Farmer: Photographic Portraits by Pang Xiaowei represents a curated selection from more than 1000 portraits taken by Pang Xiaowei during a mammoth mission to photograph farmers from every province in China. It is a monument to China’s agricultural workforce that affords them the recognition they deserve and celebrates their dedication to their country.
The farmers of the Chinese mainland help feed 1.39 billion people. This powerful series of portraits captures the souls of these men and women: their hardiness, their work ethic, their dedication to the land.
Portraiture is one of the strongest visual methods of communication. As Pang Xiaowei says, “Portraits have a language; they can tell us so much. Portraits have force, and that force is directed towards our hearts.” Looking into the eyes of the farmers featured in this book, that connection is evident. These portraits forge a link between the observer and the subject, building on the ancient Chinese tradition of ‘spirit resonance in portraiture’ (chuan shen xie zhao). This aspect of Xiaowei’s photography is explored in an accompanying essay by the celebrated Chinese artist, Chen Lvsheng.
Covering four decades of photography the book serves as a stunning snapshot of Beckman’s significance in the world of art, photojournalism, music, fashion, and popular culture – but most prevalently, it’s a testament of her unique ability to extract beauty from the outliers of society. With written contributions from Beckman’s peers including academia’s Jason King, Chair of NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music & Vivien Goldman author & professor at NYU; journalists Vikki Tobak, and co-founder of PAPER, Kim Hastreiter; visual artist Cey Adams; music legends Sting, Run DMC, Paul Weller, Salt-n-Pepa, Belinda Carlisle, and Slick Rick; and fashion’s Dapper Dan, Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri, Levi’s Chad Hinson – From Punk to Dior showcases Janette Beckman’s influence in her realm. In addition to publishing five books, Janette Beckman’s work has been exhibited in galleries worldwide and is included in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Museum of the City of New York, and the British National Portrait Gallery. She is represented by the Fahey Klein Gallery.
Walking through the streets of London provides a glorious miscellany of history and design, past shops that have stood for centuries and those that popped up just last week. This book is a visual celebration of the capital’s most interesting stores: a vibrant compendium filled with original photography and fascinating write-ups. It explores the artistry behind each façade’s unique signage, delves into the sites’ past lives and includes personal stories of ingenuity, community and resilience from London’s shopkeepers. For shops are no longer just somewhere we buy things – you can do that online, these days – but places to connect with others, browse creative objects and gather inspiration.
Ancient adventurers have often spoken of a mystical land of perfect harmony and eternal bliss nestled in the forbidding remoteness of the Tibetan Plateau – the legendary Shangri La. No one has managed to pinpoint its exact location on a map. In the local belief system, Shangri La may well not be a place at all but rather the mental state of a pure and exalted body, speech and mind. Fascinated by this concept, the photographer and author Mahendra Singh set out on his quest. Most of it currently occupied by China, the Tibetan Plateau has been significantly distorted over time under state pressure. Therefore, the author traveled through some of the last surviving remnants of authentic Tibetan life found in the valleys of Ladakh and Spiti; often and justifiably referred to as ‘Little Tibet’. He traveled through remote valleys, ventured across stark landscapes and visited the improbable green oases of human habitation, culture and religion, to bring together this comprehensive portrait of the region through his vivid photographs and meticulously researched text. This book aims to take the readers on a journey of discovery and reflection, and hopefully, a little further along the path to finding their own Shangri La.
Do fashion and art go together? Fashion and art are both physical and psychological instruments that define our identity in this world. They bring moments of enchantment and passion. Discover the romantic clash between art and fashion in the form of a love story between two young people and get to know the true nature of two worlds that seem completely different from each other. This book is a mix of fiction and non-fiction. The love story between an artist and a fashionista teaches us that both fashion and art can be an élan vital for men and women. Do you remember your first encounter with art and fashion? Was it collecting art or consuming fashion? Fashion is action. Art is a reflection of this action. The authors of this book bring together experts from both disciplines, including 20 top designers and artists.
“Rare and Striking photos…” — Vanity Fair France
“…the book does not just focus on Prince’s best known looks, but creates a sense of the man himself, and all the elements that afford him ‘icon’ status during his decades-long career..” — Digital Camera Magazine
“A New Prince Photography Book Cements His Status as an ‘Icon’— And It’s Already a Bestseller” — Billboard
“…Prince: Icon is a sumptuous and luxuriously produced volume gathering together portraits, album covers, photographs of performances and rehearsals, rarely seen private moments, and candid snapshots of Prince.” — Arts & Collections Magazine
This sumptuous and luxuriously produced volume gathers portraits, album covers, photographs of performances and rehearsals, rarely seen private moments, and candid snapshots of Prince, one of the greatest singer-songwriters of his generation. This collection from ACC Art Books & Iconic Images – publishers of the bestselling book Bowie: Icon – was curated in consultation with Steve Parke, and its impact is both powerful, and inspiring. With images by renowned and little-known photographers from around the world, close friends, and colleagues, the result is the most opulent visual anthology of Prince that has ever been published. Accompanying personal essays and reflections offer unprecedented insight into what he was like: from memories of the earliest days in Minneapolis to touring the world, each contributor shares their memories and experiences of working with – and knowing – this legendary artist.
“The star-studded images are one thing, but their candid context is what makes them special.” – Joy Ling, Esquire Singapore
“…many famous names have stepped in front of his camera, captured quickly in his distinctive, clean style, with the images featuring in magazines and newspapers, galleries and exhibitions, and even earning him an MBE from Queen Elizabeth II for services of his photography.” – Chris Anderson, Air Magazine
“Andy’s contact-sheets give us what feels like a VIP pass to spend time with his subjects. We see their beauty, their flaws, charisma, humanity and even a glimpse into their thoughts and process. We see the person in these people and are touched by their being.” Kylie Minogue
“Above all Andy Gotts allows his subjects to shine through, untouched. His artistry does not come afterwards, in Photoshop and all the supposedly flattering trickery technology has taught us to expect. His skill is there in each frame, each moment, in the relationship he has built with his sitter, no matter how short a time they have shared, and the trust he has engendered in them because he is, quite simply, a good man. Anyone who encounters him can sense immediately his openness and kindness and I think this book is most of all a testament to those qualities.” Alan Cumming
” With this amazing book, you will see why Andy is as much a star as his subjects.” Gene Simmons
A 90-second shoot with Stephen Fry in 1989 launched the career of Andy Gotts, photographer to the stars. Through grift and graft and raw, honed talent, Gotts has become one of the most in-demand celebrity photographers working the circuits of Hollywood, British media, and the music industry. Gotts’s dramatic black-and-while style turns faces into artworks of shadow and light, while his color portraits capture his subjects’ ineffable humanity.
For the first time Andy Gotts reveals the incredible depth of his archive, showing his most famous portraits and many rare images alongside. The book focuses on Andy’s contact sheets, which reveal the process behind capturing the perfect image. Accompanying texts from Andy shed light on his craft and delve into the stories behind these captivating photographs. This really is the definitive, career spanning book, produced to the highest standards.
The book also contains personal testaments from a cross-section of the celebrities who Gotts has worked with: Alan Cumming, Gene Simmons, Ian McKellen, Jeff Bridges, Kylie Minogue, Michael Caine, Peter Capaldi and Simon Pegg.
“The star-studded images are one thing, but their candid context is what makes them special.” – Joy Ling, Esquire Singapore
“…many famous names have stepped in front of his camera, captured quickly in his distinctive, clean style, with the images featuring in magazines and newspapers, galleries and exhibitions, and even earning him an MBE from Queen Elizabeth II for services of his photography.” – Chris Anderson, Air Magazine
“Andy’s contact-sheets give us what feels like a VIP pass to spend time with his subjects. We see their beauty, their flaws, charisma, humanity and even a glimpse into their thoughts and process. We see the person in these people and are touched by their being.” Kylie Minogue
“Above all Andy Gotts allows his subjects to shine through, untouched. His artistry does not come afterwards, in Photoshop and all the supposedly flattering trickery technology has taught us to expect. His skill is there in each frame, each moment, in the relationship he has built with his sitter, no matter how short a time they have shared, and the trust he has engendered in them because he is, quite simply, a good man. Anyone who encounters him can sense immediately his openness and kindness and I think this book is most of all a testament to those qualities.” Alan Cumming
” With this amazing book, you will see why Andy is as much a star as his subjects.” Gene Simmons
A 90-second shoot with Stephen Fry in 1989 launched the career of Andy Gotts, photographer to the stars. Through grift and graft and raw, honed talent, Gotts has become one of the most in-demand celebrity photographers working the circuits of Hollywood, British media, and the music industry. Gotts’s dramatic black-and-while style turns faces into artworks of shadow and light, while his color portraits capture his subjects’ ineffable humanity.
For the first time Andy Gotts reveals the incredible depth of his archive, showing his most famous portraits and many rare images alongside. The book focuses on Andy’s contact sheets, which reveal the process behind capturing the perfect image. Accompanying texts from Andy shed light on his craft and delve into the stories behind these captivating photographs. This really is the definitive, career spanning book, produced to the highest standards.
The book also contains personal testaments from a cross-section of the celebrities who Gotts has worked with: Alan Cumming, Gene Simmons, Ian McKellen, Jeff Bridges, Kylie Minogue, Michael Caine, Peter Capaldi and Simon Pegg.
“While there’s no shortage of incredibly chic photos from Hepburn’s time in the spotlight here, original sketches of Holly Golightly’s costumes and jewels truly can’t be missed.” — Natural Diamonds
“This entrancing book portrays Hepburn’s majesty both on and off screen, giving us a refined and informed look at the actress’s life.” — The Lady
An unrivalled icon of grace and femininity, Audrey Hepburn is perhaps the most beloved star in the history of cinema. She enchanted millions of people with the sweetness of her smile and her inimitable style and was able to renew her image throughout the decades, anticipating fashion trends and establishing a new ideal of beauty. This volume retraces Hepburn’s incredible rise, from the early years to her worldwide fame.
The book is divided into four sections: ‘A Star is Born’, which follows Audrey’s first steps into the spotlight as a doe-eyed dancer; ‘The Golden Age’, how Audrey became the muse of Hubert de Givenchy and gave Hollywood a new ideal of elegance; ‘A Diva’s Style’, which touches on Breakfast at Tiffany’s, where Holly Golighty went down in the history of cinema with her sunglasses and little black dress, along with many others of Audrey’s later film work; and ‘Saving the Children’. This final section of the book puts great emphasis on her humanitarian work as UNICEF ambassador, on the side of all the children of the world. Both on screen and in real life, Audrey has remained faithful to the elegance of understatement and kindness, hidden behind her unforgettable smile.
Interior design in Barcelona, an important Mediterranean metropolis and a city with a rich history, draws influences from many different styles. The interiors featured here — notable for their airy sense of space and tiled floors — are cool in the summer but remain cozy and inviting. This book takes you behind the elegant facades, where timeless charm is created by the use of wood, warm colors and fabrics. Barcelona Interiors focuses on the most exclusive and unique homes that represent the authentic Barcelona way of living.
Collectors design their homes with their prized objects in mind. In this book 20 art and design collectors open the doors to their homes, many for the first time. You will be amazed at what you’ll see: from a Giacometti sculpture to a garbage bag by Gustav Metzger, from an iconic Eames lounge chair to the Living Tower by Verner Panton. This successor to the successful book Homes for Nomads (9789401477437) offers pages and pages of inspiration for all those who love beautiful and real-life interiors, and who perhaps live with, and love, their own collections.
The charming painter of Endymion’s Sleep, Atala’s Funeral and Chateaubriand’s Portrait was also a poet. Thanks to his classical education, Girodet (1767-1824) was the author of free translations of ancient Greek and Latin poets.
In 1808 he tried the to imitate and at the same time illustrate the Odes of Anacreon, whose edition was published posthumously. The Musée du Louvre holds the precious manuscript of this intense and complex work, in which the poetic research and graphic invention — compositions or vignettes — intertwine with the text. Only a facsimile could restore this organic whole in its integrity.
This book reconstructs the history of the manuscript, the various stages of the project and the posthumous versions, and analyzes the artist’s aesthetic sources.
Girodet’s handwriting is sometimes difficult to decode, but the complete transcription allows the reader to appreciate all the refinements and to rediscover the charm of Anacreontic poetry.
Text in French.
“New book gives fans a look at never-before-seen photos of Brigitte Bardot.” — Yahoo
“Rare photographs of the French actress Brigitte Bardot, from the archives of Douglas Kirkland and Terry O’Neill, are featured in a new book, Being Bardot.” — The Times
“Being Bardot, the new archival photography book from ACC Art Books and Iconic Images, honors the French starlet’s legacy, offering an inside look into her highly photographed world.” — CR Fashion Book
“What stands out most is Bardot’s liberated persona, her strength of character and je ne sais quoi. A stunning portfolio.” — The Lady
Brigitte Bardot is arguably the most familiar face in French cinema and one of the most loved stars of the 20th century. She is recognized the world over for her work in film, as a singer, and as an animal rights activist. The photographers Douglas Kirkland and Terry O’Neill both worked with Brigitte Bardot at the peak of her fame in the 1960s and early 1970s, photographing the star on set and behind the scenes on films including The Legend of Frenchie King aka Les Petroleuses, Shalako and Viva Maria.
ACC Art Books and Iconic Images are proud to present the work of these two acclaimed photographers with many stunning images taken from their archives to reveal iconic and never-before-seen images of the star. From on-set to off, playful moments to candid captures, Being Bardot includes more than 150 photos in color and black and white, contact sheets and revealing, first-hand memories. Being Bardot is a must for all fans of cinema, photography and Brigitte Bardot.
“A history of cool.” — Airmail
“Without a doubt she is the great reference of photography in the Hip Hop Culture, with photos that are already the history of contemporary culture of the 20th century.” — Staf Magazine
“In over 240 pages, the book encapsulates the spirit of history-making generations and their influence on fashion and wider visual culture.” — The Luupe
Covering four decades of photography, this book serves as a stunning snapshot of Beckman’s significance in the world of art, photojournalism, music, fashion, and popular culture – but most prevalently, it’s a testament to her unique ability to extract beauty from the outliers of society. With written contributions from Beckman’s peers including academia’s Jason King, Chair of NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music & Vivien Goldman Author & Professor at NYU; journalists Vikki Tobak, and co-founder of PAPER, Kim Hastreiter; visual artist Cey Adams; music legends Sting, Run DMC, Paul Weller, Salt-n-Pepa, Belinda Carlisle, and Slick Rick; and fashion’s Dapper Dan, Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri, Levi’s Chad Hinson – Rebels: From Punk to Dior showcases Janette Beckman’s influence in her realm.
In addition to publishing five books, Janette Beckman’s work has been exhibited in galleries worldwide and is included in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Museum of the City of New York, and the British National Portrait Gallery. She is represented by the Fahey Klein Gallery.
“Ballet inspires me. Human beings have the capacity to express themselves through many art forms, but when it comes to dance – and especially classical modern ballet – I am always amazed by that unbelievably elevated form of expression. It’s so precise and so incredibly skilled; I admire that enormously.” — Photographer and filmmaker Erwin Olaf
“The fact that the photographer is looking through the camera lens means they have a different perspective from looking directly at the figure. That is voyeuristic. The camera can do something that the audience member can’t: zooming in for a close-up.” — Choreographer Hans van Manen
The grand master of Dutch dance, Hans van Manen, celebrates his 90th birthday this year. That has given rise to international celebrations by leading ballet companies with the Hans van Manen festival from 8 to 29 June 2022, the exclusive publication Dance in Close-Up and the exhibition of the same name in Galerie Ron Mandos in Amsterdam from 19 June to 17 July 2022.
From the 1970s to the 1990s, Hans van Manen was not only one of the world’s leading choreographers, but also an internationally acclaimed photographer. It was during this period that the then very young photographer Erwin Olaf met the famed artist, who immediately took him under his wing and introduced him to the world of the visual arts and studio photography.
This book celebrates their 40 years of friendship, with a photo series in which Van Manen directs moments from his choreographic career, recorded with the utmost precision by Erwin Olaf.
With text contributions from the authors Nina Siegal and Michael James Gardner.
A unique take on fashion in 2022.
In Mirror Mirror – Fashion & the Psyche, MoMu – Fashion Museum Antwerp and Dr. Guislain Museum examine how fashion, psychology, self-image and identity are connected. The personal experience of the body is the main theme of this unexpected dialogue between visual art and avant-garde fashion. Featuring work by Ed Atkins, Walter Van Beirendonck, Noir Kei Ninomiya, Genieve Figgis, Genesis Belanger, Hussein Chalayan, Comme des Garçons, Joseph Schneller, Ezekiel Messou, Giovanni Battista Podestà, Helga Goetze and Yumiko Kawai, among others.
Publication accompanies the exhibition Mirror Mirror – Fashion & the Psyche at MoMu – Fashion Museum Antwerp and Dr. Guislain Museum, Ghent from 8 October 2022 to 26 February 2023.
With textual contributions by curators Yoon Hee Lamot and Elisa De Wyngaert, Mara Johanna Kölmel, Lucy Moyse Ferreira, Monika Ankele and Renate Stauss, who also wrote a text contribution.
The photographs of these journeys form one of the most extensive records of any region taken in the 19th century. The range, depth and aesthetic quality of John Thomson’s photographic vision mark him out as one of the most important travel photographers.
Thomson arrived in Siam in 1865 and with the help of the British Consul in Bangkok, he was able to gain an audience with King Mongkut who granted him permission to take some formal portraits of the King, his royal family and chief ministers, as well as recording important ceremonies and traveling to Ayutthaya, Petchaburi and the surrounding countryside. Staying in Bangkok for several months he photographed many aspects of the city, river scenes, its surrounding countryside and people, before journeying to Cambodia and the amazing Angkor Wat ruins. After an arduous and dangerous journey, Thomson became the first photographer to document Angkor Wat before returning to London.
Between 1868-1872 Thomson turned his attention to China, making extensive trips to Guangdon, Fujian, Beijing and China’s north-east traveling down the Yangtze river and covering nearly 5,000 miles.
In China, Thomson’s photographic skills reached their zenith and his portraits of women are particularly remarkable.
His collection of over 600 glass negatives form a unique archive of images, which are today housed in the Wellcome Library, London.
Welcome to the home of Wallace and Gromit, and Blackbeard and Banksy. Bristol is where the world’s first solid chocolate bar was created (Ribena was also invented here) and you can still watch delicious chocolate creations made by modern day Willy Wonkas. The city has a hidden castle (you just need to know where to look) and secret vaults underneath the Clifton Suspension Bridge only rediscovered recently after being hidden for more than 100 years. Climb inside these vaults, or into the cockpit of the final Concorde to fly or ride your skateboard in what used to be a swimming pool. If water is your thing, you can surf guaranteed waves at an inland surfing lake or take a trip in a boat that used to fight fires. Science and art collide at We The Curious, which has the UK’s only 3D planetarium.
If you think you know Bristol, think again. Allow this book to be your guide to Bristol’s best bits for kids.
Berthe Morisot: Shaping Impressionism is the first major UK exhibition of the renowned Impressionist since 1950. In partnership with the Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris, it will bring together around 30 of Morisot’s most important works from international collections, many never seen before in the UK, to reveal the artist as a trailblazer of the movement as well as uncovering a previously untold connection between her work and 18th century culture, with around 20 works for comparison.
A founding member of the Impressionist group, Berthe Morisot (1841-1895) was known for her swiftly painted glimpses of contemporary life and intimate domestic scenes. She featured prominently in the Impressionist exhibitions and defied social norms to become one of the movement’s most influential figures. Berthe Morisot: Shaping Impressionism will draw on new research and previously unpublished archival material from the Musée Marmottan Monet to trace the roots of her inspiration, revealing the ways in which Morisot engaged with 18th century art and culture, while also highlighting the originality of her artistic vision, which ultimately set her apart from her predecessors.
Highlights will include Eugène Manet on the Isle of Wight (1875), painted while Morisot was on honeymoon in England, and her striking Self-Portrait (1885), which will appear alongside Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s Young Woman (c.1769) from Dulwich Picture Gallery’s collection. Apollo revealing his divinity to the shepherdess Issé, after François Boucher (1892), In the Apple Tree (1890) and Julie Manet with her Greyhound Laerte (1893), are among nine paintings on loan from the Musée Marmottan Monet, many receiving their first ever showing in the UK.
Gilbert & George created Dark Shadow in 1974 as a ‘living sculpture book,’ the ‘result of our past three years of earnest daily thoughts, shadows, deeds, cares, and pleasures.’ Hurtwood’s limited re-edition of 2,000 marks its fiftieth anniversary.
Featuring original text and artwork by Gilbert & George, the publication offers an unparalleled perspective on the early career of one of the twentieth century’s most significant artistic duos. Like their art, Gilbert & George’s writing is irreverent, rebellious, often funny, and deeply poetic. The book includes a letter to their readers and photographs by the artists of themselves, their home in East London, and their pictures.
Dark Shadow is structured into eight chapters, which elaborate on the inspirations behind Gilbert & George’s work, such as London life and British culture, including, of course, Gordon’s Gin. As is emblazoned on the cover, Dark Shadow is a continuation of their lifelong agenda ‘Art for All’, and each book is a piece of art in itself, uniquely bound in the UK with hand-marbled cloth.
The Meaning of the Earth offers a retrospective on the lives and work of the relentlessly controversial artists, placing them within the context of twentieth century British culture. Wolf Jahn tells the story of how Gilbert & George found their identity in opposition to pervasive ideas around social conformity and religion after meeting in 1967.
The artists staged an internal revolution, mining their psyches to create visionary and unwaveringly modern art. The ‘two people but one artist’ ask the questions that gnaw at us all: ‘Where do we come from?’, ‘Who are we?’ and ‘Where are we going?’ The book meditates on the artists’ role in this century, connecting their beginnings as Living Sculptures to their pictorial work of today.
The Meaning of the Earth is a continuation of Jahn’s 1989 work, The Art of Gilbert & George. The author writes a playful philosophical interrogation of Gilbert & George’s work that truly grasps its cosmic scale.
Werner Mantz (1901-1983) was a prominent architectural and industrial photographer who began his career in the 1920s. His work occupies a unique historical position thanks to his visual language, technical prowess and use of natural light. As one of the most important photographers of the New Building movement, Mantz’s oeuvre bridges the gap between the often-anonymous nature of commissioned photography and the modernist, artistic avant-garde movements of the interwar years, such as the Bauhaus. In the 1970s, Mantz was even hailed as the ‘missing link’ in the history of international photography.
To date, only thematic selections from Mantz’s wide-ranging oeuvre have been exhibited. This monograph sets the record straight by showcasing, for the very first time, his immense versatility. Werner Mantz – The Perfect Eye contains over 300 predominantly vintage images, ranging from architectural photography, advertising shots and portraits of adults and children, to views of industry and mines, religious subjects, shops, restaurants and interiors, as well as roads, public spaces, landscapes and travel photographs. That Mantz’s oeuvre belongs to the canon of international photography is indisputable.
With text contributions by Frits Gierstberg, Stijn Huijts, Huub Smeets, Charlotte Mantz and Clément Mantz.
Werner Mantz – The Perfect Eye is the publication accompanying the retrospective exhibition of Werner Mantz at the Bonnefanten in Maastricht from 25 September 2022 to 26 February 2023.
Form and resistance are the essence of all architectural work. This is especially clear in the interaction between the effect and construction method of façades. They orchestrate the transition between interior and exterior worlds, they manifest the underlying approach and the way buildings behave towards their surroundings. In their articulation of engineering and aesthetics, supporting and loads, proportion and practicality, and rhythm and materiality, they reflect both varying production methods and social value systems.
The architect Lando Rossmaier worked with students at the University of Lucerne to study the range of architectural means of construction and expression with respect to Swiss townhouse façades. This anthology presents a selection of around 80 buildings with sensitively developed tectonics, dating from the 20th-century to the present day, all of which have formed a backdrop for an urban way of life for decades. Like a manual, the effect is demonstrated using a photographic portrait and a description of the construction method, using detailed tectonic isometrics. The collection is supplemented by ten projects by contemporary Swiss architects, with essays on their understanding of tectonics.
Text in German.
Articles: Dr. Bettina Köhler, Roger Boltshauser, Buol & Zünd Architekten, Edelaar Mosayebi Inderbitzin Architekt*innen, Enzmann Fischer Partner Architekten, Joos & Mathys Architekten, Käferstein & Meister Architekten, Knapkiewicz & Fickert Architekten, Loeliger Strub Architektur, Lütjens Padmanabhan Architekt*innen, Bosshard Vaquer Architekten, Caruso St John Architects
On Easter, 2014, Britain’s best-loved vicar, the Rev. Richard Coles, led a pilgrimage to all the major historic sites of the Holy Land: from Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee in the North, via Jericho and the Jordan River, to Bethlehem and, finally, Jerusalem. All of the pilgrims in his care were practising Christians, except one: the writer Kevin Jackson, a diffident and sympathetic atheist intrigued by the chance to take part in this modern-day version of an ancient act of piety, and to learn some more about his old friend, the media clergyman.
Coles to Jerusalem is Kevin Jackson’s light-hearted diary of that pilgrimage, and a close-up portrait of Richard Coles both as priest and as man. As the journey proceeds, Coles reminisces at length about his past life as a rock star and radical gay agitator, his new life as a spiritual leader and a popular broadcaster on BBC radio and television, and the strange, unpredictable path that led him from self-destructive debauchery to faith and vocation.
With a lively supporting cast of fellow pilgrims, Coles to Jerusalem ranges among the magnificence of ancient monuments and the banalities of the guided tour, the grim political background of contemporary Israel and the comedy of a group of idiosyncratic English folk abroad, the intensity of worship and the lightness of banter. It will be irresistible to all admirers of Richard Coles, who has contributed a foreword; and a revelation to those who have never encountered his wisdom and warmth.