NEW from ACC Art Books – Limited Edition: Sukita: EternityClick here to order

Frédéric Zaavy’s brilliant career as a master jeweler shone like a meteor but flamed out far too soon. Zaavy considered himself heir to the legacy of Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, gem dealer to Louis XIV, and was chosen as the exclusive jeweler for the 21st century revival of Fabergé. Zaavy’s artistic genius lay in painting with precious stones and in engineering remarkable settings to hold those stones almost invisibly. His works achieved a preëminence in the thousand-year evolution of French jewelry. The influences on his life and work were myriad. Nature, quantum physics, art, music, spirituality, poetry, literature, and even science fiction all shaped his extraordinary world view and taste. He was a philosopher jeweler. Stardust
encapsulates the last year of his life, from the moment he learned he would soon die, right through to the end, with his life still at full throttle.

With a text by acclaimed French philosophical writer Gilles Hertzog and a stunning visual narrative by celebrated photographers John Bigelow Taylor and Dianne Dubler, Zaavy’s work and life are presented in a portrait of what was and of what might have been.

Text in English and Simplified Chinese.

From acclaimed Hollywood photographer Firooz Zahedi comes Look at Me, a collection of his most distinguished and intimate celebrity portraits. From editorial commissions from magazines – including Vanity Fair, Glamour, InStyle, GQ, and Entertainment Weekly, to iconic movie posters such as Pulp Fiction, Edward Scissorhands, and The Addams Family – Zahedi has been photographing Hollywood’s biggest stars for over 35 years.

Each photograph is accompanied by a short text offering personal insight into how each shot came together. Also included are never-before-seen photographs as well as special behind-the-scenes snapshots and notes from Zahedi’s appreciative subjects. Look at Me is a celebration of this golden age of celebrity as seen through the lens of one of Hollywood’s most accomplished photographers.

“It reveals a unique look into the profession of photography.”—Gerd Ludwig Photography



Charles Moriarty, Stills department manager for Star Wars and photographer for Amy Winehouse, presents Photographers on the Art of Photography: a series of intimate conversations with some of the most highly regarded names in photography. From celebrity portraitists such as Terry O’Neill, to famed fashion photographers like Jerry Schatzberg and wildlife specialists Tim Flach and Sue Flood, this book offers a unique insight into all angles of the profession. Twenty celebrated photographers discuss how they got started, as well as their favored techniques, motivations, inspirations and greatest accomplishments. Discover each artist’s vision in their own words and reflect on what makes their talents unique.

Interviews from: Ed Caraeff (music); Terry O Neill (celebrity portraiture); Norman Seeff (music); Johnathan Daniel Pryce (fashion); Douglas Kirkland (Hollywood); Gerd Ludwig (National Geographic); Slava Mogutin (queer fine art); Jerry Schatzberg (fashion, film, music, portraiture); Tim Flach (wildlife); Richard Phibbs (fashion, commercial, portraiture); Eva Sereny (Hollywood, celebrity portraiture); Sue Flood (wildlife); Tom Stoddard (photojournalism).

“The richness of the illustrations in this larger format enables us to better appreciate the intricacy of her illuminated manuscripts, the tonal subtleties of Traquair’s tooled leather book bindings and the processional scale of her muraled interiors.” — Journal of the Scottish Society for Art History
A fully updated and expanded edition of the definitive study of Phoebe Anna Traquair.

This is a compelling account of the life and career of Phoebe Anna Traquair, a leading figure in Britain’s Arts and Crafts movement. The new edition features new research about her artistic practice, materials and technique as well as her intellectual life, including her correspondence with John Ruskin. Her total commitment to the place of art in her daily life is revealed alongside new details on her family and social life.

Traquair was remarkable for her openness to all types of art, and worked in a range of media including embroidery, enamels, illuminated manuscripts and murals. This new edition features 120 illustrations including new discoveries, as well as some of her most famous and best-loved works.
Beautifully illustrated and featuring the artist’s own words, this book is at once a fascinating biography and an artistic study of one of Scotland’s first professional women artists.

Sculptuur Studies is a publication from the Sculpture Institute, the research center for modern and contemporary international sculpture affiliated to the Beelden aan Zee Museum, Scheveningen. In this edition the focus is on contemporary Chinese sculpture, art politics in Switzerland and the designer Benno Premsela. A portrait has been written of the latter to mark the fact that a bust of the designer was given to the Beeldon aan Zee Museum for its collection. An extensive account about Rembrandt, written by Piet Esser, is included in this second volume of Sculptuur Studies as a source publication, while Arie Hartog, curator of the Gerhard Marckshaus in Bremen, contributes an essay on the sculptor Wilhelm Lehmbruck. The regular columns include the following topics: international sculpture diary, obituaries for Geurt Brinkgreve, Theo Scholten, Rudi Oxenaar and Ellen Joosten, plus an extensive list of acquisitions and publications from the Beelden aan Zee Museum and Sculpture Institute. Sculpture lovers can indulge themselves in this comprehensive and informative periodical.
Dutch/English

Thorvald Hellesen (1888-1937) was a Norwegian avant-garde artist who lived and worked in Paris in the 1910s and 1920s. He and his wife, the French artist Hélène Perdriat, were part of a circle of artists that included Pablo Picasso, Fernand Léger, Constantin Brâncuși, Piet Mondrian, Theo van Doesburg, and many others. In his short yet intense life, Thorvald Hellesen created an impressive unique oeuvre, oriented on Modernism, consisting of oil paintings, watercolors, gouaches, drawings, design projects, and textiles. Nevertheless, even in Norway he is only known to a few. With this publication the authors Dag Blakkisrud, Matthew Drutt, and Hilde Mørch have created a written portrait of Hellesen. In addition to classifying him within the history of art, they try to find explanations as to why his artistic practice is only now being considered important and interesting for Norwegian and international art history.

Text Norwegian.

The Academy of Independent Creators in Watchmaking (Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants, AHCI) is celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2020: that’s over one-third of a century of total independence, creativity, exhibitions, and sharing watchmaking craftsmanship. Here, AHCI, the oldest organisation in the world devoted to protecting independent, artisanal watchmaking, presents an inside portrait of its members and candidates. They share their most iconic creations and their knowhow, give guided tours of their workshops, and offer a glimpse into their own private world. This dive into the beating heart of independent watchmaking is for all lovers of creativity and authenticity, be they connoisseurs of fine craftsmanship or experienced collectors willing to take the road less traveled.

Since 1998 Jan C. Schlegel has regularly traveled with his analogue photo equipment to remote places, which are secluded from the tourism of the western world. On his tours the artist observed the rapid decline of traditions and increasing change of the way of life of the people within their tribes due to globalization. The inexorable changes woke the urgent wish in the photographer to portrait people, to capture impressions and to preserve traditional life forms in his pictures.

Through patience and compassion, photographer Matt Karwen has accomplished unprecedented, expressive dog portraits, which depict the animals’ personalities in various facets. In the absence of outside influences, their faces reveal moods and emotions that range from joy over curiosity to serenity.

“Bruce Springsteen in All His Rock Star Glory.” —Janet Macoska, The Daily Beast

“Two careers were born on that cold night in 1974. Macoska would blossom into one of the most notable rock ‘n’ roll photographers of the last 50 years. And Springsteen was on his way to becoming The Boss.” —Jay Crawford and Meg Hambach, wkyc3

“…Live In The Heartland covers almost five decades of touring from The Boss, and also includes set-lists and corresponding editorial content. The majority of the photos are previously unseen.” —Classic Rock Magazine

“There’s only one boss of rock ‘n’ roll.”  —Tria Wen, Reader’s Digest

“… an energetic and moving visual tour that records the romance between The Boss and the Cleveland stages.” —GQ Mexico

Five decades of blue-jeans, down-to-earth rock ‘n’ roll. Five decades of poetic, authentic performances, political commentary, global tours and even a Broadway show. Bruce Springsteen hasn’t just left an impact on the surface of modern music, he helped shape its foundations.

From the early beginnings in 1974 to the seminal Born in the USA – one of the best-selling albums of all time – to the 2016 River Tour, the highest grossing tour of the year, Springsteen has a truly timeless appeal, captured here by lauded rock photographer, Janet Macoska. Macoska charts Springsteen through the ages. Through her lens we witness his enduring energy on the stage, from 1974 to 2016. Here is Springsteen at his finest: a down-to-earth superstar, whose powerful performances stand the test of time.

“Bruce would rip his heart out and give it to his audience. He put everything into his performance. He was all over the stage, and the whole rest of the band was in lockstep, complimenting that energy. It was going out to the audience in bundles. We were sending it back , too, and that’s really electric. That energy, those visuals? Photographers love that. It’s perfect to have something like that to photograph.” – Janet Macoska

“When the pre-eminent portrait photographer of the day met the Cockney kid dominating the London film scene, magic was made.” — Australian Women’s Weekly Icons

“Caine, the timeless gentleman.”  — Diego Armes, GQ Portugal

“The engaging images are either black and white or in color and therefore perfectly show all facets of the actor. A wonderful book about a very special and remarkable actor! 5 Stars!” — Lovely Books

“I had to be an actor,” Michael Caine once said. “[…] And of course, you have to remember with me, the alternative was a factory.”

A working-class actor who broke through to stardom, Caine’s screen-time involves standout performances across multiple genres. To this day, he is synonymous with a certain kind of urbane cool. No camera has captured this quality over the decades better than that of his collaborator and long-time friend, Terry O’Neill.

Michael Caine: Photographed by Terry O’Neill offers an immersive visual journey through Michael Caine’s career, immortalizing Caine’s charm both in and out of character. Caine occupies a landmark position in cinema and O’Neill was there from the early days of his stellar career. From the comedy of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels to the European drama of Seven Times A Woman; from the miasma of The Magus to the British cult classic Get Carter, this book combines black and white and color images and includes never-before-seen contact sheets.

Featuring the following films: Mona Lisa, Midnight in Saint PetersburgBullet to Beijing, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Blue Ice, Without a Clue, Get Carter, Deadfall, Magus, Woman Times Seven, Funeral in Berlin.

A key figure in the Art Deco movement, artist Jean Dunand (1877-1942) stands out for his multiple talents as a sculptor, goldsmith, copper maker, but also lacquerer, bookbinder and decorator. After having excelled in finishing hammer-mounted vases and brassware, he met Seizo Sugawara in 1912 who led him to become passionate about lacquer, which he made his signature on both his vases and his panels, furniture and bindings.
At the head of an important workshop, he participated in the major international exhibitions of his time, in Paris in 1925, 1931 and 1937, in New York in 1939, and was regularly exhibited at the Georges Petit gallery and at the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs. . His singularity and the quality of his creations lead him to become one of the most sought-after portrait painters, immortalizing personalities in fashion and the arts such as Jeanne Lanvin, Louise Boulanger, Joséphine Baker as well as from the world of finance such as the Lazards, Carnegie or Louis-Dreyfus.
Jean Dunand also worked on remarkable sets in France and the United States such as the music salons of Solomon R. Guggenheim, the apartments of Madame Agnès or Templeton Croker, as well as on the shipyards of the Atlantic and Normandy liners which will crown a rich career of more than two thousand works, presented in a repertoire at the end of the book.
Text in French. 
The art of Samuel Palmer is essentially a discovery of the 20th century. Although he exhibited widely during his lifetime, and found buyers for some of his watercolors and etchings, it was not until the retrospective exhibition held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1926 that the general public were able to enter the uniquely personal world of Palmer’s early years at Shoreham. Since then, his influence on a generation of English painters including Nash, Sutherland, John Piper, and F.L. Griggs, the publications of Geoffrey Grigson, Raymond Lister and others, have made him one of the most popular of English artists.
The collection of paintings, drawings, watercolors, and etchings by Samuel Palmer in the Ashmolean Museum is the most important in the world. It is especially rich in the early works of the Shoreham period, from c. 1824 to 1835, notably the haunting self portrait and the unique group of six sepia drawings of 1825, which represent the ‘visionary landscape’ at its most intense.

Jane and Raphael Bernstein were early supporters of the innovative teaching practices of the Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth. This richly illustrated catalog traces the legacy of their gifts of art from 17th-century Japanese handscrolls to 18th-century English satirical prints, from 20th-century American landscape and portrait photography to contemporary art from the Canadian Arctic, plus an extraordinary collection of calligraphic prints and paintings by Japanese centenarian Toko Shinoda. Curatorial essays reveal how the depth and richness of the various collections the Bernsteins have entrusted to the museum increase the range of the work it can do. They have long conceived their gifts of art as part of an overriding project: object-based inquiry. This catalog celebrates the Bernsteins’ support for learning with art, inviting readers to join the museum’s faculty, staff, visitors, and – perhaps most importantly – students who will forever benefit from their generosity.

Belgicum is brilliant. It’s an epitaph for a country that disappeared before Vanfleteren’s eyes, like a sand castle in the breaking waves.” – Eric Min in De Morgen

Belgicum is a photo project about Belgium. It is not an objective representation of a country but rather a subjective photographical document in black and white. It’s a journey of exploration into a small country in the heart of Europe, at the turn of the centuries.

More than fifteen years Vanfleteren has wandered through and hunted in the ‘Belgicum’ territories, guided by emotion and by the love for his homeland. He made a journey through a scarred land, in search of the irretrievable identity of a country with the melancholic soul of an old nation.

Over the past ten years, over 11,000 copies were sold of this international bestseller. Belgicum grew out to be a reference work in the Belgian history of photography. On the occasion of the tenth birthday of this cult book, it was reprinted.

With text by David Van Reybrouck.

Text in English, French and Dutch.

Don Rosa is one of the world’s most popular cartoonists. For over 20 years he kept up the duck universe of his idol Carl Barks with his stories about Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck and the Beagle Boys Inc. He is adored for his detailed duck adventures. His biography The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck earned him immortality and an Eisner Award. But who is the man behind the ducks? Don Rosa – I Still Get Chills! has the answers. It is published in honour of Don Rosa’s 66th and Scrooge McDuck’s 70th birthday.
And what’s more, Don Rosa himself lent a hand with this book, commenting on photos and drawings, creating typical Don Rosa quotes and turning it into a unique Don Rosa work.
Text in English and German

“…I was pretty sure I had seen it all and would not find anything new in the book. I am delighted to report I was wrong.”Marion Fasel, The Adventurine
“…
a combination of excellent photographic professionalism and the infinite beauty of the star, who together gave birth to a real work of art.” – Di Redazione, Harper’s Bazaar Italia

“An extraordinary collection of photographs that celebrates one of Hollywood’s most iconic faces.” – Donato D’Aprile, L’Officiel Italy

“An intimate look at a Hollywood icon.” Closer

“Bling, boobs & booze: She was famous for her diamonds, her tempestuous love for Richard Burton and her luminous acting. Now, a book of iconic images peels away the layers to reveal the woman behind the legend.”Roger Lewis, Daily Mail

Elizabeth Taylor was the face of classic Hollywood. As one of the 20th century’s most loved stars, her image is instantly recognizable the world over. ACC Art Books and Iconic Images proudly present the work of eight wonderful photographers — Douglas Kirkland, Milton Greene, Gered Mankowitz, Norman Parkinson, Eva Sereny, Terry O’Neill, Gary Bernstein and Greg Brennan — who were fortunate enough to capture the star at different moments of her life. Throughout the book, the photographers share their memories of working with the icon, from patient pursuits to charming persuasion, each enlightening us with an inside view of what it was like to work with such an icon. The book presents a mix of set, fashion, portrait and behind-the-scenes photographs, including some rare and never-before-seen images. Forever Elizabeth is a visual tribute from some of the world’s best-known photographers to a star who continues to captivate our hearts.

“I recommend to every Architect, designer and those who have a passion for New York to own this magnificent book…there is no better on the extraordinary Beaux Arts of New York.” —Lemeau, Decorator’s Insider

“This great, beautiful, glossy, polychromatic slab of a book more than does justice to an epic period in architecture when some of the world’s most luscious buildings were designed for some of the most unpleasant people in American history.” — Timothy Brittain-Catlin, World of Interiors

“New York would be little more than another faceless glass-and-steel city were it not for its Gilded Age buildings and institutions… An American Renaissance: Beaux-Arts Architecture in New York City, written by Phillip James Dodd with photography by Jonathan Wallen, is a gilded embrace of this legacy.”  — The Critic
The Gilded Age, also referred to as the American Renaissance, is an era associated with unparalleled growth, technological advancement, prosperity, and cultural change. Spanning from the 1870s to the 1930s, it marks the first time that the titans of American finance and industry had more wealth than their European counterparts. As the center of this dynamic economy, New York City attracted immigrant workers and millionaires alike. It was not enough for the self-appointed elite to just build their own grand châteaux and palazzos along Fifth Avenue—collectively they dreamed of creating a new metropolis to rival the great cultural capitals of London, Paris, and Rome. To flaunt their newly acquired wealth they needed an architecture dripping in embellishment and historical reference. Enter the Beaux-Arts.

This book, which has been painstakingly researched and beautifully photographed over many years, takes a close look at 20 of the finest examples of Beaux-Arts architecture in New York City. While showing public exteriors, its focus is on the lavish interiors that are associated with the opulence of the Gilded Age—often providing a glimpse inside buildings not otherwise viewable to the public. While some of the buildings and monuments featured are world-renowned landmarks recognizable and accessible to all, others are obscure buildings that history has forgotten.

Set amid the magnificent achievements of an American Renaissance, this book recounts not only the fascinating stories of some of New York’s most famous and significant Beaux-Arts landmarks, it also recalls the lives of those who commissioned, designed, and built them. These are some of the most acclaimed architects, artists, and artisans of the day—Daniel Chester French, Cass Gilbert, Charles McKim, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and Stanford White—and some of the most prominent millionaires in American history—Henry Clay Frick, Jay Gould, Otto Kahn, J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, and the ubiquitous Astor and Vanderbilt families. Names that—as Julian Fellowes (the acclaimed director of Downton Abbey) notes in the Foreword—“still reek of money.” Excerpt from the Introduction

Seventy-five years of the legendary Italian-made Ferrari motor and racing car, captured in photographs by Günther Raupp, who during the course of his career has taken pictures of almost every Ferrari ever built.

The results of his eye-catching style and perfect technique are more than just plain photos. They reveal the car’s soul. In this book, he chooses the images that he considers among his best, photographs that make the brand’s history come alive. Writer Jürgen Lewandowski gives an expert presentation of the history of Ferrari, from the founding by Enzo Ferrari until today.

For world-class drivers like Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost, Niki Lauda, Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, winning in a Ferrari was an outstanding experience. For many it was the crowning moment of their career. But even off the race track the sports cars from Maranello are impressive: not just the sporting qualities, but also the bodies, drawn by Italy’s best designers, including Bertone and especially Pininfarina. Günther Raupp photographs racing cars as well as road cars and makes 75 years of history of the Italian brand come alive.

Text in English and German.

Ganesh Pyne (1937–2013), one of the foremost artists of post-Independence India, is no stranger to connoisseurs of art in India. His haunting images of intimations of mortality, the crepuscular light in his canvases, and his brilliant use of his own version of tempera are widely admired. But he was a shy, reclusive man, who has left little trace of himself in public memory. Memorialising Ganesh Pyne fills this gap by bringing to life the sensitive artist through a remarkable series of photographs shot by artist Veena Bhargava across two decades.

The portfolio of portrait and group photographs that capture glimpses of the artist at work and leisure also provide poignant insights into a very private person. This visual record is anchored by two essays: the first, by Bhargava, recounts her experience of taking these perceptive images; the second, by Ella Datta, analyzes the aesthetic value of these rarely seen portraits as well as Bharagava’s artistic experiment on a suite of photo collages featuring Pyne with elements from his works. A detailed timeline of politics and culture during Pyne’s life adds archival value to the book. The volume will be invaluable for Pyne enthusiasts and research scholars alike.

Published in association with Akar Prakar Gallery, Kolkata.

“It’s very hard for me to accept that Sukita-san has been snapping away at me since 1972, but that really is the case. I suspect that it’s because whenever he’s asked me to do a session, I conjure up in my mind’s eye the sweet, creative and big-hearted man who has always made these potentially tedious affairs so relaxed and painless. May he click into eternity.” – David Bowie

For Sukita, the creative mastermind behind the iconic cover for David Bowie’s album ‘Heroes’, photography is an expression of a ‘fundamental secret’ shared between artists: a spiritual communication that transcends the minutiae of language. Born and raised in Kyushu, Japan, Sukita’s reverence of American and Western counter-culture lured him to New York and London. He immersed himself in the western music scene which he loved, while his relaxed photo sessions endeared him to many celebrity figures, including David Bowie and Iggy Pop (with both of whom Sukita had a 40-year long professional relationship), Marc Bolan, and Japanese musician Hotei, best known for his work on the Kill Bill soundtrack. His work spans the early US and UK seventies rock scene, the London punk-rock era to the present crop of emerging Japanese rock artists.

This photo book is the first time the photographer has collaborated on a major retrospective of his career and includes some of his early documentary work and his rarely-seen travel and street photography. It introduces the artist through two essays that explore his place within the wider context of both Western and Japanese photography, presented alongside the many iconic shots of both Western and Japanese artists that earned him his eternal reputation.

During her 40-year career, Margit Koppendorfer has designed costumes for the greats of theater history: characters from Shakespeare, Brecht, and Handke, directed by Berghaus, Peymann, and Tabori, performed in Vienna, Zurich, and Berlin.  Margit Koppendorfer: Costume Designs presents Koppendorfer’s often life-sized mixed-media design sketches on transparent paper and reveals through these unique illustrations how the costume designer accords identity to the characters. By alienating the real in a visionary way, a latent truth emerges. While author Elfriede Jelinek and actress Maria Happel emphasize in their texts the masterful embodiment of the costumes, and of their characters, Margit Koppendorfer herself says of her work, “I dance into the set with my characters.”

Text in English and German.

Growing Up Jewish in India offers an historical account of the primary Jewish communities of India, their synagogues, and unique Indian Jewish customs. It offers an investigation both within Jewish India and beyond its borders, tracing how Jews arrived in the vast subcontinent at different times from different places and have both inhabited dispersed locations within the larger Indian world, and ultimately created their own diaspora within the larger Jewish diaspora by relocating to other countries, particularly Israel and the United States.

The text and its rich complement of over 150 images explore how Indian Jews retained their unique characteristics as Jews, became well-integrated into the larger society of India as Indians, and have continued to offer a synthesis of cultural qualities wherever they reside. Among the outcomes of these developments is the unique art of Siona Benjamin, who grew up in the Bene Israel community of Mumbai and then moved to the US, and whose art reflects Indian and Jewish influences as well as concepts like Tikkun olam (Hebrew for ‘repairing the world’).

In combining discussions of the Indian Jewish communities with Benjamin’s own story and an analysis of her artistic output – and in introducing these narratives within the larger story of Jews across eastern Asia – this volume offers a unique verbal and visual portrait of a significant slice of Indian and Jewish culture and tradition. It would be of interest to Jews and non-Jews, Indian and non-Indian alike, as well as to history enthusiasts and the general reader interested in art and culture.