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Should architectural criticism be enlightening? Should it help in the creation of a better built environment? Is there a factual basis to it? Does it have a duty to present evidence in the evaluation of a building? Or should it take on what architects say about their designs? In the context of a flat internet, should architectural criticism be able to define best practices? Does it wield the power over who is in and who is out?

Architectural criticism, like all human endeavours, is at a crucial juncture. While serious architecture struggles for recognition, much so-called architectural criticism is merely a poorly paid, decorative legitimation for hyperbolic practice. Incisive architectural criticism is rare, while the definition of criticism itself has become opaque.

The 2021 International Conference on Architecture Criticism has gathered exceptional papers that define the purposes and methods of architectural criticism: What should be the ethical basis of architectural criticism? Can it be objective in the context of paid content? Should it outline ideal practices? Or what else should it do? All contributions in this book address either the duty or the power of architectural criticism. In both cases, the authors offer the outline of one analysis of an existing building.

When things turn out right for Bordeaux, as they frequently do, its wines are sublime. They inspire many thousands of tributes, from Samuel Pepys’ succinct reviews to the most rhapsodic of Michael Broadbent’s tasting notes – in short, over 300 years of wine writing. On Bordeaux is a collection of the best bits, from our best-loved wine writers, critics and commentators, set around 10 of the themes that make Bordeaux tick.

As Jane Anson writes in her introduction: “multi-layered, clear-eyed, moving and often extremely funny [this] collection of stories… celebrates, illuminates and renews our understanding of Bordeaux.”

* Hugh Johnson, Fiona Beckett and Baron Elie de Rothschild discuss dining out on Bordeaux: how best to serve it, with what and who with.

* Mathieu Chadronnier, Christian Seely and Joe Fattorini shed light on the way we see claret today.

* Ian Maxwell Campbell extols the virtues of 1871 and 1875, the last great vintages before the phylloxera plague.

* Fiona Morrison MW explores Bordeaux’s great bounce-back and how the vintage of 1982 changed everything.

* John Salvi, Bill Blatch and Peter Vinding-Diers reveal the wines that lead the way to Bordeaux’s future.

* Joe Fattorini serves up everything you need to know on running the iconic Médoc Marathon.

* Hugh Johnson pays tribute to Bordeaux master Michael Broadbent.

“A standout among the drink books published this year, which ought to be on the Christmas list of every wine lover, even if they don’t think they have much interest in American wine.”  —Victoria Moore, The Telegraph
“This is a book for novices and geeks interested in the significance of California through America’s wine history, from the swashbuckling era of Agoston Haraszthy through modern Napa’s cult cabernets and today’s despair over wildfires and drought.” —David McIntyre, Washington Post

“New York Times picks On California for their “This Year’s Best Wine Books”: “. Its short selections from nearly three dozen writers offer impressionistic, thought-provoking views of the state and its winemaking history.”—New York Times

“There is something for everyone here.” —Sommelier India

On California explores the grapes and the people who have made California wine great. The pioneers, the boffins, the whizz-kids and scientists, many of whom tell their stories on its pages – some in precious archive material, others have set down their thoughts mid-pandemic in 2021: Randall Grahm, Gerald Asher, Steven Spurrier, Paul Draper and Warren Winiarski take a bow….

Includes:

Michael Broadbent, wine critic, writer, auctioneer and much-admired expert revolutionised the wine trade with his first edition of Wine Tasting in 1968 and has continued to capture the magic of wine for over 50 years, bringing it to the page and to the public in compelling detail, always tinged with his uniquely wry sense of humour.

Michael’s original text (from the 1975 edition) updated with the latest vintages and footnotes revealing Michael’s reactions to the changing wine scene.

Personal tributes to Michael from Hugh Johnson OBE, Jancis Robinson OBE MW, Steven Spurrier, the late Gerard Basset OBE MW MS, and international wine auctioneers Paul Bowker and Fritz Hatton.

“He had added what the wine trade had lacked; a veneer of scholarship, and a dealer of genius.” – Hugh Johnson

“A must read” – Ian Harris, CEO of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust

Everyone Can Lead addresses the essential question of leadership: how do you bring out the best in yourself and in others? Starting from the premise that a better understanding of how to lead begins with a better understanding of ourselves, the author encourages reflection and helps frame the choices and actions that will lead to better working relationships, better results, and more happiness at work. This no-nonsense, practical book is filled with examples and exercises that everyone from individual employees to CEOs can use immediately. HR managers and general management can work with these concepts and strategies to optimise the potential in their organisation by focusing on personal leadership.

“I’ve never understood the passion that my friends have for hunting mushrooms. . . but now, after reading this gorgeous and vivacious book, I get it.”  —Star Tribune

Victoria Romanoff picked her first mushroom — a brown-capped butterpilz or sticky bun — at the age of four, at her family’s summer dacha on the shores of the Baltic Sea. Little did she realise that her newfound interest in mushrooming would soon become an essential survival skill, as she and her mother spent eight years in displaced persons camps in the aftermath of World War II, foraging wild foods to supplement their diets. Resettled in the United States, Romanoff has continued to pursue her mycological passion ever since, deploying her considerable culinary skills to convert friends and strangers to the joys of wild mushrooms. Now, in this marvellously written book, rich with anecdote, she shares the wisdom gathered from a lifetime on the hunt.

Romanoff introduces readers to 12 of the most easily foraged and delicious mushrooms, including the chanterelle, the morel, and the oyster. She describes the appearance, habits, and lore of each variety, and provides a recipe for each; her recipes include both refined kitchen creations and rustic dishes meant to be prepared over an open fire at the end of a successful hunt. Romanoff also shares personal stories from her eight decades of mushrooming. Detailed accounts of several of her most memorable excursions bring alive the sensory experience of the hunt, which offers a unique experience of nature as well as a culinary reward.

Illustrated throughout with Romanoff’s own colour photos — which are instructive and sometimes whimsical — these Mushroom Memoirs will be a friendly primer for novice mushroom hunters and an unexpected delight for veteran mycophiles.

Trend reports have consistently highlighted the increasing popularity of web videos. More and more people access videos on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, and participate in livestream events on Facebook and Twitch. When the world suddenly changed in March 2020, video went from nice-to-have to an essential tool for every company. Video Marketing like a PRO is a hands-on guide for anyone who wants to reach the growing online audience with their content — even if you have no experience in audiovisual production and a limited budget. This accessibly written handbook shows how to self-produce videos that build connection with customers and reach new ones.                  

“Strong brands build a personal connection with consumers. Video offers yet another great opportunity to connect emotionally. With technological progress, good quality video can now be consumed on more devices — and it is exploding. Many advertisers are discovering how to use video effectively across devices and platforms. With this handbook, they can now finally brief their agencies efficiently — or maybe even produce video in-house.” – Luc Suykens | CEO and Vice-Chairman at United Brands Association (UBA) Belgium.       

“Consumer reports have been predicting the online video boom for years, but now it’s undeniable: everybody loves watching videos online. Smartphone cameras are getting better, editing software is getting more user-friendly, and social media platforms are hungry for native video. This handbook has arrived just in time for anyone who wants to make professional looking web videos on a shoestring budget. Looking forward to the rest of Clo’s like a PRO series!” – Steven Van Belleghem | International keynote speaker, entrepreneur and author of The Offer You Can’t Refuse.

In the course of a ten-month invited competition Mark Foster Gage Architects, using tools ranging from artificial intelligence to 3D fractal software, re-invented the design languages of the ancient Nabatean civilisation located on the Arabian Peninsula to propose the first Saudi resort in the modern era that would be open for international tourists. Isolated in a vast desert, with little infrastructure and virtually no visitors, lie the ancient ruins of Mada’in Saleh, and the site for the project. With 500 pages and over 1,500 images this is a book that documents the design process of this project, complete with all of its ideas, misdirections, failures, restarts, breakthroughs, and everything in-between. Of interest to architects and non-architects alike, this book heralds a new generation of creative techniques and design technologies that promise to redefine how we think of the past, present and future of the built environment in the 21st century and beyond.  

“With over 3,000 years of history behind it, the future of Sherry lies in its past. Sommeliers admire it for its many varieties and Ben Howkins’ book will tell you why.” – Steven Spurrier

“Here Ben Howkins approaches his subject with passion and flair, bringing to life the vineyards, the bodegas, the wines and the history of the region with a light and entertaining touch.” – Matthew Nugent, The Irish Sun

Made in a unique way, matured in cellars dating back to the age of the Conquistadores, and bursting with a panoply of sun-drenched flavours, Sherry has – due to a succession of scandals and bad luck in the 1970s – been maligned and misunderstood. But the Sherry scene is set for seismic change. With a series of new styles, new vineyards and a dynamic new crop of cellar masters, this wine is creating a revolution in the world’s restaurants that can’t be ignored. Ben Howkins, in colourful words and equally evocative pictures, delves deep into Sherry’s fascinating story and reveals why it is set to come back into our lives with a magnificent flourish!

“There are very few books about photography that achieve the status of essential reference, maybe even seminal. Well, I believe this is one of them. Enjoy it!” — Gilles Decamps, The Eye of Photography

“…the book itself will surely go down as one of the most vivid visual documents of what were arguably the most transformative one-hundred years in human history.” — Ken Scrudato, BlackBook

“These photographs encapsulate the range of images that capture Fetterman’s imagination, from anonymous photographs to iconic masterworks, all with an underlying humanist spirit.”—photograph
“When I photograph, I project what I’m not. What I would like to be.” — Lillian Bassman

“What makes the book so enjoyable is the same as the email: It is one great image after another, with personal commentary.”  — Tom Teicholz, Forbes
“Although many of the images have standalone intensity, it is Peter’s direct encounters with the artists themselves that allow us to see them in a new light.” —  Eva Clifford, WhyNow

The power of photography lies in its ability to ignite emotions across barriers of language and culture. This selection of iconic images, compiled by pioneering collector and gallerist Peter Fetterman, celebrates the photograph’s unique capacity for sensibility.

Peter has been championing the photographic arts for over 30 years. He runs what is arguably the most important commercial photography gallery in the world. During the long months of lockdown, Peter ‘exhibited’ one photograph per day, accompanied by inspirational text, quotes and poetry. This digital collection struck a chord with followers from around the world. The Power of Photography presents 120 outstanding images from the series, along with Peter’s insightful words.

This carefully curated selection offers an inspiring overview of the medium while paying homage to masters of the art. From the bizarre Boschian fantasies of Melvin Sokolsky to the haunting humanity of Ansel Adams’s family portraits; from Miho Kajioka’s interpretation of traditional Japanese aesthetics of to the joyful everyday scenes of Evelyn Hofer; from rare interior shots by famed nude photographer Ruth Bernhard to Bruce Davidson’s wistful depiction of young men playing ballgames on a street; this book gathers some of the most unique and heartening photographs from the 20th century. Each image is a time capsule, offering us a glimpse into days gone past. Yet each photograph also speaks of tranquillity, peace, and hope for the future.

“If you really want to get under the skin of a city, the 500 Hidden Secrets series, which covers a number of cities from Havana to Ghent, all written by people who know the cities inside out, is ideal. It’s an innovative and refreshing take on the traditional travel guide.”– The Independent
Discover the city’s best-kept secrets, with this practical guide to Antwerp’s most beautiful, interesting and often unknown places. This book takes you off the beaten track to discover the city’s hidden gardens, small museums and intimate coffee bars. On its pages you will find the 5 best places to eat frites, the 5 most secret courtyards and the 5 best independent record shops in town. It also guides you to some of the more unusual experiences that you can track down in Antwerp. So you can find out where to eat the best dim sum in Chinatown, sample a chocolate flavoured with fried bacon, or dance the night away. The aim of this book is not to cover the city from A to Z, but to inspire; it is a guide to the places the author would recommend to a friend who wants to discover the real Antwerp.
The 500 Hidden Secrets of Antwerp offers a practical way to explore Antwerp’s finest places, and Derek Blyth covers all bases to ensure no visitor to the city is ever anything short of captivated. Packed with accessible, easy-to-read information summarised in handy lists, maps, itineraries, sections on food & drink, accommodation, green spaces, museums, galleries and shops; this guide is an essential resource for the inquisitive traveller.

Where’s the best place to go out on a Saturday night in Barcelona? What off-beat museums can be discovered after Sunday brunch (and where to have it)? Which locations offer the best viewpoints of the Catalan capital? What Gaudí buildings are essential? Where does Barcelona’s modernism reach its zenith? Where to take the children? What’s the best place to buy wine? And where do the locals hang out? The 500 Hidden Secrets of Barcelona reveals hundreds of good-to-know addresses, avoiding the touristy places and pointing out the urban details you are likely to miss. Mark Cloostermans, a Belgian journalist living in Barcelona, unlocks the various districts, pointing out historical details in the streets of the old town, taking you from green Montjuïc hill to the beach and back. The best places to eat halal, the must-visits for Barça fans and the various festivals you can plan your visit around: The 500 Hidden Secrets of Barcelona reveals it all.

“If you really want to get under the skin of a city, the 500 Hidden Secrets series, which covers a number of cities from Havana to Ghent, all written by people who know the cities inside out, is ideal. It’s an innovative and refreshing take on the traditional travel guide.”- The Independent
The 500 Hidden Secrets of Brussels is a guide to the Brussels that no one knows. It takes you to undiscovered art museums, forgotten squares and secret shops. The book doesn’t mention everything there is to see. There are already more than enough guides that cover the familiar tourist places. This book goes one step further and lists the places the author would recommend to friends if they asked him where to go in Brussels. Here you will find the 5 best places to eat frites, the 5 small museums that no one should miss and the 5 best record shops in town. The aim is to take the reader to the unexpected places that give the city its charm, like the restaurant on the top floor of the national library, or the metro station that is decorated with 140 characters from Tintin albums, or the art cinema that seats just 20 people. You do not have to do everything listed in the book, but you are urged at the very least to drink a Gueuze beer in one of the 5 best Brussels bars, eat at one of the 5 best fish restaurants, and visit one of the 5 best independent cinemas. If you do, you will begin to discover a city that no one else knows.
The 500 Hidden Secrets of Brussels offers a practical guide to Brussels’ finest places, and Derek Blyth covers all bases to ensure no visitor to the city is ever anything short of captivated. Packed with accessible, easy-to-read information summarised in handy lists, maps, itineraries, sections on food & drink, accommodation, green spaces, museums, galleries and shops; this guide is an essential resource for the inquisitive traveller.

“Yungblud is like nothing you’ve seen before. That is, unless you’ve seen a smiley punk/alt rocker from Doncaster, UK who wears pink socks, black-lipstick, and a skirt, plays a mean guitar, has an endless amount of energy, and an interesting aura of sex appeal. Then, and only then, can you say you’ve seen someone like Yungblud.” – musicinminnesota.com

YUNGBLUD. A striking new musical voice has emerged for Gen-Z. Political, provocative and impassioned, Yungblud has in the space of three years become one of the UK’s most recognisable artists through his unique blend of pop, punk and emo music – gaining one of the most die-hard fanbases on the planet in the process.

From 21st Century Liability, where nothing was sacred – gun violence, psychosis, sex, drugs and suicide – to his sophomore album Weird!, an exploration of oddity and self-acceptance, YUNGBLUD challenges our zeitgeist as much as he channels it.

This is the first fully authorised book, featuring photographs by his friend and closest collaborator Tom Pallant.

Featuring an amazing selection of rare and unseen photographs, All My Friends Have Deserted charts Yungblud’s journey from late 2019 as he toured his debut album across the world, right through releasing his second album during a global pandemic, scoring his first UK #1, returning triumphantly to Reading and Leeds festival mainstage and culminating in his biggest ever headline show, a sold-out Alexandra Palace in London.

All My Friends Have Deserted shows YUNGBLUD as a man of multitudes: dominating the stage, screaming into the mic, laughing behind-the-scenes, enjoying quiet creative moments and pulling faces at the camera. The vicious energy of his performances carries onto the page. The result is a rollercoaster of a photo-essay that carries readers on a journey through the highs and lows of Gen-Z’s most essential new rock star.

“My generation is over being divided. Being divided is an old concept that is rapidly becoming obsolete. We are opinionated. We are full of contradictions. That’s the beauty of it. Our intention is to make this world equal. No matter what size you are, what shape you are, what colour you are, what sexuality you are…”

Underpinning it all is the message of empathy. Those who his lyrics resonate with are not alone. Authentic and electric, rebellious and irreverent, yet still utterly human, YUNGBLUD is the new face of punk. Here he presents himself through a series of exclusive and unseen photographs, taken by his friend and closest collaborator, photographer Tom Pallant.

Neeta Saluja simplifies Indian cooking with a unique approach to its preparation. She focuses on the fundamentals-the special ingredients and techniques every cook can use to create fragrant, delicious, and well-balanced dishes. Six Spices demystifies the exotic and complex flavours of Indian cuisine by explaining the characteristics of its essential ingredients-hot chili powder, aromatic coriander, sweet cumin, roasted nutty mustard seeds, bold asafoetida, and hearty turmeric. But here is the twist: the book also reveals the methods used to incorporate them into exquisite, authentic recipes. Keeping clarity and simplicity in mind, Saluja has created recipes easy enough for beginners, yet inspirational enough to encourage inventiveness in the more seasoned cook. Readers will discover that seasoning with chounk is one of the basic techniques used to enhance the flavour of beans and legumes. A dish of red lentils will become memorable when infused with aromatic seasoning of hot ghee, fresh herbs, and spices; and cooking with masala, or curry paste, can turn a humble dish into the essence of Indian cuisine. Saluja has taken the fear out of approaching unfamiliar culinary fare. Her recipe collection has been tasted and tested throughout her more than 20 years of teaching and cooking Indian food.

“A fabulous book: insightful, useful and timely! This page-turner takes you on a journey through great psychological research, interesting stories and practical techniques. You will arrive equipped for a life of more control, more optimism and less stress.” Tony Crabbe, business psychologist and author of Busy. How to Thrive in a World of Too Much.

“Technology allows us to rethink companies, organizations, how we run them and how we manage them. However, the most essential element in achieving success will not be technology, but whether we humans can adapt, cope and thrive. This inspiring book is a brilliant field guide on how to use the power of our minds to harness the power of flow and build organizations for resilience.” Peter Hinssen, entrepreneur, keynote speaker and author of The Day After Tomorrow. How to Survive in Times of Radical Innovations.

Every crisis is also an opportunity. We know what we need to do to make our lives and work more brain-friendly, but somehow, we are still not putting that knowledge into practice. Covid-19 has forced us into one of the biggest experiments in resilience of all time. What if we see this crisis as an opportunity for a genuine transformation? A chance to adopt new habits that will make us stronger than ever and help us face a volatile future? In her ground-breaking new book, Elke Geraerts shows us how we can all be ready for the many challenges awaiting us in a post-covid-19 world. Her approach takes the brain as the starting point and inspires you to make brain-aware choices in work and in life. She shows how hybrid work can both increase your productivity and reduce stress, how you can chase your dreams even in times of crisis and why – in an increasingly digital world – focus is the new IQ. The old normal will never return… but perhaps that is not such a bad thing!

An essential guide for gin lovers in search of an original take on this wonderfully complex drink. Richly illustrated, it covers the history of gin and gin brands with their distinct characteristics and distilled flavours. It explores the exciting, more recent developments in the marketing, bottling, and packaging of gin which is increasingly quirky, artistic and original. Includes an overview of some of the hip and cool places to drink and discover a world of gin. Beyond ‘ice and a slice’, how do you put together the perfect gin and tonic, from the amazing array of new infusions? What are the flavours and textures in food that best accompany this very particular drink? Discover this and more, with food pairing ideas and recipes to create at home. This new and exclusive gold edition has been fully updated with the latest and tastiest gins and presents an overview of the most famous gin bars around the world.

Swiss artist Zimoun enjoys significant international renown for an oeuvre that he has been creating over a period of some 20 years. Zimoun uses kinetic principles of rotation and oscillation to set things in motion and generate sounds. He uses mundane, unspectacular materials and conventional industrial products. For his works, he develops small, minimalist apparatus that generate tonal and visual complexity when activated, despite their fundamental simplicity. These mechanical contraptions are often used hundreds of times in the installations, creating visual and acoustic spaces with fascinating power and poetry.

This book presents 65 of these location-specific installations that Zimoun realised between 2009 and 2021 in various art galleries and museums around the world. The full-page images are supplemented with brief texts by international authors, who outline a variety of perspectives on Zimoun’s work. Two concise essays consider and position his oeuvre in the wider international and art historical context. QR codes provided with all the images extend the book by enabling the direct playback of video documentations available online on smartphones or tablets, thus offering the reader the additional dimension of sound and movement — the essential elements of Zimoun’s art.

Of Limbs, Leaves, and Hope represents the unforeseen gain of biophilic relief in Philadelphia from the coronavirus pandemic. Forced to work remotely because of COVID-19, daily walks and bike rides became an essential distraction from hours of uninterrupted screen time. Photography became a pastime, and as weeks turned into months the city began to present itself anew: streets, plazas, parks, church grounds, cemeteries, and untold nooks and crannies not before seen or recorded. Trees soon began to dominate the compositions, as if beckoning to stand out against the gridiron construction. And so, the project began: to record the presence of trees as foreground actors of the everyday urban landscape. Beginning in the spring of 2020, hundreds of photographs were taken, often times of the same tree at different times of the day, under varying light conditions, and through the seasons. A sense of intimacy developed: of seeing how a plant breathes-in the city over time, silently, exhaling in return nurturing permanence and resilience.

Slow Wine Guide USA is a new and revolutionary guide to the wines of California, Oregon, New York, and Washington. Thanks to the help of a handful of expert contributors, we’ve selected the best wineries from each state and reviewed their most outstanding bottles.

The idea behind Slow Wine is simple: it acknowledges the unique stories of people and vineyards, of grape varieties and landscapes, and of their wines. The awareness that wine is more than just liquid in a glass helps wine lovers make better, more conscious choices and enhances the very enjoyment of this beverage. Since its beginnings in Italy twelve years ago, Slow Wine has combined its tasting sessions with equally important moments of exchange and debate with producers. The direct contact with winegrowers and winemakers allows for a genuine, authentic, and always up-to-date report on what’s happening in America’s vineyards and cellars. Each winery receives a review divided in three sections: the first one is dedicated to the people who live and work at the winery, the second to the vineyards and the way they’re farmed, and the third to the finest wines currently available on the market.

The very best wines are awarded the Top Wine accolade. Among these we have the Slow Wines — which beyond their outstanding sensory quality are of particular interest for their sense of place, environmental sustainability or historical value — and the Everyday Wines, representing excellent value at prices within $30. The most interesting wineries on the other hand are awarded the Snail, for the way they interpret Slow Food values (sensory perceptions, territory, environment, identity) while offering good value for money; the Bottle, to wineries whose wines are of outstanding sensory quality throughout the range; the Coin to those estates offering excellent value for money.

“From a lighthouse keeper in Norway to a reindeer herder in Mongolia, the resulting series offers a captivating portrait of 10 extraordinary individuals living off the grid.” — Financial Times

“His book takes you on a journey of discovery.” — Home & Interiors Scotland
Between 2015 and 2020, photographer Brice Portolano travelled from the islands of Alaska to the Patagonian steppe and from the forests of Lapland to the highlands of Iran to capture the daily lives of 10 extraordinary people who made profound changes in their lives in order to live closer to nature. They consciously built a life away from the hustle and bustle of the city, usually without a phone signal or internet access. Their lives are arduous, but also full of a sense of personal freedom, self-determination, and fulfilment. These photographs present an inspiring vision of the joys of finding one’s place in the world and the challenges of living off the grid.

In these 10 vivid portraits of alternative lifestyles, we meet: Tinja, the dog sled driver in Lapland; Ali, the Persian horseman; Barny, the self-supporter in a circus wagon in Cumbria, England; Zaya, the reindeer herder in the Mongolian taiga; George, the hostel father in Tuscany; Sylwia, the artist on the Greek island of Lefkada; Sky, the Argentinean goucha; Ben, the hunter in Utah, USA; Jerry, the oyster farmer in Alaska; Elena, the lighthouse keeper in Norway.

Text in English and German.

The complex, enigmatic work of Meret Oppenheim (1913–1985) has lost nothing of its fascination to the present day. Much has been written about her career and her art. Yet very little is known about the real person Meret Oppenheim, who always remained secretive about herself and banned publication of any personal documents until 20 years after her death.

In 1958, Oppenheim put together an album that she titled Von der Kindheit bis 1943 (From Childhood to 1943). It has a dual identity of a diary and a work of art in itself. It assembles photos, objects, notes and brief texts, as well as ideas and concepts for art works, and offers very personal insights into Oppenheim’s private life and thought. This book features the entire album in true-size colour reproductions and, for the first time ever, with the full text translated into English. This is supplemented with a previously unpublished autobiographical text by Oppenheim, which she wrote in 1957-58 on the request of the French scholar Yves Poupard-Lieussou for his never completed project of a bio-bibliographical history of Dada and Surrealism.

An introduction by the editors Lisa Wenger and Martina Corgnati rounds out this beautiful book that offers entirely new perspectives on one of the most distinguished woman artists.

Text in English and German.

Maria Lai (1919-2003), the influential Sardinian artist whose work draws on the rich history and traditions of her native land, created multimedia works that explore community, religion, and folklore. This book, the catalogue for a show in Sardinia, presents nearly 70 works, most previously unseen, related to the extraordinary Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) series that Maria Lai created in 1981 and which she donated to the parish of Ulassai, her birthplace. Maria Lai’s artistic endeavour is strongly defined by a mix of secular and religious spirituality: the work presented in this volume reveal her idea of “making art” as something that must respond to the essential questions of mankind and the meaning of existence.

Art historian and curator Dawn Ades is a leading voice on Dada, Surrealism, abstraction and art from Latin America. This volume collects her important essays for the first time, addressing themes fundamental to the history of modern art and the avant-garde.

Arranged thematically, this collection of essays represents the breadth of Ades’s critical and curatorial interests, ranging from avant-garde poster design, to photomontage, to the representation of the female in Mexico, but with an overarching foundation in abstraction, identity and the influence of new mediums.

As well as working as a professor and curator – which earned her an OBE for her services to art history – Ades has written on a wide range of artists since 1980. Spanning the likes of Francis Bacon, Richard Deacon, Salvador Dalí and Hannah Höch, this body of essays is ingrained with Ades’s consistently clear and intellectually stimulating observations.

To introduce the book, Ades is interviewed by Doro Globus, who explores the writer’s relationship to curating, teaching and art history.