It will appeal to an audience far beyond the typical wine book reader.” — Grape Collective
A concise, complete, smartly delivered and cohesive book for serious readers and students of wine. Focusing on the world’s fourth largest producer of wine – California – the book takes readers on a journey through the golden state’s wines, paying due attention to famous regions such as Sonoma and Napa as well as introducing readers to exciting up-and-coming regions to explore.
The book is divided into three major sections. The first presents the key ideas that help make sense of California wine as a whole, including the history of California wine in brief, how the topography delivers California’s overarching climatic and soil conditions, and the basics of vineyard and winery factors relevant to the state such as the role of the AVA.
The second section takes each major region in turn and looks into its history, growing conditions and varieties, as well as discussing the most significant and interesting producers. A final section looks at current themes in Californian wine and discusses the future of the industry across the state.
- Explains all the state’s AVAs, examining the development, growing conditions and varietal trends for each.
- Profiles the main producers and individuals shaping the wine industry today.
- A useful reference on California that also provides alternative insights and insider knowledge.
- Author Elaine Chukan Brown is a prolific commentator on the wines of California and a speaker at events around the globe.
- Supported by colour maps and photos.
This is the first publication in a single work of all known Chester punch marks, and continues the tradition of the standard volumes of Jackson, Grimwade, Culme and Pickford. It is also the first time that the twentieth-century Chester marks have been published. It is produced in dictionary format, in alphabetical order from 1570, the date of the earliest known mark, to 1962 at which time the Chester assay office was closed. The authors, both members of the Silver Society, were given unlimited access to the Chester Assay Office records covering 1686 to 1962, and to the Chester Goldsmiths’ Company records dating from the 16th century.
The compendium has four sections. The preface provides an historical background and details of all extant records and copper plates. Part 1 is devoted to assay office marks, with a full set of date letter tables to assist the reader in dating wares. Part 2 covers nearly 10,000 entries for makers’ marks, including pictograms and monograms. Finally, the appendices include items on assay volumes and charges, thimble makers, and Liverpool watchcase makers.
Since over 2,000 of the entries have Birmingham addresses, the new work will also enhance available information on jewellers and silversmiths working in this important trade centre. The format of the marks’ tables and the extensive index will also allow future research into the relationships between companies and agents.
‘The publishers are to be congratulated for their exemplary production’ – Curtis’s Botanical Magazine‘…this will go down as one of the greats of plant exploration literature…’ – Roy Lancaster ‘The appeal of the book lies as much in Ward’s prose as in the thrilling story of exploration and discovery. He was a fine writer and it is a cause for celebration that one of his best books is now again available after a gap of 70 years’ – Ursula Buchan, The Independent ‘There’s no doubt that such an elegant and exciting book new book richly deserves a new readership… the story behind its reissue is no less gripping than Kingdon Ward’s own narrative’– Ambra Edwards, Gardening Which?
Little explored and virtually inaccessible, the Tsangpo Gorge in south-east Tibet is the world’s deepest gorge. Through it twists the Yarlong Tsangpo, Tibet’s great river, emerging from below on the plains of India. This is the story of its exploration and the rich plant and animal life found there. Riddle of the Tsangpo Gorges, first published in 1926, is the fascinating account of plant-hunter and explorer Frank Kingdon Ward’s most important expedition. Kenneth Cox, Kenneth Storm, Jr. and Ian Baker spent over ten years retracing the route of the 1924-25 expedition and managed to reach further into this magical and only partly explored land.
The book contains the original Kingdon Ward text and extensive additional material, including a history of the exploration, geography and religious significance of the area and more than 250 colour photographs with detailed captions on the plants of the area, most of which are described by Kingdon Ward in the original text. There are first person accounts of expeditions to the area by Kenneth Cox and Kenneth Storm. Jr. and a photographic essay documents, for the first time in a book, the new Hidden Falls located in the portion of the gorge left unexplored by Frank Kingdon Ward and Lord Cawdor in 1924.
The Royal Touch is a beautiful compilation of stunning recipes gathered from far and wide on an incredible culinary journey. It is one that has covered three continents over several decades and has taken in many a royal palace along the way. Carolyn Robb, former personal chef to TRH The Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince William and Prince Harry, presents the food that she loves to serve to her family and friends; food that is fit for a king, yet is accessible to us all. Inspired by everything from her mother’s home-cooking, memories of her happy childhood in South Africa and her extensive travels to the extraordinary experiences of 13 years as a chef in the royal household, Carolyn’s recipes are simple to prepare and perfect to share. Whether you are entertaining special guests, going on a picnic, planning a cosy fireside supper, cooking with children or you simply feel like trying your hand at some baking, this book has it all and the ingredients you require won’t break the bank.