Published to coincide with the exhibition at Kettle’s Yard, Christopher Wood: In Love offers an intimate and revelatory encounter with one of Britain’s most compelling modern artists. Drawing on new research and previously unpublished works from private collections, the book traces Wood’s brief yet incandescent career through the relationships, places and creative exchanges that shaped his art. Structured in a series of thematic ‘acts’, it moves from London and Paris to the Mediterranean and Brittany, weaving together painting, drawing, stage design and archival material to illuminate Wood’s passionate devotion to both art and life. Six newly commissioned essays explore questions of love, performance and sexuality in the early twentieth century, situating Wood within an international avant‑garde network that included Jean Cocteau, Serge Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes. Beautifully designed and richly illustrated, this publication is an essential contribution to Christopher Wood scholarship and a vital companion to a vibrant moment in British modernism.
Dedicated to the groundbreaking work of Marcel Duchamp, this art book explores the life and artistic revolution of one of the most influential figures of twentieth-century art. Through a rich selection of major works reproduced in large format and in color, the book traces Duchamp’s radical redefinition of art, from his early paintings to his iconic readymades and conceptual experiments. Clear and accessible texts place his work within the historical and artistic context of modernity, highlighting the ideas and innovations that transformed the history of contemporary art.
FMR Issue No. 18: “The Unreachable House of the Olsons” marks the start of a series from Giovanni Mariotti, “A River of Words, a Cascade of Astonishment” narrates the narrative of Niagara Falls, “Tesseract at the Palazzo” tells how staging art in Venice is an art unto itself, while “Paper Lion” traces Rembrandt’s brush with a big cat. “JACK OF FALCONS BEATS FOUR OF DUCKS” presents unfamiliar fauna in playing cards; “THE AEROPAINTRESS AND HER SWIFT MESSENGERS” reminds us that the one notable female Futurist was looking down from her cockpit at a world newly linked by now-old media; in “BUTTERED SPRINGTIME,” Gloria Fossi links art to asparagus. “THE PALACE OF TWELVE-POINTED STARS” tours us through a Moorish revival palace in Tangier. And “RUNAWAY QUEEN” tells the tale of an independent female royal eager to shed the ballast of her birth in the Eternal City.
‘The Indian tribal art, a new field of exploration of contemporary art’ – Le Monde.
India’s cultural richness makes it an endlessly fascinating country. India is known for its profusion of sacred art reaching back several thousand years, but we are less aware of the fact that over 60 million Indians come from the several hundred miscellaneous tribes with which the country is studded. The Indian government has done more than any other to preserve and give visibility to its tribal and popular art and since 1976 the Indian authorities have regularly accorded the great names in tribal art the same status as those in the modern art that has followed independence. These are India’s ‘other Masters’, as the title of an exhibition held in New Delhi in 1998 put it. At the instigation of the great modern painter and guru Jagdish Swaminathan, the year 1982 saw the inauguration in the very heart of India of the Bharat Bhavan, the first museum to give an equal standing to contemporary artists from both dominant and minority cultures. The groundbreaking historical figures among these other masters, such as Jangarh Singh Shyam and Jivya Soma Mashe, who were present in the historic exhibition Magicians of the Earth (Centre Pompidou, 1989), are enjoying a burgeoning international reputation. Their works are now on display in the great private collections, from the Devi Art Foundation to the Fondation Cartier, and the international press, ranging from the New York Times to Le Monde and including The Hindu, have celebrated these artists’ imaginative range. India astonishes once again through its extraordinary capacity simultaneously to provide a stage for all the best examples of contemporary art generated by its diverse cultures, whether they be dominant, minority, global, local, urban or rural. Like contemporary art, India is itself multi-faceted. One word, manifold cultures.
This catalog presents masterpieces of calligraphy, painting, sculpture, ceramics, lacquers, and textiles from two of America’s greatest Japanese art collections, which are featured in a landmark exhibition at the Asia Society in New York. Impermanence is a pervasive subject in Japanese philosophy and art, and recognizing the role of ephemerality is key to appreciating much of Japan’s artistic production. The dazzling range of art and objects in this beautifully photographed exhibition catalog show the broad, yet nuanced, ways that the notion of the ephemeral manifests itself in the arts of Japan throughout history. Insightful contributions from noted scholars explore the aesthetics of impermanence in religion, literature, artifacts, the tea ceremony, and popular culture in objects dating from the late Jomon period (ca. 1000-300 B.C.E.) to the 20th century.
Contents:
The Art of the Ephemeral;
Works in the Exhibition:
I. Retrieving Lost Worlds; II. Buddhism: Perpetual Impermanence; III. Tea: Choreographed Ephemerality; IV. Transforming Impermanence into Art.
Published to accompany an exhibition at the Asia Society Museum, New York, between 11 February and 26 April 2020.
Modern Painting in Egypt is an invitation to journey through the Egyptian art scene of the 20th century, spotlighting many of its major painters and their role in shaping Egypt’s cultural heritage. This two-volume edition revives the book by Aimé Azar, a noted specialist of modern Egyptian art, first published in 1961 by Éditions Nouvelles and long out of print. Expanded and enriched, it gives readers a comprehensive understanding of this period in art history through texts and imagery of exceptional quality. The book is divided into seven chapters, followed by more than 90 biographies of Egyptian and foreign artists, presented chronologically in volume 2 and spanning 40 years of modern Egyptian art. A corpus of more than 600 paintings and drawings illustrates the book, allowing readers to grasp the essence of Egyptian painting and the full range of its nuances. Translated and reprinted in Arabic in 2006, it is now published in English to give the subject international reach.
As an emerging contemporary art discipline, installation art, with its characteristics of creation materials and forms, brings artists great creative freedom. In recent years, installation works have appeared frequently in various exhibitions and are an important part of contemporary art history that cannot be ignored.
In response to the call of the times, Contemporary Installation Art is a collection of excellent installation artworks from all over the world, with both panoramic complete form drawings and detailed displays, as well as graphic designs or hand-drawn drawings, aiming at conquering the readers with the charms of the artworks themselves and conveying the artistic concept that “real artworks originate from life and are higher than life”.
Art of the Cameroon Grasslands unveils the artistic creativity of a region of West Africa through the Weis Collection. With texts by Peter Weis and Bettina von Lintig, and a contribution by Michael Oehrl, the book is a comprehensive overview of Grasslands Art.
In contrast to many other African regions, the works of the artists of the ethnic groups that live in the Grasslands are characterized by enormous diversity, dynamism, movement, asymmetry, power, and even unbridled wildness. Other works radiate tranquillity, offering the viewer uncommon visual pleasure and delight. For centuries, kingdoms and rulers in this region competed to create new works of art or perfect inherited styles. These works served cultural, profane, and representational purposes, and they reflected the social and ruling structures of the Grasslands—aspects that the book’s essays and descriptions go into in detail.
A broad spectrum of objects and their uses are reflected in the Weis Collection. It includes everyday objects, works of folk art, ritual, and cult objects such as magic or commemorative figures, masks, posts, palace doors, representational objects, musical instruments, tobacco pipes, and drinking horns.
The introduction presents important aspects of the cultural and artistic development of each object’s region of origin, also in the context of European colonization. All are illustrated with numerous field photographs. This is followed by an essay on beaded artworks from the Grasslands, a subject that has been little researched to date. As the Grasslands are embedded in a larger cultural area, objects in the collection from neighboring ethnic groups are also presented, in many cases shedding light on centuries-old connections and artistic exchanges.
This volume accompanies the Art Brut CUBA exhibition organized by Collection de l’Art Brut in Lausanne and features essays by Cuban authors and other experts, reproductions of works and previously unpublished letters from the collection’s archives.
The exhibition represents a voyage of discovery that explores the world of outsider art in Cuba more than 40 years after the first exhibition, which came about as a result of Jean Dubuffet’s desire to gather together in Collection de l’Art Brut works by self-taught Cuban artists assembled by his friend Samuel Feijóo, the curator of the 1983 exhibition.
Being an island with a distinctive history that has long been isolated for political and economic reasons, Cuba is a fertile breeding ground for artistic creations unaffected by the traditional artistic influences of the world outside.
The exhibition is divided into two sections: the first presents historical works by the Signos Group, founded by Samuel Feijóo in the late 1960s to promote popular Cuban culture through the graphic arts; the second presents works by contemporary outsider artists from the Riera Studio. Most of the works on display are made from recycled materials – cardboard packaging, newspaper, scrap metal, recycled waste – or natural materials, such as wood and jute fiber.
The works reflect the artists’ personal experiences, the economic, social and political circumstances of their country, and their inner worlds and obsessions. They offer an alternative and authentic view of Cuba, far from the stereotyped imagery associated with this nation.
Text in English and French.
James VI & I, the only child of Mary, Queen of Scots, has often been overshadowed by the dramatic lives of his mother and son, Charles I. This book seeks to redress the balance by centering the first monarch to reign over both Scotland and England and uncovering the artistic treasures created during his extraordinary reign.
The cultural riches of James’s court are showcased, revealing his diverse roles as ruler, scholar, politician, father and patron of the arts. His court’s passion for jewelry and fine clothes is illustrated in the vivid portraits and miniatures by John de Critz and Nicholas Hilliard – just two of many artists and craftspeople who thrived in its artistic and intellectual climate.
Five richly illustrated chapters demonstrate James’s impact on early modern Britain, while reconsidering the reputation of a king traditionally presented as preferring hunting and drinking to the duties of daily governance. Packed with exquisite art works and sumptuous objects, this book brings James’s court vividly to life.
Roger Fry (1866–1934) and his role as critic, curator and member of the Bloomsbury Group are explored in this rich and vibrant biography. From his curation of one of the most important collections in New York and groundbreaking exhibitions in London to his launch of the Omega Workshops with Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, Fry introduced Post-Impressionism, radicalized interiors and changed the landscape of twentieth-century art. His introduction of Cézanne, Van Gogh and Matisse to a British audience played a significant role in a legacy that still inspires today.
Often overlooked, Fry was one of the most influential figures in twentieth-century art in Britain, giving a generation of modern artists their first exhibitions, while also creating art himself. Roger Fry: Bloomsbury and the Invention of Modern Art offers a compelling portrait of his extraordinary career and his pivotal role in redefining British art.
This book is put together like a jewel and contains a carefully chosen selection of around 100 West African combs from one of the world’s largest and finest private collections of sub-Saharan African art. Featuring a hitherto unseen assortment of pieces assembled over a period of more than 60 years, the book also includes an authoritative analysis by Alain-Michel Boyer, who approached this rarely addressed theme in what was his final work, begun almost ten years ago.
As well as offering us valuable insights into the cultures that produced these miniature sculptures (Ivory Coast, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Nigeria), he explores the way the form itself is approached. These creations transform what is in principle a plain accessory and in the effort to attain pure beauty, they display an aesthetic awareness that raises the adornment of the body to the level of fine art.
Simon Schama explores our enduring fascination with birds in a visually stunning art book
‘No other creatures have fixed themselves so obsessively and ubiquitously in our restless, earth-stuck imagination as birds… the fixation painted, imprinted, sculpted, filmed in our art.’ – Simon Schama
From Icarus to Peter Pan, who hasn’t dreamt of flying? Birds are the embodiment of our desires, fears and fantasies. In this publication internationally renowned (art) historian Simon Schama and Mauritshuis director Martine Gosselink explore the fascinating relationship between humans and birds through art, literature and cultural history.
Carel Fabritius’s world-famous Goldfinch, Picasso’s Dove, Brancusi’s Bird in Space, an Egyptian falcon mummy, a feather dress by Iris van Herpen: this book is a visual and literary journey through centuries of bird imagery. The icing on the cake is a wonderful anthology of bird stories from, among other works, The Epic of Gilgameshand One Thousand and One Nights, as well as bird poems by such writers as Rabindranath Tagore, Ted Hughes, Bob Marley and Rūmī.
With contributions by Simon Schama, Martine Gosselink, Laura Cumming, Stefan Hertmans, Philip Hoare, Eva Meijer and Adrienne Quarles van Ufford.
This book is published on the occasion of the exhibition BIRDS – Curated by The Goldfinch & Simon Schamain Mauritshuis, The Hague from 12 February to 7 June 2026.
At the heart of pictorial modernity, Paul Cézanne occupies a decisive place, both discreet and foundational. Through landscapes, still lifes, and figures, the book traces a body of work constructed over time, marked by an exceptional rigor of practice. Canvas after canvas, Cézanne revisits, adjusts, and reconstructs, until he makes color and volume the very foundation of painting itself, a process that Pablo Picasso recognized as foundational and decisive for the birth of Cubism and of 20th-century art. The book is written by Jean-Luc Chalumeau (author, in the same collection, of the monograph dedicated to Van Gogh), an art critic and historian, professor, and essayist whose work has greatly contributed to reflection on modern and contemporary art. In particular, he offers an in-depth reading of the artist’s work, attentive to aesthetic issues, artistic lineages, and the transformations of painting between the 19th century and modernity.
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.
Queer Belgian Art 1400–1950, the catalog of the namesake exhibition at Ghent’s Museum of Fine Art, is the first book to intensely explore art from the Southern Netherlands and Belgium through an LGBTQIA+ lens. Drawing on four years of research, the exhibition brings together 150 works from over 50 collections, spanning painters like Rubens, Rops, and Ensor alongside lesser-known or unjustly forgotten figures. Through a variety of themed chapters and artist profiles, the catalog traces five centuries of same-gender intimacy, gender fluidity, hidden codes and the many untold queer stories in Belgian art history. Created largely by members of the queer community and aimed at a wide audience, the book offers a nuanced, open-minded look at the past without imposing modern labels. It invites readers to discover surprising new perspectives on art they either thought they knew or never even realized existed.
The common thread running right through this work is man’s link with the land, the legacy of the ancestors that still echoes in the present. It is no accident that Before Time Began is one of the expressions used by Aboriginal artists in central Australia to refer to the creation of the world, in an oneiric sense. Understanding and following this underlying bond enables the reader to explore the art’s narrative content in its association with dreams and the passage of time, elements that inevitably distinguish the temporal dimension in the different societies. But it is also a way of exploring the first stirrings of contemporary art in an Aboriginal context through works made at the beginning of the 1970s in Arnhem Land and in the territory of the Papunya, as well as more recent paintings by artists living in the APY (Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara). These last examples in particular highlight the fusion between contemporary art and traditional customs, in which ancestral knowledge is fused with elements drawn from the inevitable march of progress.
This book addresses a phenomenon that pervades the field of art history: the fact that English has become a widely adopted language. Art history employs language in a very particular way, one of its most basic aims being the verbal reconstruction of the visual past. The book seeks to shed light on the particular issues that English’s rise to prominence poses for art history by investigating the history of the discipline itself: specifically, the extent to which the European tradition of art historical writing has always been shaped by the presence of dominant languages on the continent.
What artistic, intellectual, and historical dynamics drove the pattern of linguistic ascendance and diffusion in the art historical writing of past centuries? How have the immediate, practical ends of writing in a common language had unintended, long-term consequences for the discipline? Were art historical concepts transformed or left behind with the onset of a new lingua franca, or did they often remain intact beneath a shifting veneer of new words?
Includes 10 essays in English, four in Italian, and one in German.
Text in English, German and Italian.
Yaozhou ware is one of the finest Chinese celadons, made in north China over a period of 700 years, from the 7th to the 14th centuries. Their style developed and changed over time. In the Tang dynasty (618-906) black, brown, lead glazed and black-on-white painted ceramics were made. During the Five Dynasties period (907-960) a technical peak was achieved, and white-bodied wares with beautiful blue-green glazes appeared. During the Northern Song and Jin dynasties (906-1279) more olive-toned celadon glazes became the norm, their intricate decoration and lustrous surfaces supplying a unique aesthetic. At the end of the Jin dynasty the kilns declined and started to manufacture folk ware.
Yaozhou Wares from Museums and Art Institutes Around the World gathers illustrations and descriptions of some of the finest Yaozhou wares in private and public collections around the globe. The account considers ceramics in sections, according to their form and decoration, and includes the finest-quality ‘official wares’ requisitioned for imperial use. Copious illustrations are augmented by a scholarly essay. Highlighting over 400 pieces of Yaozhou ware, the book contains 711 color and 3 black-and-white illustrations from 56 major museums and art institutes, and will inspire collectors, students and anyone with a love for Chinese ceramics.
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.
“…sumptuous large illustrations of the selected Works, with a beautifully printed tonality”
“lt is exciting to think about how this important collection can continue to grow while this publication is already a beautiful tribute to Scottish art.” — Journal of the Scottish Society for Art History, Volume 29, 2024-2025, p.128
The National Galleries of Scotland is home to the most important collection of Scottish art in the world. This beautifully illustrated book introduces the collection through 100 works, specially chosen by the curatorial team who care for them.
The selection ranges chronologically from a 16th-century portrait of a Scottish king to 21st-century instalations and prints. Some of the most famous painters in Scotland’s history feature alongside some of the finest artists working in Scotland today. Many of the most distinctive movements in Scotland’s artistic heritage are represented, including the Celtic Revival, Arts and Crafts, the Glasgow Boys and the Scottish Colourists.
Each of the 100 works is reproduced alongside a text by one of 23 three expert contributors. The introduction gives an overview of the collection and Scottish art history more broadly. It is perfect for those who already love Scottish art, and those who are yet to discover its riches.
Looted Art & Restitution relates the history of the trade, looting and restitution of works of art from the Netherlands before, during and after World War II. Countless artworks ended up in German hands during the occupation. The allies recovered a large number of works of art to the Netherlands after the war. It was the Dutch government’s task to return looted or forcibly sold works to their original owners. The mostly Jewish claimants, however, often encountered bureaucratic and unwilling authorities. Meanwhile, most of the artworks were distributed over museums and depots or auctioned off.
It was not until the late 1990s that, in accordance with international developments, the restitution policy became much more humane and a search for the rightful owners was implemented.
‘Beauty is the beacon of God,’ said Botticelli. ‘No, it’s not. Love is,’ snapped his sister.
Beauty: Botticelli in Florence imagines what Botticelli was feeling and thinking as he painted. The people he loved and despised, his private struggle between spirituality and sensuality, the tempestuous times he lived through – all come to life in his images…
The novel is a speculation based on the few facts known about Botticelli, informed by his paintings. There are many surprises. The Birth of Venus was a tapestry design. And his famed self-portrait didn’t depict him (as widely believed) but Pierfrancesco de Medici, who sued his powerful cousin Lorenzo for robbing him, abolished Florence’s homophobic witch-hunts, funded Vespucci’s journey to the New World and commissioned Botticelli’s most famous works. There was boiling tension between him and Botticelli.
This is the first in a sequence of illustrated ‘painting novels’ that make sights as telling as words.
The Art of Endurance is a coffee table book about the 2024 season of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), which is one of the most exciting competitions in motorsport. This book is based on the very rich production of images that will be developed and embellished over the eight races that are held around the globe on internationally renowned circuits, including the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. The main goal is to capture the “spirit” that characterizes these endurance races. This beautiful publication will be a perfect promotional tool for the championship, whose considerable drawing power is due to the number of competitors and manufacturers who are taking part.