The male body plays a glorious leading role in the work of Michelangelo. Known for his strong and muscular nudes, his precise anatomical drawings and beautiful androgynous figures, it is well known that Michelangelo also expressed interest in the male body on a more personal level.
This book is the first to carefully explore the male body in the work and life of Michelangelo. Renowned art historians address the topic from different angles: from the influence of anatomical studies and Classical Antiquity on his work, his adoration of the body of Christ, his adherence to Neoplatonic ideas of perfection and beauty, to his personal preference for the young male body and the exceptional artworks this resulted in.
Japandi, that peaceful blend of Japanese and Scandinavian design, has earned its place in the garden. After Japandi Living and Japandi, books in which the reader learned more about the interior trend and overall lifestyle, Laila Rietbergen now explores the world of Japandi outdoor spaces.
Japandi Outdoor Living shows the unique way in which inside and outside blend seamlessly in this serene style. The book shows the influence of both the traditional Japanese and the minimalistic Scandinavian garden, and highlights the recurring elements in Japandi outdoor design. The author discusses elements like garden layout, choice of materials, and color palette, and shows stunning projects photos to match. This book will teach you how to give your outdoor space a Japandi touch – however modest or grand it may be – and how to transform it into the perfect place to unwind.
Working as a vet in a large zoo is a dream job for many—but for Tim Bouts, it’s reality. As Chief Veterinary Officer, he has spent over 20 years caring for animals in world-renowned parks like London Zoo. Today, he works at the Sheikh of Qatar’s ‘Panda House.’ In this book, he shares remarkable stories from his diverse range of patients: a lion battling Covid, a hippopotamus with tuberculosis, a tigress with dental issues, and a gorilla suffering from chronic pain. Some of his anecdotes are heartwarming, like his first successful surgery, or welcoming baby pandas to Pairi Daiza in Belgium. Others are pulse-pounding, such as the failed anesthesia of an antelope, and the escape of two chimpanzees. And some are deeply moving, like the euthanasia of a herd of herpes-stricken elephants or the heartbreaking loss of a walrus mother and her calf. Through these stories, you’ll get a front-row seat to Tim’s daily work and a rare glimpse into his thoughts. He doesn’t shy away from sensitive topics like euthanasia, contraception in zoos, and the challenges of quarantining animals.
Iron People tells the story of the war in Ukraine through the unique perspective of its railway workers. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the 230,000 men and women working on Ukraine’s railways have played a vital role in the country’s defense and daily survival. Stretching nearly 25,000 kilometers, the railway network has been a frequent target of Russian attacks. More than 1,100 railway workers have been injured, and over 790 have lost their lives. Yet despite the danger, a deep sense of duty—and the will to survive—drives these workers, supported by their families, to keep the trains running. Dutch photographer Jelle Krings has been documenting the lives of these railway workers and their loved ones since the start of the invasion. His work paints a powerful and moving portrait of resilience, courage, and humanity.
Dress codes are timeless. This book explores how clothing at the Dutch royal court between 1870 and 1940 expressed not only style, but also status and power. From galas and masquerade balls to mourning attire and daily wear, fashion followed strict rules. With costumes from the collections of Paleis Het Loo, Kunstmuseum Den Haag, and the Royal Collections, you’ll see how members of the court set the tone and became taste-makers in wider society.
But dress codes are far from a thing of the past. In the second part of the book, you’ll discover how clothing today still connects – and divides – us. Think of football jerseys, gender norms, or popular influencers as today’s trendsetters. The exhibition invites you to reflect on your own wardrobe choices – and what they say about you.
Dress Codes shows that fashion is more than beautiful – it tells a powerful story about identity, culture, and influence.
The war in Ukraine is the largest war Europe has seen since 1945. War photographer Jan Grarup and journalist/historian Adam Holm have documented the bloody struggle of the Ukrainians, in both the hinterland and on the front lines of eastern Ukraine (Zaporizjza, Donbas and Kharkiv). Through photography and reportage, they paint a picture of a country where death reaps its harvest daily. A country in which the fear of impending nuclear war is real and where an entire generation of children and adolescents carry iodine tablets and receive schooling inside basements and bunkers.
Harmony: Essential Ayurveda for All is a celebration of India’s timeless wisdom offering an insight into India’s ancient traditions and practices for holistic well-being. Delving into Ayurveda, yoga and mindful living, Gita Ramesh introduces readers to the art of incorporating mindfulness, gratitude and self-awareness to enhance overall life quality.
The book will not only enlighten readers about time-honored practices but also offer practical tips to cultivating well-being in today’s fast-paced world.
This publication showcases the oeuvre of Irene Nordli, one of the Nordic ceramics scene’s most renowned artists, and examines how her works have evolved over the past three decades. Known for her figurines and porcelain, and the interplay between body and material, her art is presented in a way that interweaves the personal, the artistic, and the historical. My Hands Keep Getting Bigger invites readers to reflect deeply on her creative journey up to her largest solo exhibition at Kunsthall Grenland in 2024. The dialogue between Irene Nordli and Gjertrud Steinsvåg forms the core of the text, highlighting pivotal moments and reflections that have shaped her work. Photographer Thomas Ekström adds a compelling visual layer by capturing the extraordinary in the everyday, while designer Martin Egge Lundell fuses text and image with an experimental approach, challenging the conventional art monograph.
The international pioneer of media art Richard Kriesche is dedicated to visual, artistic research. He bases his work on the most diverse of mediums, from painting to video art, in order to explore the revolutions in media, information, and digitization that have taken place over the last 50 years as well as their influences on our daily lives. He conceives of man, technology, the social, and the political together and in doing so develops an utterly individual perspective on our society. Based on the artist’s works from the last six decades, the publication shows how human life can be permanently shaped and informed. This book focuses on art as an interface between man and a reality that is continually updating itself—shift of time in present times.
Text in English and German.
Textiles are an integral part of our daily lives, and designing them is still a typically female métier. In this illustrated publication, Stephanie Kahnau presents 40 female textile designers of the 20th and 21st centuries and their outstanding and individual approaches to their medium. The stances presented grant access to the concept, technique, and function of textiles from different positions. For textile practices can take many forms: from a single “line”—the thread—structures ranging from flat to expansive emerge. Not only do they embrace our bodies, protect and clothe them; our bodies also embrace them: we become absorbed in their structured spaces and immerse ourselves in their visual appearance. This publication presents multiple perspectives on this fascinating medium at the interface between functionality and aesthetics.
Text in English and German.
Ariana Ahmad is an architect and the founder of her namesake design studio, established in 2010. The studio’s core philosophy is a full-service approach – handling every phase of a project from bare concrete to the final touches, including the selection of accessories and art. A second division of the studio functions as a construction company, allowing for complete turnkey solutions with full implementation. This integrated model ensures accountability for both the final result and the project timeline. The team’s collaborative process has been honed over many years. The studio specializes in private residential projects, ranging from apartments to standalone homes, while also taking on select commercial work.
From 2018 to 2022, Ariana Ahmad was named in Architectural Digest Russia’s TOP 100 and TOP 50 lists, and is also included in ELLE Decoration Russia’s TOP200. In 2022, Ariana joined Gold Edition lnterior+Design.
This book presents a curated journey through the refined, expressive world of Ariana Ahmad Design in sixteen projects—a studio known for creating interiors that are as emotionally resonant as they are visually striking. Each project featured here reflects a deep understanding of space, storytelling, and the intimate connection between architecture and daily life. What unites these diverse interiors is a commitment to authenticity, material richness, and a timeless aesthetic. Ariana Ahmad Design approaches each space with intuition and precision, crafting environments that feel effortlessly layered, personal, and alive. This collection invites readers to step inside a world where beauty is intentional, comfort is elevated, and every detail holds meaning.
Urban life is often defined by its energy—fast-moving, restless, and ever-changing. Yet within the heart of the world’s great cities lie rare sanctuaries that balance this intensity with calm, beauty, and refinement. Urban Sanctuaries celebrates these havens of design, where architecture and interiors transform daily living into something extraordinary. As the much-anticipated successor to Urban Mansions & Apartments (2020)—a volume that quickly sold out in print—this book continues the journey into contemporary urban living. Featuring 31 magnificent residences, from penthouses and lofts to townhouses and historic renovations, it offers an intimate look at how the best architects and interior designers elevate private spaces above the rhythm of the streets. Each residence tells its own story. From the sweeping views of a Manhattan penthouse to the quiet elegance of a Brussels townhouse, from the refined tranquility of a Dubai villa to the richly detailed character of a Brooklyn retreat, these homes embody the diversity of urban design today. They are more than dwellings: they they are expressions of personality, artistry, and vision.
An elegant photographic book highlights BFF’s new headquarters. Viale Scarampo, in Milan, saw the inauguration in 2025 of the BFF Banking Group’s new headquarters, a building whose transparent airiness and environmental and social sustainability ensure it provides an entirely original contribution to the city’s skyline. Designed by OBR (Open Building Research), the structure places the accent on the brightness of its interior and does not seek to compete in height with the skyscrapers of the nearby City Life district. The book is organized in a series of alternating photographs and text, drawing attention not only to the architectural features and the building’s functional characteristics, but also to the aim of creating a working environment that is intimately linked to its surroundings, in contrast to the traditional view of corporate architecture.
Casa BFF is not only the headquarters of a B2B bank, it is also a building that embraces the neighborhood and the city as a whole, starting with the museum it houses, which is accessible to all and contains the BFF Collection of post-war Italian art. Here the visitor will find works by Valerio Adami, Franco Angeli, Enrico Baj, Alberto Burri, Lucio Del Pezzo, Lucio Fontana, Gianfranco Pardi, Mario Schifano, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Giò Pomodoro and Emilio Tadini. The Bank inaugurated the museum with an exhibition dedicated to Enrico Baj’s series of 40 etchings inspired by John Milton’s Paradise Lost. The book does full justice to the exhibition spaces, as well as to the works that hang on the building’s walls.
Text in English and Italian.
Tracing a crescent from Cairo to Khiva, art historian and archaeologist Karen Polinger Foster takes us on four unforgettable journeys East of the Moon – to Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and Central Asia – exploring commonalities and differences in thought and belief, art and architecture, language and literature, tradition and innovation. As her travel experiences unfolded, overarching themes emerged, often from serendipitous inspiration and encounters. From these she has fashioned a beguiling kaleidoscope of photo essays which tessellate into a compelling whole. With a remarkable gift for the telling detail and a photographic eye at once incisive and discreet, Foster’s elegant text and stunning images invite us to a place which, in her words, ‘exists in the atlas of the mind, at the intersection of image and imagination’.
Bonnard drew on the Japanese printmakers, especially Hiroshige, to convey the essence of Paris not through its monuments or vistas, but with scenes of bustling daily life observed from idiosyncratic angles. But unlike the Japanese artists, he worked with a painterly sense of texture and color that remains as astonishing today as when it was first published. This is one of the three hugely original portfolios of etchings brought out in 1899 by the great dealer Ambroise Vollard, and printed by the master craftsman Auguste Clot. The other two are by Édouard Vuillard and Maurice Denis, and all three are being published simultaneously by Pallas Athene.
“One of the world’s greatest authorities on wine.” – Raymond Blanc OBE
“The finest nose in Europe.” – Daily Telegraph
“A true wine legend who gave so much to so many, both personally and professionally.” – Decanter
“The godfather of British sommeliers … he was not just universally respected, but universally loved.” – Imbibe
Gérard Basset was one of the most influential and authoritative sommeliers of his, or any, generation. Tasting Victory charts Gérard’s astronomical career in his own words. It recounts in detail how he managed to earn his unprecedented sequence of qualifications. He was one of the first individuals to hold the famously difficult Master of Wine qualification simultaneously with Master Sommelier and an MBA in Wine Business. But it is his pursuit of the most important award of all that forms the core of this book – how, at his seventh attempt, Gérard Basset was crowned the Best Sommelier of the World. This memoir is also a record of how fine dining in England grew from stale and unexciting to world-leading. Above all, it’s about succeeding against great odds: when he was diagnosed with cancer, Gérard responded in typical fashion, by deciding to write Tasting Victory, which he completed shortly before his death in January 2019.
– Autobiography of a true legend and much-missed character in the world of wine.
– Inspirational life story of a rise to prominence from modest beginnings.
-Updated commemorative edition with chapters from Gérard’s widow, Nina, and son, Romané, exploring Gérard’s legacy in the six years since his death.
– Features memories of Gérard from major figures within the wine world.
The most luxurious of Parisian gastronomic guides, the most exclusive. The most timeless: with the QR code accompanying each review, the book becomes eternal and is permanently updated. Albert Nahmias knows his business well (and that of others). A star restaurateur in the 90s with Olympe, the happy few flocked to his table. From the art of hosting, he moved to the other side of the counter to cultivate the art of being hosted, and now he delivers his judgments. Whether they are favorites or criticisms, it’s an elegant and incredibly useful book. Like a gourmet and travelling Ulysses returning to his Ithaca rich in sensory and gustatory images, Paris becomes an odyssey-city that constantly attracts poets and ambitious individuals… Its chefs are also poets. In Paris, the true gourmet is a traveler from elsewhere who comes to taste its charms; like Ulysses, one simply needs to choose a neighborhood, a welcoming restaurant according to their mood, age, or fortune… This guide gives meaning to daily urban wandering, in the labyrinth of over a thousand establishments. No one knows them all. So many dives, bistros, and restaurants for a people of Parisian navigators for whom it’s a bit of a secret sport. Less so now.
Text in English, French and Chinese.