Residences occupy a pivotal position in Japanese architecture. As an extension of the residential space, the Japanese courtyard garden is unique, featuring symbolic garden elements and designs that date back to centuries. This book is a collection of more than 30 residential courtyard design works interpreted for the modern-day home, sometimes extending beyond the traditional defines of a Japanese courtyard. It not only selects a wealth of pictures, which shows their visual beauty, but also provides technical drawings to reflect the design in better detail. The Japanese courtyard pursues the ultimate in being an area of calm, held in nature’s embrace, where one may reflect and rest in quietude to contemplate the deeper meaning of life. And every rock arrangement, tree placement, element/nature symbolized, and even scenery framed is meticulously thought out to achieve this. This book seeks to inspire residential and landscape designers to behold nature within a home with fresh eyes and to let rest old methods as new connections and perceptions are sought, in order to build a different kind of residential space that draws on the essence of a Japanese courtyard.
Full of surprises, fresh and pleasantly familiar at the same time. David Bacher’s photography is a kind of treasure hunt, where viewers can discover and interpret Paris and New York in amusing, yet reflective, ways. The images often mirror each other and just as often it is not immediately clear in which city a photograph was taken. His aesthetics, inheriting the tradition of many great street photographers, who have worked in Paris and New York City, lie somewhere between Louis Stettner’s calm spirituality and William Klein’s post-modernist provocation. Fifteen years ago, this American living in Paris and in Nantes decided to take mirror images of New York and Paris. In doing so, he realized that for him ‘Paris and New York are like two theater sets with thousands of actors without predefined roles’. His fluid gaze reflects the chaos of appearances without staging it. Bacher likes to create optical illusions. He jostles perspectives, giving reflections and shadows a presence as real as that of the bodies and faces which inhabit the theatre of his work, the streets.
Text in English, German and French.
Madras Then: The Story of Madras is the tale of several small villages that grew to become metropolis. In the sixteenth century, when the Dutch raised the price of pepper by 5 shillings, 24 merchants in London formed the East India Company in 1600 to corner the India trade. This event was to change the course of Indian history and to lead to the formation of several Indian cities, including Madras. A city of myth and historical importance, Madras and the region around the city has served as an important administrative, military and economic center for many centuries. With rare archival photographs from museums and libraries from around the world the book showcases a large number of photographs from private collections and tells a story of a city earlier also known as Blacktown. City of the oldest living language in the world, Chennai is different from the other three metros of India. A city also popularly called the cultural center of South India, Chennai is fast becoming home to some of the major global IT and automobile companies as well as India’s foremost center of medical tourism. A city of politics and films, Chennai has made Karunanidhi and Jayalalitha as popular as Rajnikanth and Kamal Hassan. From a lazy, sleepy Madras of the early twentieth century, the city is changing rapidly and this photo journey showcases the different facets of this beautiful city on the harbor.
is a behind-the-scenes account of today’s aristocracy, as they reinvent the country house way of life. Each family does this in its own way, maintaining the tradition of individualism, even eccentricity, which is so much associated with country houses. Dylan Thomas’s superb yet intimate photographs capture both the inhabitants of these houses and the spaces they occupy – from State dining to family kitchen, walled garden to attic. This feast for the eyes is accompanied by an equally mouth-watering text by Clive Aslet, based on interviews with family members and his long experience of the subject through his years as editor of Country Life. The result is an exclusive tour of a dozen spectacular homes.
Eleanor Moty (b. 1945) from the US is a seminal figure in the field of contemporary international studio jewelry. In a career that has spanned more than 50 years, she has been both a dedicated practitioner and a devoted teacher who has inspired succeeding generations of artists, collectors, and fellow professionals. She began to attract national attention in the late 1960s and early 1970s for her experiments with photoetching and electroforming metal. Later, mid-career, Moty made what seems like an abrupt shift in style and focus, with more abstract works whose designs were inspired by the natural inclusions within the non-precious gems used in their fabrication. While her works have been published in prominent books, catalogs, and journals internationally, this monograph is the first comprehensive in-depth examination of her career from its inception in 1967 through the present day.
Tadema Gallery was founded in 1978 by Sonya and David Newell-Smith in London’s famed Camden Passage in Islington. They were successful photo-journalists who ventured into the field of 20th century abstract art and the decorative arts of the 19th and 20th centuries. By 1982 they had discovered a passion for artist-designed jewelry and showed in the gallery an eclectic choice of jewels from significant designers of the Revivalist, Art Nouveau, Arts & Crafts, Jugendstil, Art Deco, and Modernist movements. With over 500 unique jewelry pieces from the 1860s to 1960s, the book reflects the 40-year history of the gallery and the superb eye of its inspirational founders.
Oita Prefecture – and the spa town of Beppu in particular – has held a central position in the development and dissemination of the bamboo arts in Japan for more than a century. This cottage industry was promoted by central government at the end of the Meiji era (1868-1912) as it looked for ways to export handicrafts for display at world’s fairs. Craftsmen were encouraged to produce high-quality pieces, some of their creations attaining the level of real artworks.
The success of this enterprise relied fundamentally on the transmission of knowledge and the education of weavers in an academic setting. The first vocational school to offer this kind of training was the Beppu Advanced Industrial Arts and Technology Institute founded in 1902, where artists working in the field continue to be provided with the skills required.
From the early twentieth century to Japan’s entry into the Second World War, the Oita area’s industry in luxury bamboo objects prospered and more than twenty craftsmen from the region had their works shown in museums, both in Japan and abroad. The artist Shono Shounsai (1904-1974), who became the first practitioner of his discipline to be named a Living National Treasure, undeniably blazed the trail for the production of contemporary works, not only by training many of the artists widely recognized today, but also with his sculptural and ‘modern’ approach, nourished by a finely honed appreciation for design. Many artists of the Oita region have chosen to follow this approach, as may be seen in the works shown in this exhibition catalogue.
Text in English with an introduction also in Japanese and French.
This volume is the first major publication on the vast varieties of ceramic histories and practices in India. The result of the 2017 exhibition ‘Mutable’ at the Piramal Museum of Art, this book archives the work of hereditary potters, industrial ceramics, studio pottery and artists who use clay as a medium.
Situated within the larger context of the post-Independence craft revival, this volume pays keen attention to the trans-national histories of practice through five sections. The section Shift explores the local and international lineages of Indian studio pottery. Object discusses the ways in which clay has been a unique medium of expression for many artists. Utility considers the development of Indian ceramic industries, through lenses of economics and class. Form takes as its subject hereditary potters who negotiate modern-day artistic spaces. Perception focuses on the low-fired water container and its web of connections with its makers and users. The very mutability of clay and its shaper and the resulting dynamism, that produces both tensions and opportunities, are at the centre of this book.
“More than just a biography, this book is a critical assessment of Aditya Prakash’s oeuvre as a designer, painter and philosopher” – Mark Jarzombek Professor of History, Theory and Criticism, MIT
“At once deeply moving and seriously informative, this book details a life in architecture in post-Independence India dedicated to social service, education, and environmental reform.” – Anthony Vilder, Professor of Architecture at The Cooper Union
“This book charts the intellectual odyssey of the pioneering artist, architect and urban planner, Aditya Prakash, a multi-talented renaissance man.” – Partha Mitter, writer & historian on art & culture
“An intimate, revelatory analysis of a life that exemplified the cosmopolitan modernism and national commitments of India’s founding, Nehruvian generation.” – Sunil Khilnani, Avantha Professor & Director, King’s India Institute, King’s College London
Vikramaditya Prakash (1924-2008) belonged to the first generation of Indian modernists that came into its own in the Nehruvian era. Built around a multi-disciplinary oeuvre that was unique amongst his peers, Prakash’s life was dedicated to finding the ‘one continuous line’ which linked art – as the search for the beautiful, architecture – as the enabler of life, and planning – as the ethic of protecting the interests of poor.
Interspersed with a series of visual essays, this book is conceived as an introduction to Prakash’s vast body of work. Besides practising architecture, he was an academic, a prolific painter, sculptor, furniture designer, stage set-designer, poet and public speaker. This volume documents Prakash’s education as an architect in Delhi and London, his early modernist works, his deep artistic impulses, his love of theatre, and his efforts to rally a culture of academic inquiry. The narrative describes his successes and failures, his arguments for and against modernism, postmodernism and globalization, and his passion for sustainable urbanism, the animal and the acoustic. The book concludes with an interpretive essay on Prakash’s life and legacy, along with lavish illustrations of a portfolio of select works.
About 40 muscular men half-nakedly face a dozen mirrors. One of them tenses up his gigantic biceps, another’s support team applies last minute corrections with spreadable fake tan. An old hand concentrates on some kind of meditation. A greenhorn meticulously checks his posing slip.
The air smells of aftershave, sweat, and loads of testosterone. The sun is burning. In a moment the big stage will be conquered. For this book, Firat Kara has asked what people can do with their bodies and with what diligence they proceed. Kara is not only interested in the bulky bodies but also in the people inside them. He has captured their inner impetus at international and national events, in studios and at open air training sites. He was able to find and record the personalities behind the muscles, especially right before the shows.
This fully illustrated and researched catalog commemorates an exhibition of over 200 pieces of Chinese and related ceramics collected within the members of the Oriental Ceramic Society of London. The selection spans the complete range from Neolithic to contemporary ceramics, from minor kilns in many different regions to the major kilns working for the court, and from pieces of academic interest to world-famous masterpieces. It privileges unusual and rarely seen artifacts and avoids well known, repetitive designs such as that of the dragon, which is so firmly identified with China that it has become a cliche of Chinese art. It also aims to demonstrate the vast variety of wares and the inventiveness of Asian potters well beyond the classic confines.
Text in English and Chinese.
Robin Grierson’s photography book, Steam Rally is published by Lost Press and has an introduction by the esteemed journalist and author, Ian Jack. It consists of 72 high quality color photographs that explore steam rallies in England over the past 30 years. The images record the engine men, their restored traction engines, and the lively steam heritage scene, which draws thousands to its events around the country every summer.
Having grown up around his father’s bus garage in County Durham and spent much of his formative years tinkering with engines, Grierson found himself instinctively drawn to the steam people and their beloved vintage machines. This collection of thoughtfully composed images, include respectful portraits, close up details of people and their machines, and wider views of the steam rally within the rural landscape. Grierson pays particular attention to the work-worn textures, stained surfaces, and subtle colors of the working steam environment.
“The genuine tone of this work derives undoubtedly from the photographer’s long acquaintance with tough working men and the tools and sounds of busy engineering yard’s” – Ag magazine
“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
After training as a graphic designer in Hungary, the plastic artist Vera Székely (1919-1994), a member of the Székely-Borderie ceramicist collective, tackled work in clay, metal, wood and glass to reach her artistic fulfillment in textiles.
From this point on, Vera Székely acknowledged “swimming and dancing in space to leave a trace in it” with her ephemeral installations of bent felt, her stretched canvas structures and “braced sails” that would be exhibited throughout the world, notably at the Biennale internationale de la tapisserie, Lausanne (1981) the Musée national d’art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou (1982), the Musée d’art moderne de la ville de Paris (1985), the Lunds Konsthall, Sweden (1988).
Text in English and French.
“It is a feast for the senses to leaf through this book …” — Lovely Books Germany
Audrey Hepburn once said “I never thought I’d land in pictures with a face like mine.” Nothing could be further from the truth. As one of the 20th century’s most loved icons, her face is instantly recognizable the world over. Here, for the first time, ACC Art Books and Iconic Images proudly present the work of six wonderful photographers – Norman Parkinson, Milton H. Greene, Douglas Kirkland, Lawrence Fried, Terry O’Neill and Eva Sereny – who were fortunate enough to capture the star at different moments of her life. In addition, former Curator of Photographs for the National Portrait Gallery and co-curator of the Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon exhibition, Terence Pepper, opens up his personal archive of vintage press prints, making this ode to Hepburn truly unique. Throughout the book, Douglas Kirkland, Terry O’Neill and Eva Sereny share their memories of working with the icon. They present a wonderful mix of on-set, fashion, portrait and behind-the-scenes photographs, including contact sheets and never-before-seen images. With an introduction by Terence Pepper, Always Audrey is sure to delight any Hepburn fan.
In the 1930s Grigory Barkhin became particularly interested in theater architecture, and this culminated in the publication in 1947 of a two-volume work, Architecture of the Theatre. This was the most comprehensive and deeply researched study of theater architecture of the time. The first volume follows a historical timeline, from early classical theaters to some of Europe’s national treasures – La Scala, Opéra Garnier, Vienna State Opera – and the development of theater architecture in the Russian Empire. The second half of the book is devoted entirely to Soviet theater architecture of the pre-war period, in particular the five-star design of the Red Army theater in Moscow, and competition projects for theaters in Rostov-on-Don, Sverdlovsk and Minsk, which Barkhin himself designed with his son Mikhail. These projects can be seen as the cornerstone of the development of Soviet architecture of the time. In this remarkable book, published here in English for the first time, Barkhin sets out a blueprint for architecture that combines an understanding of the subject with a bold and uncompromising vision.
“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.
Kolobok is a new adaptation and translation of a famous Russian folktale about a resourceful bun (a kolobok) who, as in the tale of the gingerbread man beloved of children in the West, skilfully evades the attentions of various animals. Beautifully adapted in rhyme by Sian Valvis, and with evocative new illustrations by Dovile Ciapaite, Kolobok offers English-speaking young readers a glimpse into the magic and mysticism of Russian folklore. The visceral and environmental elements that are present in Russian folktales bring to life a vivid sense of the nation’s culture and identity.
“I went to Noma and interviewed René (Redzepi). We were talking about art and food but the restaurant was closed. Everybody asked me how was the food, what did you eat – and he basically gave me some marmite. The best marmite I’ve ever had.” – David Shrigley
“This is not a coffee table book….notions of ‘taste’ get a grilling, while there are some fruity artist interviews….that make for entertaining accompaniments.” – Melanie Gerlis, The Financial Times
“This comprehensive and expansive explorations of art restaurants marries the nourishment of senses, both visual and taste, along with the meeting of minds.” – Chris Corbin, Corbin and King group
“A new and unique book.” – Layla Maghribi, The National News
This is the definitive guide to Art Restaurants — a new way to appreciate food. Christina Makris, collector of art and a Patron of The Tate and RA, takes the reader on a tour of 25 of the world’s greatest art restaurants, from New York to Hong Kong and Cairo to London.
Makris traces their stories, details the art highlights, and meets artists, restaurateurs and chefs including Vik Muniz, Julian Schnabel and Tracy Emin. A captivating guide to where great art and memorable food meet.
Restaurants featured include: Abou el Sid, Cairo; Bibo, Hong Kong; Casa Lever, New York; Chateau la Coste, Aix en Provence; Colombe d’Or, St Paul de Vence; Currency Exchange Café, Chicago; del Cambio, Turin; Dooky Chase, New Orleans; Gunton Arms, Norwich; Hix Soh, London; Kronenhalle, Zurich; Langan’s, London; Lucio’s, Sydney; Michael’s, Santa Monica; Mr Chow, London; Osteria Francescana, Modena; Paris Bar, Berlin; Red Rooster, New York; Scott’s, London; Sketch, London; The Ivy, London.
Including interviews with: Ai Weiwei; Antony Gormley; Beatriz Milhazes; Bill Jacklin; Conrad Shawcross; Damien Hirst; David Bailey; David Hockney; David Shrigley; Gary Hume; John Beard; John Olsen; Julian Schnabel; Maggi Hambling; Michael Craig-Martin; Michael Landy; Peter Blake; Polly Morgan; Sanford Biggers; Tracey Emin; Vik Muniz.
A forerunner of design, René Gabriel (1899-1950) established himself as a decorative artist in most of the salons and international exhibitions of the interwar period. The discovery of several thousand of his drawings, kept at the National School of Decorative Arts in Paris where he taught, allows us to fully understand the scope of the work of this singular creator who was interested in all everyday objects: furniture, wallpaper, fabric, crockery, rugs, but also architecture, illustration, scenography, advertising … Adept of wood, this fervent defender of furniture for all distinguished himself at the time of the Reconstruction by inventing many models for disaster victims and forging close links with industry. This commitment earned him wide recognition, crowned by the René-Gabriel Prize which will reward some of the greatest French designers, such as Marcel Gascoin, Pierre Guariche and Michel Boyer.
Text in French.