Until the early seventeenth century, the distribution of paintings and other art works was in the hands of the artists, but after that to an increasing extent it was taken on by specialists.The most important art dealers were active in Amsterdam, the art center par excellence. Hendrick Uylenburgh and his son Gerrit Uylenburgh were leading figures among these dealers. The Uylenburghs, father and son, ran an art business and at the same time headed a painters’ workshop where renowned artists worked. Rembrandt worked for this business from 1631 to 1635. He painted countless commissioned portraits and as well as historical paintings and ‘tronies’ also did grisailles and etchings. While working for this business he met Saskia Uylenburgh, a cousin of the art dealer, whom he married in 1634. Uylenburgh & Son provides insight into the nature and significance of the Uylenburghs’ enterprise and also discusses their investors and customers. A great deal of new material has been found about the Uylenburgh family and is presented here for the first time.

Vinyl records and record stores are currently experiencing a revival, and this is also bringing the artistically designed covers of past decades back into our consciousness. They present us with real music and design history in an inspiring way.

Now, for the ninth time, the world’s first tear-off calendar is being published with 365 vinyl covers by well-known and unknown musicians from all genres. These include real classics, but also the unknown and the bizarre. In addition to the daily music inspiration and the graphic feast for the eyes, the names of the respective cover photographers, illustrators and art directors are also listed on each page. A must-have for all record lovers and graphic design nerds!

And the hit: with the printed Spotify codes, many albums can be played anywhere and immediately.

Joan Mitchell, an extraordinary figure in 20th-century art, remains one of the most celebrated painters of the Abstract Expressionist movement. Born in 1925, in Chicago, Illinois, she grew to redefine abstraction, blending emotional intensity with lyrical beauty. Her work, characterized by dynamic brushstrokes, vivid colors, and profound emotional depth, established her as a towering presence in a predominantly male art world.

Joan Mitchell had at least nine dogs during her lifetime, and Georges du Soleil, a brown poodle, was her first beloved canine companion. Known for her deep affection for animals, Mitchell treasured Georges as a constant presence during her New York years. Like the other dogs that would follow, Georges was more than just a companion; he was also part of the vibrant, dynamic environment that nourished her creativity and her ability to channel emotion into her art.

“Dogs are objects of love (I suppose people could be? Sometimes)” wrote Joan Mitchell.

From her first dog, the adored Georges du Soleil, to Skye Terriers Idée, Isabelle, and Ibertelle (“Bertie”), Brittany Spaniel Patou, German Shepherds Iva, Marion, and Madeleine, and not forgetting Prunelle and Belle-Bête; all of them cherished companions in her life and work, all of them celebrated here. Joan Mitchell and her dogs: a love story.

Text in French. 

Designed for both layman and scholar, its simplified approach allows users to find and identify over 11,000 names of Japanese artists and craftspeople, from all periods and in all media. Includes a sections on reading dates, a list of 300 modified and debased characters, and an index of provinces and place names, plus reproductions of date and censor seals on woodblock prints, publishers’ trademarks and seals, and actors’ and Genji mon. Indispensable for the scholar or collector of Japanese art.  In English and Japanese.

Originally published in 1999, and long out of print, this revised and updated version of Techniques of Drawing gives an overview of historical materials and drawing practices in Europe and Asia, using examples from the Ashmolean Museum, including highlights of the collection and lesser-known works. This up to date edition expands the text and illustrations to include non-western art, including Japanese, Chinese, Indian and Persian works of art, also including some more modern western art works than the first edition, which only covered western art from the 15th to 19th centuries. Expanding the scope of the book to include global perspectives, and the 20th century, involves new sections such as ‘Brush and Ink’ which includes Chinese landscape drawings, Japanese botanical works, as well as illustrating the famous Mughal Indian drawing by Abu’l Hasan in the Ashmolean collection. The book also includes a new section on gouache (opaque watercolor) which will be important for discussing Chinese, Indian and Persian paintings on paper.

The masks in this book, all presented by two or more images, are accompanied by brief commentaries that offer readers — be they scholars or enthusiasts — an insight into these veritable masterpieces of African art, which in most cases boast an exceptional pedigree, having been included in the most important international collections of extra-European art.

Even though the works with which Zhang has chosen to surround himself are not all extra-European, as Marco Riccòmini explains in his introduction, offering a broader framework for the interpretation of Zhang’s esthetic choices, we have chosen to devote this elegant and carefully crafted publication to a specific aspect of African material culture.

Text in English and French.

Super Strike presents a behind the scenes perspective of one of Japan’s leading graffiti writers and urban artists. Hailing from Hiroshima, Suiko’s art has allowed him to travel extensively and Super Strike is a rare glimpse into his personal life as he likes to spin tunes, go skateboarding and illustrate manga comics. Super Strike presents his artistic versatility, highlights the global demand for his work and presents a dialog between his Japanese heritage, his artistic influences and the communities he visits and collaborates with. Super Strike is a unique document that exists to educate and inspire.

The complex oeuvre of the American artist Cy Twombly (1928-2011) comprises a time period of around six decades, during which it never lost any of its expressive power. Twombly was one of the most productive artists in the history of more recent art. Acclaimed as one of the most important painters of the second half of the 20th century, he fused the legacy of American Abstract Expressionism with European and Mediterranean culture. The book focuses to a degree never before seen on his major cycles: Nine Discourses on Commodus (1963), Fifty Days at Iliam (1978), and Coronation of Sesostris (2000). The artist’s development as a whole is traced based on nearly 200 paintings, sculptures, drawings, and photographs. This thus provides unique insights into the overall intellectual and sensual richness of the oeuvre. From his early works at the beginning of the 1950s, which are characterized by the use of text, to his compositions of the 1960s, his reaction to the minimal art and conceptual art of the 1970s to his final paintings, the overview of the oeuvre underscores the significance of the series and cycles in which Cy Twombly invented history painting anew. With its polyphonic conception, the monograph offers numerous approaches with essays that shed light on the various aspects and phases of Twombly’s path as an artist. It comprises et al. the reflections and personal impressions of other artists as well as the memories of his assistant Nicola Del Roscio. These diverse testimonies make it possible to discover Cy Twombly not only as an artist, but also as an individual.

“I am the unit of measurement.” Fiete Stolte divides the day into twenty-one hours to create a week with eight days, and thereby centres his works on himself as an object of observation and experimentation. A specially designed clock lends visual expression to his alternate way of calculating time; live projections of Stolte’s showing shifted sleeping cycles serve as time sculptures that portray the artist’s parallel world. For Drawing Your Mirror, Stolte cast his own hand in graphite, making a “pencil” of his index finger; in Eye, the pupil of an eye contains a reflection of the self instead of the outside world. Text in English and German.

The iconic Dome of the Cathedral of Florence, the largest masonry vault in the world, was built by Filippo Brunelleschi between 1420 and 1436. More than 100 years later, between 1572 and 1579, the vault was decorated with frescos by the artists Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari depicting the Last Judgment. Working with advanced imaging technology, total access, and Italy’s leading art photographer, this book presents in never-before-seen detail and completeness the entire pictorial cycle of the Dome. Contributions by noted art historians Marco Bussagli, Mina Gregori, and Timothy Verdon illuminate the art historical significance of this magnificent symbol of Florence and the Renaissance.

Text in English and Italian.

After the great success of the first issue, we are now following up with the eagerly awaited Volume II. Guido Weiß alias DJ MAD from the ABSOLUTE BEGINNER has fished out 366 absolute gems from the last four decades from his extensive and well-stocked vinyl collection for this fine hip-hop and rap tear-off calendar.
In addition to the well-known US classics, there are also many French, English and German artists. An absolute must for all B-boys and girls out there! And of course, many albums can be played immediately using the printed SPOTIFY codes.

Despite some field research our knowledge of the sacred among the Mumuye is still embryonic. In all these acephalic groups of a binary and antinomic nature, the complex va constitutes an extremely varied semantic field in which certain aspects are accentuated depending on the circumstances. Religious power is linked to the strength contained in sacred objects, of which only the elders are the guardians. Moreover, this gerontocracy relies on a system of initiatory stages which one must pass to have access to the status of ‘religious leader’. Geographically isolated, the Mumuye were able to resist the attacks of the Muslim invaders, the British colonial authority and the activities of the different Christian missions for a long time. As a result the Mumuye practised woodcarving until the beginning of our century. In 1970 Philip Fry published his essay on the statuary of the Mumuye of which the analysis of the endogenous network has so far lost nothing of its value. Basing himself on in situ observations, Jan Strybol attempted to analyze the exogenous network of this woodcarving. Thus he was able to document about forty figures and some masks and additionally to identify more than twenty-five Mumuye artists as well as a specific type of sculpture as being confined to the Mumuye Kpugbong group. During and after the Biafran war, hundreds of Mumuye sculptures were collected. Based on information gathered between 1970 and 1993 the author has demonstrated that a certain number of these works are not Mumuye but must be attributed to relic groups scattered in Mumuye territory.

JR uses the street as a canvas for his monumental photographic collages. His participatory projects (28 Millimeters, Face 2 Face, …) involve local communities. He launched Inside Out, a worldwide project inviting everyone to express themselves through images. He also explores cinema (Visages, Villages with Agnès Varda, awarded in Cannes) and creates spectacular installations (Louvre, Rio Olympics). His committed art, somewhere between poetry and activism, transforms public space into a universal gallery.

This book puts New York in the spotlight. Since 2006, JR’s collages have marked the life of New York, and several of his most important projects have been set up in this cosmopolitan city: Unframed at Ellis Island, in collaboration with Robert de Niro (2014), The Chronicles of New York City in front of the Brooklyn Bridge (2024), or the immense collaborative collages, such as the one in Times square or Flatiron plaza. An introductory text by The New Yorker’s editorial director, Françoise Mouly, offers a fresh look at this work.

The first monograph on an American abstract artist of unparalleled subtlety.

James Howell (1935-2014) was an American abstract artist who used infinite variations of the color gray to explore the fundamentals of light, space, time, and [kinesthetic] perception. He appreciated the color’s mystery, softness, simplicity, and capaciousness. His precise, systematic methods, developed over many years, yielded accomplished square paintings and works on paper. Their subtle revelations — absent of illusion, narrative, and symbolic references — expand in the viewer’s consciousness. In this comprehensive first monograph, Alistair Rider traces Howell’s artistic evolution, from the beginnings of his career in the early 1970s through the artist’s greatest achievement — the group of abstractions called Series 10, which occupied the last two decades of his life. Rider’s multi-faceted essay also chronicles Howell’s biography, including his early studies and accomplishments in architecture, and offers several interpretive frameworks for Howell’s oeuvre, notably a connection to East Asian philosophies. The beautifully produced book presents dozens of full-color plates of artworks and exhibitions, and Rider’s essay is thoroughly illustrated with archival images and documents from the James Howell Foundation. This publication makes a critical contribution to the reevaluation of an artist whose studies of light into shadow have for many years been in a dynamic conversation with recognized trends in contemporary art.

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.

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.

Bouke de Vries, based in London, gets the viewer thinking with his extraordinary artworks of broken porcelain and discarded shards. He creates extraordinary works of art from broken porcelain and pottery and discarded shards. With these he makes the viewer think about what beauty and perfection are. This combination of craftsmanship and creativity makes his art both visually impressive and conceptually stimulating. De Vries’ museum work is included in many leading international collections and he is represented by leading international galleries. This book presents an overview of the highlights of his career, in which he plays with the theme of decay and recovery. In his still lifes, relics and large installations, Bouke de Vries respects the history of objects, but adds humor and depth. The observant viewer experiences how the life of an object through the ages changes its owner, context and meaning. Several international art critics wrote a contribution for this book.

Text in English and Dutch.

Calder Now documents an exhibition at the Kunsthal Rotterdam which explores the enduring influence of the work of Alexander Calder (1898-1976) on contemporary art. Shown alongside pieces by Calder himself are works by 10 contemporary artists, including Olafur Eliasson, Simone Leigh, Ernesto Neto, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and Sarah Sze. The text explores the way their work resonates with Calder’s main artistic interests, such as the reflection of light and movement. Three noted art historians elaborate on themes such as the participatory and progressive nature of Calder’s art.

This monograph on Susanna Bauer presents the artist’s work to an international audience for the first time in book form. The essential ingredients of Bauer’s artistic production are the ephemeral natural elements that she encounters during walks and hikes in the South-West of the UK where she lives and works. They are leaves, stones, twigs… elements that become the heart of more elaborate creations rendered with crochet – sometimes used conventionally as a decoration, other times as a sculptural means of communication. Bauer’s leaves are airy sculptures in which the artist pursues a balance between strength and fragility. Nature becomes a metaphor for humanity: the artfully interwoven threads remind us that we are all part of a vaster network and therefore generators of connections. But it also stands for life: viewing these works it is impossible not to reflect on the confluences of beauty and vulnerability, resistance and transformation. 

The theme of the relationship between art and nature, and the ensuing interconnections, are investigated both through Bauer’s original work and in an introductory essay that analyses her œuvre within the broader context of the history of art.

Pahari paintings from the Horst Metzger collection, now in Museum Rietberg Zurich, are outstanding works by Indian masters who worked in the sub-Himalayan region between 1680 and 1850. This lavishly illustrated catalog of the works, which owes itself to a collaboration, yet again, between Prof. B.N. Goswamy and Dr Eberhard Fischer, is filled both with scholarly authority and poetic utterance. The passion with which Horst Metzger assembled this distinguished collection is matched by the text, for it throws open windows to a world of reflection and delight, close observation and soaring imagination. Together, the two scholars have, in earlier years, authored Pahari Masters: Court Painters of Northern India (1980) which accompanied one of the most celebrated and groundbreaking exhibitions in the field. Three decades later (2011), they were together again – along with Dr Milo Beach – editing and writing for the monumental, two-volume, Masters of Indian Painting: 1100-1900 which served as a guide to another path-breaking exhibition, shown at the Museum Rietberg Zurich and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Contents: B.N.Goswamy: Horst Metzger – The Collector; Catalogue; The Horst Metzger Collection in the Museum Rietberg; Bibliography; Ludwig Habighorst: Horst Metzger – My friend, the Collector.