‘That this is a legitimate question, even a necessary one, is argued by Vergara in a pleasurable manner, with the pace and attitude of a peripatetic thinker. There is something here that reminds one of Montaigne or Stendhal.’ – El País
Throughout history, human beings have excelled at creating art of the highest quality. Aristotle wrote that Homer “surpassed all others” and Pliny the Elder referred to “masterpieces that we never tire of admiring”. Velázquez distinguished between portraits “made with art” and those that were not. What did they all mean exactly? What do we mean when we say that a work of art is good, of high quality? This book is an attempt to explain this central question, which remains surprisingly unexplored.
Alejandro Vergara-Sharp argues that “a deep knowledge of the history of art provides us with the tools to approach this issue objectively”. He then invites the reader to share with him a Socratic voyage of discovery, gradually unveiling arguments that can assist us in understanding this elusive and crucial concept.
The future is uncertain but for one thing: the global economy is in disarray. Investors, companies and governments must rethink their approach in light of raging inflation, the ongoing climate crisis and an ageing population. In addition, they have to deal with the highest mountain of debt ever accrued in peacetime, disruptive innovations and the effects of multi-globalization. So much is happening simultaneously, making it difficult to distinguish the big waves from the small hypes. Which economic developments are here to stay and which are transient? How will interest rates evolve? Which emerging countries will become tomorrow’s global powers? Which sectors offer the most opportunities? Macroeconomist Koen De Leus and market strategist Philippe Gijsels take a deep dive into the inner workings of our economy. They identify the five major trends that will dominate our lives and our money over the next 30 years. With in-depth analyses and concrete advice, they offer guidance, reveal connections and temper alarmism. The New World Economy in 5 Trends shows how you can surf global megatrends and successfully invest in our changing reality.
From Paris and New York to more surprising hotbeds of style, the In Fashion series invites you to discover the most fashionable locations in the world. Covering high fashion, classic street styles and trendsetting people, as well as interiors, streets, shops and more, each beautifully presented volume offers a unique glimpse into the clothes and culture of a distinct and remarkable destination.
New York is widely celebrated as America’s fashion capital. The city has heavily influenced the rest of the country and the world, with its near-mythical cultural contributions, including a fierce command of all things urban-chic. New York. In Fashion is your chance to enjoy the best of the West, take inspiration from the sharpest New York outfits, sit front-row at the catwalk shows, and stroll among the cutting-edge tower blocks without leaving your own home.
An unmissable treat for fans of both fashion and travel.
” …an intriguing look at what is the relatively recent past, and a great one for nostalgia – especially if you’ve ever paid a visit to the island yourself for a week of carefree abandon.” — Amateur Photographer
“The photographs in Dean’s new book ‘Back in Ibiza 1998 – 2003’, taken in the heat of many magic moments, capture the golden age of happy, all-in-it-together, 24 hour party people, bacchanalian excess, and sunkissed beach life…” — Bureau of Lost Culture Podcast
“…The photos come fast and furious, without captions, encouraging the readers to figure it out for themselves — just as they would have to in real life if this all was happening in front of them.” — CNN
Dean Chalkley has been taking compelling cultural photographs since the mid 1990s and his work with the likes of Oasis, Idris Elba and Amy Winehouse is widely celebrated.
At the tail end of the ’90s, Chalkley found himself in Ibiza, the capital of the clubbing world. For many, the turn of the millennium represents the peak of club life, when clubbers would lose themselves for days in the often-surreal abandon of their favorite Spanish party haven. Working for Mixmag, the biggest dance-music magazine in the world, Chalkley amassed a vast archive of images from this unrivaled golden era in the island’s near-history.
Back in Ibiza 1998 – 2003 offers a thrilling deep-dive through those images, illustrating the unfiltered and sometimes unhinged club scene from a world before Snapchat and TikTok reels. This unique collection is essential viewing for partygoers and clubbing fans, a joy to behold, and a nostalgic reminder of what a real party can look like.
Stucco decorations have traditionally been studied considering their formal and artistic qualities. Although much research and numerous publications have explored the works of stucco artists and their cultural context, little attention has been paid to their professional role in relation to the other actors involved in the decorative process (architects, painters, sculptors, patrons), the technical skills of these artists, and how their know-how contributed to the great professional success they enjoyed. From the 16th to the 18th century, many of the stucco decorations in churches and palaces throughout Europe were made by masters from the border area between what is now Canton Ticino and Lombardy. This collection of essays aims to examine how these artists worked from Spain to Poland, from Denmark to Italy, via the Netherlands, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Austria, adapting to the realities of the different contexts. The authors examine these issues with an interdisciplinary approach, considering art history and social history, the history of artistic techniques, and the science of materials.
Text in English and Italian.
A collaboration with the world’s most powerful NGOs, including UNESCO’s GEM Report, Mother Nature in the Bardo explores the impact between art, culture, and the environment. The book illuminates the innate connections between creativity and nature and inspires crucial conversations about humanity’s relationship with nature, sustainability and climate change. Bringing together historical and contemporary artworks from over 100 renowned international artists, galleries, institutions, estates and foundations, Mother Nature in the Bardo speaks to the most critical global dialogues of our time.
“A jewel of Baroque architecture, the Castelluccio Palace is the spotlight of a beautiful book retracing its history, its long restoration and its precious ornaments. These photographs reflect the Sicilian Golden Age.” —Fanny Guenon des Mesnards, AD France
“This monograph is an invitation to visit the Palazzo Di Lorenzo del Castelluccio.”—Italian Vogue
“A Palace in Sicily: A Masterpiece Restored doesn’t just pull back the curtain on the finished palace, it details the four-year-long process through an elaborate array of photos…” —Architectural Digest, and Yahoo
With its sun-drenched sands and Mediterranean waters, Sicily has been a favored destination of travelers for centuries. History is alive on this island, from ancient accounts of the Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Normans; to the journals of wealthy young European men embarking on the Grand Tour. This book captures the sun-steeped aesthetic of the island, while detailing the restoration of one of its finest attractions: the Di Lorenzo del Castelluccio palace.
Marquis de Castelluccio was one of the last “servals” or “leopards” of Sicily – wealthy aristocrats who flooded the island with luxury. Following his death, his home fell to ruin. A half-century later, Jean-Louis Remilleux fell in love with this dilapidated 18th-century palace and made it his mission to restore it. Unveiled for the first time in this beautifully illustrated book, the Di Lorenzo del Castelluccio palazzo is one of the finest testaments to Sicilian architecture and art.
Today, lush green palm trees welcome you to the palace’s imposing front façade. Frescoes, arabesques, masks, imitation marble, ceilings and wainscoting have all restored to their former glory, over decades of elaborate work. This book charts the restoration process and celebrates the astonishing end results. It contains an album’s worth of photographs that capture the beauty of this palace beneath the Mediterranean sun.
“These photos are stunning, bittersweet visions of a past shared by all of us.” – Tom Hanks.
“Brian Hamill is best known as a still photographer and a photojournalist. But I’ve always regarded him – first and foremost – as a master portraitist. And this book bears that out – capturing as it does, the many-faceted phenomenon that was John and Yoko – artists, lovers, cultural comrades and – most elusively – business partners. Behind his camera, Hamill is something of a phenomenon himself.” – Richard Price
John Lennon’s life, death and music shaped the world. His reputation as a philanthropist, political activist and pacifist influenced millions worldwide. If Elvis was King, Lennon was his rightful successor – and fittingly, several images in this collection of both classic and unseen photos show him wearing a diamond-studded ‘Elvis’ pin over his heart, in homage to his forefather on the throne of Rock ‘n’ Roll. John Lennon is seen here in several sessions in New York, performing on stage, relaxed at home and walking on the street with Yoko Ono.
Renowned celebrity photojournalist Brian Hamill delivers his own insider view of this Beatles icon, through intense, intimate photographic portraits and insightful text. Whether Lennon is dominating the stage, posing on the roof of the Dakota building, or relaxing with Yoko Ono, Hamill’s photography takes this quasi-mythical figure from the world of Rock ‘n’ Roll and shows him as the man he really was.
“Brian looked at the John Lennon who had become an icon and saw instead a familiar face. He saw a working-class hero like those that built the City of New York. And so when John Lennon came to live in New York, Brian captured him as a New Yorker, in the joyous images that you will find in this book.” – Pete Hamill
“Lennon, one of the most famous men in human history, wanted to live as one among many. Of course, he hit it off with Hamill. The guy that flew so high needed some oxygen. Hamill is fresh air. His folio of Lennon images shows Lennon focused, present, but edgy, never relaxed.” – Alec Baldwin
“What is Bangkok like?” asked an American visitor, rhetorically in 1903. Some answer the question by relying on cliches ‘Venice of the east’ or ‘city of places in temples’. Others insisted that its contrasts and contradictions made an easy description impossible.
Bangkok at the turn of the 20th century was a city in transition, mixing as it did east with west and traditions with modernity. Here live the diverse communities which made it what it is today but this collection of writings by a huge variety of visitors to Bangkok captures the city through foreign eyes.
In Bangkok is a collection of texts which reflect the foreign experience of the city the foreigners in question being both long-term residence and short-term visitors. It draws on a wide range of sources including travel books, memoirs, novels, short stories, verses, inscriptions, newspaper reports, directories and advertisements. It is richly illustrated with contemporary artwork and photographs.
Dalí in 400 Images explores the full range of one of the most significant Surrealist painters of the 20th century. The exhaustive selection of works will reveal key masterpieces by perhaps the most famous of the Surrealists, as well as less familiar works including drawings and objects. Spanning the entire scope of the artist’s career, this volume shows the complexity of the artist’s vision from the early works inspired by Post-Impressionism and his engagement with Cubism in the mid-1920s, his major Surrealist paintings of the 1930s, through the American years (1940s), the artist’s embracing of Classicism in the 1950s, with his return to Spain, and finally his re-engagement with avant-garde experimentation in the 1960s and beyond. The 400 reproductions of Dalí’s work are complemented by a unique selection of historical photographs.
Alive with images and information, this compact gem is a must-have for all art enthusiasts and connoisseurs.
How do you portray sin, evil and foolishness in humans? Religious and political tensions and even the weather – we are talking about the depths of the Little Ice Age – contributed to a boom in representations of the Seven Deadly Sins in the Low Countries and immediate surroundings in the long sixteenth century. In this publication, four accessibly written essays highlight different sides of the pictorial tradition of the Seven Deadly Sins, with the renowned print series of the same name designed by Pieter Bruegel the Elder at its center. A fifth, literary essay describes the feverish visions of one of the victims of a true 16th-century series of murders permeated by the deadly sins.
During the German occupation, a Jewish Dutch couple had to sell a painting to go into hiding. Their daughters were placed in a children’s home, but were rounded up in early 1944 and deported to Auschwitz, where they died. The parents survived the war and did not discover their children’s fate until 1946. The search for the painting also remained fruitless for a long time, until Origins Unknown Agency discovered that it had ended up in a German museum. The museum had previously tried unsuccessfully to trace its provenance. Thanks to the Origins Unknown Agency, the heirs of the original owner were found. The German museum and the heirs agreed that the painting, an 1882 work by Camille Pissarro, would remain at the museum. As part of the compensation, the painting will be kept on display from November 2024 to February 2025 at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
Contemporary Living presents 20 new residential projects – houses and apartments – in the Middle East designed by renowned architects and interior designers. Packed full of inspiration and stunning photography, this coffee table book also includes a profile of each architect and designer, along with a presentation of each photographer specializing in the Middle East whose work is showcased.
Includes the work of Giacuzzo Design Studio – H+A Architects – Neeshay Nouman The Niche Corner – Tristan Du Plessis – HiProjects Melissa Charlier – Studio M Abboud Malak – VSHD – Leila Khalil – XO Atelier with Augustine Wong – ArchiSense – Leila Khalil, JMDA, NAQSH, Hana Hakim.
Building on her experience following a several-week trip to Taliesin West, Kora Bürgi investigates Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture and traces his work in the USA and Switzerland. The result of the field research is a presentation of his influence on the Central Swiss architectural landscape – a theme that has not been studied before. That influence ranges from partial copies of elements of Wright’s architecture to own interpretations of his architectural ideas.
This publication analyzes 14 buildings in Central Switzerland – from the Heimbach school and the Villa Schnyder (both in Lucerne) to the residential buildings in Brodhubl (Canton of Obwalden) – including Wright’s influence on various architects, such as Josef Gasser, Lisbeth Sachs and Otto von Deschwanden. The author also sheds light on the distribution of Wright’s urban-planning principles and the future of his architecture in Switzerland.
Text in German.
“This is a celebration of slow interiors that evolve over time, rather than interiors designed and meticulous, using just the latest fads.” — Enki Magazine
“…full of ideas for anyone who wants to foster a slower pace of life at home—especially in the kitchen. The cooking zones featured in its pages aren’t your typical modern farmhouse kitchens with subway tile–clad backsplashes and industrial pendant lights. There’s a sense of effortlessness behind each one.” — Domino
This book showcases stunning homes that embody the perfect mix between modern and rustic. Rustic furniture in an otherwise sleek interior, rough wooden elements, a calm color palette with a unique finish. The photos of these dream interiors accompanied by interesting stories and unique approaches will inspire you to get started yourself. In the same series as Living in Country Style – 9789401489973.
In an era of rapid technological and social change Trends in the Transformation Economy offers insights into a new economic landscape. It explores how companies can navigate a world where customers seek not just products, but meaning. The book offers strategies to meet these new customer aspirations and thereby it makes a positive impact on the planet, society and individuals.
“This book is a fascinating look at a history rarely told.” —The Guardian
“a fascinating look at a history rarely told” — The Observer
“In his new book “Around the World in 200 Globes” (Luster), he spot-lights some of the most significant and interesting, shpwing that a globe is more than a map on a ball.” — Wall Street Journal
“…a superb illustrator of changing boundaries and national self-regard” — Strong Words
“…exquisite examples that speak to our species’ ever-shifting ideas of who we are and where we live” — National Geographic Traveler
“…beautifully put together – and the photographs of the globes are straightforward but show off the magnificence of the collection admirably” — Amateur Photographer
The Dutch architect Willem Jan Neutelings (co-founder of Neutelings Riedijk Architects) is known as the architect of, among other things, the MAS in Antwerp and the Gare Maritime in Brussels’ Tour & Taxis district. Few people know, however, that Neutelings is also an avid collector who, over the years, has built up a very extensive and also very specific collection of hundreds of globes, made between 1900 and 2000. In this book, he presents his collection to the public for the first time. He selected 200 globes, each telling a very individual and interesting story about the time and place when and where they were created. Some globes bear witness to technological innovations by the way they were made, some show how advanced people’s knowledge of space was at the time, some were intended as navigational aids. Neutelings’ collection includes globes in cast iron, steel, wood and even paper; some look very old and fragile, others are very colorful, and some even give off light. Each one is a beautiful and intriguing object that teaches us a lot about the ever-changing world view of mankind. This beautiful and skillfully crafted book is an ode to these stories, to the unique objects often anonymous craftsmen produced in the last century, and to the special dedication of collectors.
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 modernizm 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.
Say Cheeeeese is the highly anticipated first book by British painter Rachel Jones featuring her explosive new works and an original, collectible insert. The book was published to accompany Jones’ new commission at Chisenhale Gallery, London, in Spring 2022. For this first solo exhibition, she used her signature material, oil pastels, to produce a new body of paintings on canvas and paper. The publication includes a photo essay and commissioned text by poet and artist Anaïs Duplan; Chisenhale Gallery senior curator Ellen Greig; curator and researcher Aïcha Mehrez; poet, essayist, playwright and MacArthur Fellow Claudia Rankine; and curator Yates Norton. The foreword is written by Zoé Whitley, Chisenhale Gallery Director.
Swiss photographer Samuel Zeller reveals the quietness and serenity found in some of Europe’s greenest, manmade corners. Starting his project in Geneva’s botanical gardens, Zeller shoots plants through translucent glass, exploring how the shapes and refractions create a blurred beauty reminiscent of impressionist paintings. Using the same technique across Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels and beyond, the photographer draws on classical botanical illustrations from the 19th century to illustrate nature in a contemporary and unusual way.
Small Paintings presents the gestural, intimate and hauntingly beautiful paintings by Indian-born British artist Jai Chuhan. The book showcases the art created for her solo exhibition of the same name at Qrystal Partners in London in the summer of 2023.
Chuhan often paints lonely figures in indistinct, nebulous rooms in works that explore love and alienation. They evoke psychological tensions between genders, agency and subjection, the familiar and the unreal. Her practice engages deeply with histories of painting as she navigates transculturalism and the female gaze. Chuhan emigrated to London with her family in the late 1960s, where she later studied at the Slade School of Fine Art.
Donald Ryan, co-founder of Qrystal Partners, contributes a foreward contextualising the exhibition and delineating Chuhan’s key artistic concerns. In her essay, Hannah Marsh, assistant curator of Contemporary British Art at the Tate, ruminates on the idea of being seen, holding space and how Chuhan’s art speaks on its own terms.
During the 1890s and early 1900s Édouard Vuillard (1868–1940) produced a body of work that combines intimate subject matter with abstract form through the simplification of pictorial elements and observation of decorative fabrics and wallpapers. Through these devices he developed an art that is unashamedly decorative and yet always replete with subtle suggestions of deeper meanings. In balancing form and content, psychological drama and abstraction, his pictures are about as close to poetry as any artist’s, and all the more brilliant for their understatement and the near imperceptibility of their craft.
Illustrating many rarely seen paintings from private collections, this book offers a fresh look at the early career of this much-loved artist. Introduced by Chris Stephens, director of the Holburne Museum, and with an original essay by Belinda Thompson.
Radiant City is a major monograph documenting a decade of figurative and geometric work by London-based British contemporary artist Lucy Williams (b. 1972, Oxford). Her mixed-media bas-relief collages depict modernist architecture and interiors, from tower blocks and municipal buildings to private residences in Palm Springs.
All made painstakingly by hand, this is a contemporary art practice that, with the precision of an architect or a draughts person, references craft traditions, using materials including paper, Plexiglas, wood veneer, fabric, piano wire, and thread. Space, form, pattern, design, and geometry meet with color and light to form mesmerizing, detailed scenes such as tiled swimming pools with mosaic walls, the imposing facades of Brutalist buildings, and domestic interiors containing bookcases replete with books, vases and ornaments.
In addition to figurative works, the publication also features the artist’s Threaded Collages, abstract geometric pieces inspired by Bauhaus tapestries and constructivism. Williams creates repeated triangular and diamond forms, using colorful painted papers along with silk and cotton threads.
Featuring a variety of text contributions, this, Williams’s second trade monograph, has been designed by Kristin Metho, edited by Matt Price, and produced by Hurtwood. It is published by Hurtwood with generous support from Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco.