Curtain Up!: Thirty Years of Spectacular Showhouse Rooms is a glossy compendium of interior designer Barbara Ostrom’s extraordinary rooms that she has created in the last 30 years for the most prestigious showhouses in New York City, New Jersey, and the Hamptons. With a preface by Mario Buatta, the book highlights some of Barbara’s most wildly imaginative and over-the-top rooms. It also displays her process from start to finish where she often has to begin with a gutted, crumbling room. The results are whimsical and colorful, with details ranging from a crystal chandelier adorned with an umbrella, ten foot high canopy beds, antique birdcages, Fu dogs, a 15th century knight in armor, Grecian gas lights, a hand-woven hammock from Jamaica, to ceilings painted with monkeys, parrots, squirrels, and butterflies. Barbara Ostrom’s rooms are exuberant and uplifting – no wonder she’s been dubbed ‘Queen of the Showhouse.’
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.
How can you stay relevant for your customers? The answer is a combination of the following three factors: technology, personal involvement and social commitment. The past ten years have been marked by the arrival of 4G, mobile services, and robotics. These technologies have brought about a revolution in the field of customer experience and in the future, this will evolve even further. As a company, you will have to take a more active part in the personal life journey of your customers. This opens up the opportunity to tackle, together with your customer, concrete social world problems, including climate change, mobility, and health care. Customers increasingly seek out companies that do good for both themselves, and the world.
As part of a personal quest, director Hermann Vaske explored the genius behind the world’s most intriguing artists and thinkers for over 30 years. His interview partners include over 1000 luminaries, among them Academy Award and Nobel Prize winners, from the fields of visual art, music, acting, philosophy, politics, business and science, posing the question: “Why are you creative?”
All of the participants also created an artefact for the project — some very personal, some bizarre. Following the success of exhibitions across Europe, now, 100 of the most interesting, fascinating answers are compiled in this book.
Skiing connects people. Based on this motto, graphic designer Peter Erlach had an idea in 2022: a quartet and mini travel guide presenting 32 legendary ski resorts and slopes, accompanied by the most important facts and figures. The selection of the 32 ski resorts is based both on the personal memories of the author, who grew up skiing in Austria, and on the destinations that are still on his wish list. Each ski area is presented on a map with a meaningful photo and all the important key data. This makes it easy to discover 32 of the most beautiful and spectacular ski areas. Accompanying it there is a booklet, which deals still more in detail with the ski areas, and special attention lies also on the quality of the photos. All photographers are listed with their name and website, so you can also discover other impressive winter sports photographs.
This star I give to you is the first publication on the work of London-based artist Freya Douglas-Morris, presenting a body of paintings exploring the poetry, beauty and magic of landscapes and the natural world.
The book documents the artist’s first solo exhibition of the same name at Alexander Berggruen, New York, in 2023, and showcases the eight large oil paintings on canvas and five oil paintings on copper that were on display. This star I give to you includes a conversation between the artist and British publisher Matt Price, a foreword by New York-based writer and Associate Director at Alexander Berggruen, Kirsten Cave, along with studio notes by the artist on each of the reproduced works.
A graduate of the University of Brighton and the Royal College of Art, London, Douglas-Morris has exhibited internationally in China, Taiwan, The Bahamas, Austria, Italy, France and America.
A gem of a book that stays with you long after you have finished it. Edvard Munch wrote continuously; letters, diaries, literary texts and other notes. In Like a Ghost I Leave You you will find striking statements about art versus nature, enemies, money, death and much more. – “Had I been in Possession of the as yet undiscovered little Remote telephone which one carries around in one’s Pocket You would have long ago received Communications from me”- Undated draft of a letter to Jens Willumsen.
Through a selection of Edvard Munch works the Norwegian award-winning author Lene Ask invites children of all ages to draw and be creative together with Munch. The book has texts by Ask accompanied by exercises that are related to Munch’s way of experimenting and encourage children to participate in the wonderful world of Munch’s art. Design by Aslak Gurholt, one of Norway’s most renowned and award-winning book designers.
Ages 8+
Shot over three years from 2019 to 2022, Thank You For Playing With Me by Yolanda Y. Liou is an intimate look at two plus-size models, Enam Ewura Adjoa Asiama and Vanessa Russell. Liou first came across Asiama’s Instagram in 2019 and was blown away by her confidence and charisma. It was the type of confidence that Liou struggled to have about her own body due to her upbringing in Taiwan. “Growing up in Taiwan, I was consistently exposed to the relentless beauty standards that prioritised being skinny… This obsession led me to believe that I was never beautiful enough, and consequently, I felt unworthy of love. I constantly sought ways to conform, believing that only then would I be accepted and appreciated.” Liou’s main aim with this photo book is to help people embrace their individuality.
“THANK YOU BYE was born out of a need to put down somewhere what I have experienced over the last five years. Although it gives the impression of a veil being lifted, it is simply a record of my personal experience. The intention, through these hundreds of photos, is to transcribe the absurd, crazy and little-known world of modelling, by means of an unpublished souvenir album of my time spent in fashion. The result is THANK YOU BYE, which owes its name to the phrase uttered by casting directors every time you walk in front of them. It recounts my moments of sadness, my anxieties, my unease, my questions, but also our laughter, our travels, our togetherness, our mutual support. Five years during which I fought not to lose myself. Thrown at the age of 18 at a speed I found hard to manage into a dimension that was not my own, I embrace all the models who ‘pose’ in this book and who, without realising it, helped me to escape. What you hold in your hands is none other than the last chance to prove that I was still worth something. When you turn the last page, you’ll know that I’ve resigned and can finally say that I’m happy.” – Clémentine Balcaen
I’m Showing How Big the Sky Is is Martina Bacigalupo’s tribute to her former nanny, Chiou Taur Wu, a Taiwanese woman who lived over three decades in Italy. Despite a harsh life—from working in fields and factories to managing her husband’s gambling debts — Chiou remained resilient. At almost 70, she returned to Taiwan, resumed her studies, took dance classes, and began traveling.
Through hundreds of photos from Chiou during ten years of correspondence, Bacigalupo presents a story of extraordinary resilience. Told in the first person, with Chiou’s images and words, the book is a celebration of freedom, humor, and poetry.
This major retrospective catalogue accompanies the first institutional exhibition focusing on the visual works of art by Stanley Donwood and Thom Yorke. The majority of the paintings, drawings and digital works were specifically made for Yorke’s internationally celebrated band Radiohead, formed in Oxford in 1985. The book is beautifully designed in the same size as a record cover and features iconic artworks from the 1980s until today, relating to Radiohead albums, their covers and promotional band images, as well as sketchbooks and rare materials from their archives that have never before been published. It offers fresh views on the art of album covers, exploring the complex relationship between visual art and music.
Radiohead was formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The collaboration with the artist Stanley Donwood began in 1994 when the band was developing their second album, The Bends, which was released on 13th March, 1995. 2025 is therefore the 40-year anniversary of the band and the 30-year anniversary of the release of The Bends. The catalogue’s focus is upon the art produced by both Stanley Donwood and the band’s lead vocalist, Thom Yorke presented chronologically. Radiohead’s popularity has never waned and they have a strong core following and new fans (many of who are the children of ‘original’ fans).
The high-quality reproductions are complemented by exclusive interviews with the artists, and essays by Alex Farquharson, Nico Kos Earle, Benjamin Myers, James Putnam and Jennifer Ramkalawon.
A major retrospective is held at the Ashmolean Museum from August 2025 to January 2026.
Birmingham (UK) born and based Ben Sadler’s colorful painted portraits of imaginary people are full of personality, eclectic states of mind, and varying degrees of intrigue. They are also sometimes evocative, emotive, and amusing. The publication features two bodies of work: You and I (2024) and Exclamations! (2023), both of which present small paintings corresponding to each letter of the alphabet (though the letters U and I are curiously missing from the series You and I). The starting point was the idea of visitors to an imaginary exhibition––who are they, what kinds of people are they, and what thoughts are going through their minds? Such questions are explored in celebrated Birmingham-based author Catherine O’Flynn’s text commissioned for the publication, along with a foreword by Deborah Kermode, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of Midlands Arts Centre (MAC), Birmingham, and an interview by London-based creative coach, podcaster, and public speaker Ceri Hand.
“As enterprises embrace AI and automation, three challenges emerge: empowering employees as roles shift, enabling continuous reskilling without disruption, and creating real synergy between AI and human talent. Drawing from real-world transformation programs, this book offers a practical playbook to address these shifts – not with theory, but with actionable strategies, proven tools, and human-centric design. The new AI era demands more than technology; it demands a reimagined employee experience that fuels performance, personalizes learning, and strengthens coaching. When done right, this isn’t just adaptation. It’s transformation, helping people stay relevant, resilient, and ready for what’s next.” — Gal Rimon, Founder and CEO, Centrical
“With clarity and structure, this book turns the overwhelming topic of AI into the confidence leaders need to simply get started.” — Eline Lostrie, Co-CEO, nexxworks
AI Will Replace You shows how organizations can let go of their fear of AI and instead embrace this technology as a lever for growth. Using the practical and accessible AI Navigator framework, you’ll discover how to effectively embed AI into your strategy, get your employees on board, and prepare your organization to become an AI leader.
In interior design, color is one of the most potent instruments to create mood and personality. Whether the palette aims at quiet harmony or full-blown color contrast, a colorful home is always fun, uplifting and welcoming. Interior photographer Helenio Barbetta shows us the way, with 20 homes that stand out thanks to their purposeful use of color. Author Kurt G. Stapelfeldt investigates how these interiors are shaped by their hues, and how color choices reflect the personality of the inhabitants. When used thoughtfully, color transforms any space into a personal sanctum. From floor-to-ceiling color to small bursts of color, from dark classic blue to bright citrus yellow: All You Need is Colour shows the many ways in which we can use color to liven up our living quarters.
The conceptual art practice of Cerith Wyn Evans encompasses installations, sculpture, film and text, translating ideas from philosophy, art history, film and literature into lyrical, often monumental, site-specific exhibitions. This publication provides valuable insight into Evans’ wide-ranging practice, as well as a document to the artist’s 2025–26 exhibition of the same name – Forms in Space…through Light (in Time) – at Lisbon’s MAAT – Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology. Featuring specially commissioned photographs of Evans’ complex, captivating works in situ, the catalogue includes an introduction by exhibition curator Sérgio Mah, who also conducts an interview with the artist, and an essay by Professor Michael Newman.
Dual Language English and Portuguese.
architekturbild, the European Architectural Photography Prize, has been awarded on a two-yearly basis since 1995. The theme for 2021 is “The Urban in the Periphery”.
Migration between conurbations and rural areas, their respective attractiveness and independence, but also dependence and interdependence with one another: What would be more predestined to trace the subtle or even obvious effects of the urban-rural movement than architectural photography?
Text in English and German.
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 foreword by acclaimed actor Sandra Hüller, as well as essays by curator and arts writer Kelly Gellatly and psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Dr. Matthew McArdle.
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 centerpieces, 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
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.
“In this abridged extract from Don’t Be A Tourist In London, Vanessa Grall suggests a few places to start a conversation in London… and one place to go and listen.” — Londonist
“Discover the capital’s secret spots with Vanessa Grall’s new book.” — Country and Town House
“The cliché says that when one is tired of London, one is tired of life – but I think this book might help some to rediscover the joys of both… there’s probably enough here to keep you going for things to explore for the next decade.” — Amateur Photographer
“This book will encourage the wanderer within. It is a true traveller’s companion as much as a beautifully designed collectable for your bookshelf.” — Polo Lifestlye
Discover the secret recipe for becoming an artful traveler in a messy world.
Don’t be a Tourist in London offers an escape route from the typical tourist itinerary to the British capital, unlocking a vault of thoughtfully-curated itineraries, local secrets, insider advice and little-known urban anecdotes.
For the third instalment of the best-selling Don’t be a Tourist series, the author takes us to her hometown to rediscover the personal joy of travel, following our instincts – not the tour buses. Each episode’s journey has its own mood, inspired by different traveler mindsets shaped by life’s relatable challenges and familiar emotions like heartbreak, career hurdles or strong personality quirks.
This book will encourage the wanderer within. It is a true traveler’s companion as much as a beautifully-designed collectible for your bookshelf. Within the pages of this beautifully bound hardback, you will find…
Secret Restaurants; Time Capsule Pubs; Cosy Hideaways & Unique Date Ideas; Unexpected alternatives to major museums; Film-worthy Walks & Quaint neighborhood Discoveries; Hip London Hangouts; Aladdin’s Caves & booklover Havens; Places to be creative; Obscure/ Underground Adventures; Places to entertain the kids (or the kid in you!); Budget-friendly life-savers; Endless good-to-know advice and fascinating anecdotes.
More than any other civilization, China is renowned for its long tradition of ceramic production, from its terracotta and stoneware works in ancient times to the imperial porcelain manufactured at Jingdezhen from the end of the fourteenth century. These works have been admired and collected over centuries for their outstanding quality and refinement. Now two hundred masterpieces from prominent private collections around the world have been brought together for the first time in a new book. The Baur Collections in Geneva, formed between 1928 and 1951, and the Zhuyuetang Collection (the Bamboo and Moon Pavilion in Hong Kong), which has been building since the late 1980s, reveal the elegance and variety of imperial monochrome porcelain wares produced during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, which followed on from the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) periods. These restrained pieces – both profane and sacred – exemplify the values of simplicity and modesty espoused by classical Chinese texts. With chapters devoted to the historical, cultural and technical contexts in which these pieces were made, this book will be a key reference on Chinese monochrome ceramics for all lovers of the subject, as well as students, researchers and connoisseurs.
Text in English and French with Chinese summaries.
Using the formalist conventions of an ironic heritage, William Ludwig Lutgens attains the expression of something sincere. Like the philosophical idiot who did his utmost best to unlearn all the fallacies he was acquitted with since birth and now only knows he knows nothing, the artist made the world into his own theater wherein he can stomp around like a bull in a china shop with the grace of a prima ballerina. Forcing a pathway to possible exits by presenting us with the alloy of his observations, imagination and scattershot references. Not merely asking questions, which seems to be the hype in contemporary art nowadays, he is unraveling the framework wherein these questions originate. The image deconstructed by the story of its creation, alternating between the power and impotence of the theatrical madness at the end of the world as we know it. William Ludwig Lutgens presents with his Comedy of Humours the dysfunctional family of man.
Text in English and Dutch.