This beautifully designed book is a celebration of one of the world’s most creative, dynamic and fascinating cities: Tokyo. It spans 400 years, with highlights including Kano school paintings; the iconic woodblock prints of Hiroshige; Tokyo Pop Art posters; the photography of Moriyama Daido and Ninagawa Mika; manga; film; and contemporary art by Murakami Takashi and Aida Makoto. Visually bold and richly detailed, this publication looks at a city which has undergone constant destruction and renewal and it tells the stories of the people who have made Tokyo so famous with their insatiable appetite for the new and innovative – from the samurai to avantgarde artists today. Co-edited by Japanese art specialists and curators Lena Fritsch and Clare Pollard from Oxford University, this accessible volume features 28 texts by international experts of Japanese culture, as well as original statements by influential artists.
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.
In Kari Steihaug’s art, what is overseen plays a major role. The things that have been set aside, unfinished projects, objects that are worn or frayed are all solicitously brought into the light. This is also evident in the materials used by the textile artist: Steihaug’s works feature worn out woollen garments as well as unfinished knitwear. By embracing imperfection, her creations become a counterbalance to the galloping consumer culture of our time, allowing us to see with fresh eyes what surrounds us in everyday life.
This book brings together 25 years of her work. Contributions in poetry and prose introduce Steihaug’s work and trace the lines of a diverse and rich practice.
With contributions by Monica Aasprong, Ingvill Henmo, Anne Karin Jortveit, Aasne Linnestå, Halvor Nordby, Kjetil Røed, Cecilie Skeide, and Kari Steihaug.
Hiroshige. Nature and the City is the most extensive overview of the career of the famed Japanese print artist, Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858) in the English language to date. It is based on the largest collection of Hiroshige in private hands outside Japan, the Alan Medaugh collection. The catalogue consists of 500 entries, with an emphasis on urban and rural landscapes, fan prints and prints of birds and flowers. Grouped chronologically by subject, it presents Hiroshige’s interpretation of the urban scenes from his hometown Edo (present-day Tokyo), the great series documenting travel along the famous highways of Japan, and the idylls of nature as represented in his bird-and flower prints. Hiroshige often incorporated poetry in his works and for the first time all textual content is transcribed and translated. Additionally, the catalog pays due attention to the differences between variant editions of his prints. Thus, it provides essential comparative material for every scholar, dealer, and collector.
These previously unpublished images of New York’s waterfront are presented here as part of a unique editorial project: the iconographic perspective is analysed and discussed in Pauline Vermare’s interview with Sophie Fenwick, and finds further literary development in the photographer’s poetry, on which she started working during the pandemic and is used here to accompany the visual narrative.
The language of photography is used here — in a series of black and white and color shots — to retrace the memory of a transformation and to express the urgency of documentation that in these pages evolves from personal to universal. The invitation to travel voiced by Fenwick is visual poetry articulated in a series of pictures, each of which possesses the potential to become a true icon.
Text in English and French.
This publication compares the works of two major Belgian artists – René Magritte and Jean-Michel Folon- their common grounds and their language in painting. Magritte depicts the mystery that emanates from the everyday life, while Folon opts for dreaminess and stylization. Folon replaces Magritte’s pigeon with a refined bird, drawn in a single stroke; he prefers a rectangular parallelepiped to the surrealist’s well-described house. When he was 18, in 1953, Folon recalls discovering Le Domaine enchanté, the series of murals Magritte had just painted for the Knokke casino. It was a revelation. Although the two artists never met and 36 years separated them, Folon has acknowledged to be indebted to the master of Belgian surrealism -whom he considers “one of the fathers of his generation”- throughout his career. Magritte, by opening up the paths of mystery in painting, laid the foundations for Folon’s art, which would never cease to explore the paths of poetry.
Celestial is a love poem of 100 rhyming couplets wherein the poet restlessly seeks his beloved, who is playing a game of hide-and-seek in the remote corners of the universe. This breathtaking poem takes you on a poetic journey to all the eighty-eight star constellations visible from Earth and reveals the hidden mysteries of the universe. Accompanied by exquisite illustrations of the tenth-century Persian astronomer ‘Abd al-Raḥmān al-Ṣūfī, Celestial makes a delightful read. May this poem inspire you to relish the beauty of the night sky and set you on your own cosmic journey. Bon voyage!
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.
Portals: The Colours of Our Longing is a visual and poetic dialogue between a painter and a poet/performance artist. Suzi Morris is an artist whose paintings question ideas of the sublime body, most recently through her affiliation with the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London, in response to the new science discipline of genomics. Celeste Nazeli Snowber is a poet, dancer, and multidisciplinary artist whose work, through her writing, teaching, and site-specific performance, explores embodied forms of inquiry. In Portals, lyrical texts sit alongside images that are both delicate and intense, as words and paintings invite the reader to consider how body and spirit can move in harmony together. This collaboration creates something personal and universal, bringing beauty to a troubled world. The two artists – one based in Vancouver, the other in London – unite in a shared vision of sensual ways of being in the world, opening portals to the infinite.
An artist among the most popular and instantly recognisable of the 20th century, Niki de Saint Phalle left a lasting mark on visual culture with a body of work that is free, colourful, and engaged. From her Nanas to monumental sculptures occupying public space, her work has reached a wide range of audiences by blending art, femininity, poetry, and provocation. Written by Annabelle Gugnon, an art historian and exhibition curator, this monograph captures the full singularity of an artistic journey whose powerful legacy continues to resonate across generations.
An artist among the most popular and instantly recognizable of the 20th century, Niki de Saint Phalle left a lasting mark on visual culture with a body of work that is free, colorful, and engaged. From her Nanas to monumental sculptures occupying public space, her work has reached a wide range of audiences by blending art, femininity, poetry, and provocation. Written by Annabelle Gugnon, an art historian and exhibition curator, this monograph captures the full singularity of an artistic journey whose powerful legacy continues to resonate across generations.
Leave the Light on is Annelore Desmet’s tribute to women. Her captivating images are like poetry without words, but their beauty goes beyond the pretty picture. Suggestive and mysterious, these photographs tell a compelling story of authenticity, seduction and feminine power. Annelore Desmet knows better than anyone that beauty is more than skin deep. With her trusted camera and light as her sole ally, she manages to meticulously capture every model’s essence, uniqueness and energy. For Annelore, photography is more than a craft. It is an intuitive journey wherein she completely surrenders to her instincts and embraces the moment. Or, as Henri Cartier-Bresson once said: “It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera… they are made with the eye, heart and head.”
Text in English and Dutch.
Alejandro Merizalde began photographing in Venice in 2008. In his early visits he found the city stiflingly overcrowded, but during a brief winter trip a few years later, the overcast skies and foggy atmosphere allowed him to draw out Venice’s legendary beauty without the disruptions of mass tourism.
In 2013 he started experimenting with longer exposures to eliminate the distractions of human activity and enable him to concentrate on his architectural compositions. This shift in approach was gradual, but it helped him realize that he was no longer interested in recording iconic features like St Mark’s Basilica, the Bridge of Sighs and the gondola, to name a few. From then on, he dropped the predictable locations and buildings and trained his lens on the Venice lagoon and areas of the city where Venetians actually spend their lives.
Text in English, French and Italian.
Yang Bangsheng — a pioneer in the field of international interior design and founder of YANG & Associates Group — systematically summarizes his design philosophy and practice for three decades, from his awakening in the fields of eastern Sichuan, to his expression of Eastern aesthetics on the global stage. It is a great work that fuses Eastern wisdom with contemporary spirit. Centered on the concept of “shēng xī jìng gòu”, or “Constructing Living Realms — Live, Rest, Position, Compose,” this book unfolds a design journey blending poetry and philosophy:
Live—Seeking wisdom from landscapes, conversing with nature.
Rest—Pursuing inner balance, achieving beauty within restraint.
Position—Embracing vitality in space, revealing intangible beauty.
Compose—Crafting humanistic scenes, creating enduring resonance.
For a century now the Aston Martin name has been synonymous with performance, style and sophistication. Perhaps more than any other luxury car it possesses a mystique and charisma that have established it as a cultural icon and the pinnacle of automotive ingenuity. Yet the brand’s survival has not always been assured. That Aston Martins are still being produced today is testament to the power of the name and what it represents to car lovers worldwide. In Aston Martin: Power, Beauty and Soul, author David Dowsey explores the colorful history of Aston Martin, from its humble beginnings in a London garage in 1913, to its takeover by the Ford Motor Company in 1987 and sale in 2007. Many of those intimately involved at the various stages of the car’s history offer fascinating insights into the development of the Aston Martin and amusing behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Mike Harbar s delightful renderings add a charming bespoke dimension to the book. With lush full-color photography, comprehensive specifications of every model from the early DB right up to the V8 Vantage Roadster, and production statistics and racing results Aston Martin: Power, Beauty and Soul is an indispensable reference for motor enthusiasts and a book that truly does justice to the Aston Martin name.
The Viennese architect and ‘allround designer’ Josef Hoffmann (1870–1956) is much more than just the founder of the Wiener Werkstätte. This book offers a wide-ranging look at his oeuvre, which took shape over no less than sixty years.
The timeless beauty of Hoffmann’s creations demonstrates his importance not just as a historical figure, but as a source of inspiration for several generations.
Richly illustrated with furniture, objects, designs, textiles, photos, drawings and documents. Special attention is paid to his creative method and his misunderstood use of color.
Careers in fashion and business permitted the Belgian couple Reinhilde Gielen and Hans Pauwels to travel the world, both professionally and privately.
There were years when their combined travel schedules meant spending over 200 days abroad, mostly alone, often staying every night in a different city at a different hotel. They were nomads who got glimpses of cities through the windows of taxis and hotel rooms. Time with people they met and admired was too short. So they compared notes and kept a list of places that they wanted to visit again and people that they wanted to get to know better. This book is about these places (95 cities all over the world) and their people. It’s a visual chronicle of fragments that share one characteristic: beauty.
Locations include Athens, Rome, New York, Buenos Aires, Milan, Paris, The Hamptons, Yorkshire, Berlin, Granada, Saint-Tropez, Nice, Miami, The Cotswolds, London, Beijing, Ibiza, Sicily, Kyoto, Tokyo, Mallorca, Goa, Trinidad, Palm Springs, Havana, Madrid, Los Angeles, Maasai Mara, and many, many more.
Life Around the Sea is an odyssey of Australia and a deep dive into some of the remarkable individuals who have been transformed by the sea’s enduring embrace; those whose hearts beat in unison with the rhythmic swells of the sea. In this beautiful publication, you’ll encounter people from all walks of life, from fearless big wave riders, and surfers who first felt the tender caress of a wave in their childhood, to artists drawn to the coastline to bring its ancient beauty to life, and shapers who expertly craft boards for wave seekers around the globe.
Be transported to Australian coastal villages, hinterland hideaways, remote beaches, and solitary shaping bays that form the backdrop to the unique lives of these people. Their personal stories, told by surf writer Alex Workman and captured by Russell Ord’s evocative and breathtaking photography, are a testament to the boundless beauty, mystery, and inspiration that the ocean bestows upon us all.
This book celebrates the work of Philip Aguirre y Otegui, an artist who believes in the universal power of art and sees the pursuit of beauty as being as essential as water and bread. Through his sculptures, Aguirre expresses hope that beauty can help reduce social inequality, making his work especially powerful in public spaces.
Spanning his career from the 1980s to the present, the monograph showcases his monumental works alongside smaller sculptures, revealing a dynamic dialogue between scale and form. It portrays the museum as an oasis, a place of aesthetic refuge where Aguirre’s art offers calm and reflection amid restless times, inviting readers to experience the profound impact of beauty in shaping both space and society.
The Yellow Mountains (Huang shan) of China’s Anhui Province have been famous for centuries as a place of scenic beauty and inspiration, and remain a hugely popular tourist destination. One enraptured 17th century-visitor was poet and artist Wang Hongdu (1646-1721/1722), who recorded his impressions in a masterpiece of Chinese travel writing: Huangshan lingyao lu (A Record of Comprehending the Essentials of the Yellow Mountains). Here Professor Jonathan Chaves of The George Washington University presents the first complete translation of Wang’s work in a Western language, with extensive annotations. Wang’s newly rediscovered verse is also translated, showing him to be one of the most accomplished poets of his day. Introductory essays explore the history of scholarly and religious pilgrimage to the area, and the role of the Yellow Mountains in the great Neo-Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist revivals of the early Qing period, the center of a yearned-for cultural renaissance.
The Goddess Devi, the primordial Shakti, is a revelation of the eternal Brahman in a maternal aspect. She is worshipped during the autumnal festival of Durga Pujo in Bengal every year.
In this volume, Peter Bjorn Franceschi presents a photographic exploration of the mother goddess in the making, a visual diary of the clay idols of the goddess Durga, from conception to finished form. The book takes us through the winding lanes of Kumartuli, home to the master artists who craft the clay idols of the Devi for the Durga Pujo. Accompanying these photographs are verses from Sankaracharya’s poetic work, Saundaryalahari (Waves of Beauty), translated by the scholar Minati Kar. The work is a paean to the goddess Durga, entwining Advaita Vedanta and Tantra philosophy to paint a splendid picture of Devi, starting from the crown of her head and ending at her feet. These poetic descriptions serve as a deeper layer to the visuals, and as an alternate way of interpreting the process of image making. Delving deep into the philosophical and artistic aspects of the divinity of goddess Durga, this volume is a visual celebration of her many forms, and also of the artisans who have occupied a centuries-old caesura between devotion and art.
His photographs are of an old-fashioned beauty and at the same time radically contemporary. Flower by flower Bas Meeuws composes his floral still lifes, but digitally: the basis for Meeuws’ monumental works are digital photographs of individual flowers. They allude to the Dutch masters of the seventeenth century with their sense of luxury and their eye for the ephemeral. Meeuws strikes a chord in the art world with his flower still lifes. He is represented by Dutch, American, Taiwanese and Indian galleries and exhibits from Amsterdam to New Delhi.
“Flowers represent the circle of life for me as well as the short time of real beauty – Carpe Diem” – Bas Meeuws.
“Meeuws’ assortment of flowers, seem to emerge yet elapse into their inky black backdrops, reveling in sharpness, flaunting texture, pore and vein.” – Newspaper The Hindu.
Text in English and Chinese.
Sofie Valkiers is best known as the founder and driving force behind the popular fashion, beauty, lifestyle blog, Fashionata. She is also the mom of 1-year old Gabriel, and in this handy guide she proves that it’s possible to both have a baby and remain stylish. Little Black Book for Moms is filled with practical tips and inspiration: what to pack in your hospital bag, where to find the most fashionable maternity wear, how to make a baby wardrobe checklist, and how to profit from ‘pregnancy glow’. Speaking from experience, she reveals her own secrets to remaining your most fashionable self while expecting your baby and beyond.