July 2008

Art books

Eric Fischl, 1970-2007 / Arthur C. Danto, Robert Enright, Steve Martin. 2008
This publication is an expanded edition of "Eric Fischl 1970-2000". In the opening essay Arthur C Danto helps us see the artist in context from his student days in the 1970s, when painting was almost an anathema, through his early work and to his notorious painting, "Sleepwalker", which brought him to the public's attention, and to his mature paintings. Selected paintings are discussed in more detail mainly with reference to their content and meaning. The discussion covers forty years of the artist's work and is supported with many quotes by the artist. The second very short essay by Robert Enright further discusses Fischl's work with specific reference to the artist's aims. The bulk of the book "Fischl on Fischl" comprises examples of the artist's work accompanied by his comments taken from an interview with Robert Enright conducted in 2000 and 2007...(customer review) (Amazon)

50 women artists you should know / Christiane Weidemann, Petra Larass, Melanie Klier. 2008
This beautifully produced, richly detailed and comprehensive survey of fifty influential women artists from the Renaissance to the Post-Modern era details their vast contributions to the art world. From the Early Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi and the seventeenth-century illustrator Maria Sibylla Merian to Impressionists Mary Cassatt and Berthe Morisot, and to modern icons such as Frida Kahlo, Georgia O Keefe and Louise Bourgeois, the most important female artists are profiled in this book in chronologically arranged double-page spreads. For each artist there is a timeline highlighting significant events in her life; a succinct biography and information outlining her accomplishments and influence; additional resources to further study of the artist and, best of all, brilliant full-color reproductions of the artist's works. Packed with information, here is a stunning and absorbing book that clearly illustrates the remarkable artistic contributions of women throughout history. (Amazon)

Piecebook : the secret drawings of graffiti writers / Sacha Jenkins, David Villorente. 2008
Original in concept and design, this living history of the graffiti movement mimics the actual sketchbooks graffiti artists use to perfect their work before it goes public. Before it hits the wall, graffiti is often painstakingly planned out in a sketchbook or piece book. Well-worn and dog-eared, these books are passed along from artist to artist as a way of sharing ideas and offering instruction. Here hundreds of drawings, most of them never before published, are reproduced on uncoated paper to resemble the pages of an authentic piecebook. Bold and beautiful works from graffiti history s most important sources or seeds Zephyr, Dondi, Daze, CRASH, Lady Pink, T-Kid, CAP and Ghost, among others represent a dizzying array of techniques. The authors, former graffiti practitioners themselves, offer biographies of the artists and an introductory essay on why piecebooks have become such valuable historical records. Fans of graffiti will find this an irresistible inside look at how their favorite artists perfected their talents. (Amazon)

The Polaroid book : selections from the Polaroid Collections of photography / edited by Steve Crist ; essay by Barbara Hitchcock. 2008
This survey features more than 400 works from the Polaroid Collection along with essays by Hitchcock, who illuminates the beginnings and history of the Polaroid Corporation. (Amazon)

Gustav Klimt : painting, design and modern life / edited by Tobias G. Natter and Christoph Grunenberg. 2008
Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) remains one of the most popular and influential artists of the 20th century. His ornate, sensual paintings, often charged with eroticism and embellished with gold, have been reproduced as bestselling posters, cards and book jackets, familiar to many who know little of the artist who created them. Published to accompany a major exhibition at Tate Liverpool, the first Klimt show in the UK and the highlight of that city's Capital of Culture celebrations in 2008, "Gustav Klimt" [explores] the life and work of this unique and intriguing figure who was at the epicentre of the cultural renaissance that swept Vienna at the turn of the century... Essays by leading critics ... concentrate on key works and key moments, including the foundation of the Vienna Secession; the exhibition of The Beethoven Frieze, and the collaborations with architects and designers in creating total artistic environments such as the Palais Stoclet in Brussels. There [is] also an essay on Klimt's erotic works, particularly his drawings, examining his relationship with the women he portrayed... (Amazon)

Graphics books

One show interactive. Vol. 10, Advertising's best interactive and new media. 2008
Interactive advertising and new media have come a long way from simple pop-up ads and banners. Among the winners in this year's 2007 One Show Interactive Awards, you'll find work that inspires, entertains, and continually pushes the boundary between the real and virtual realms. "One Show Interactive, Volume X" showcases the best of this past year's winners from around the world. Featuring an all-new format, this latest edition includes more in-depth analyses of the Pencil-winning work, more descriptions and a new look. With more than 1,200 four-color images in a lush package, "One Show Interactive, Volume X" is an important reference source for creatives, producers, and students alike. Categories include e-commerce, corporate image, direct marketing, self-promotion, and more. (Amazon)

When space meets art : spatial, structural and graphics for event and exhibition design. 2007
When Art Meets Space showcases some of the best recent designs for museums, galleries, retail shops and other public venues. The first section will examine the role of structures and graphics to the success of a given event. The second part will focus on the customization and use of graphic displays and the use of decorations, backgrounds and promotional items to create a cohesive design. This book is a must for curators, gallerists, and event planners alike. (Amazon)

The big book of illustration ideas : 2 / general editors, Roger Walton & Jen Cogliantry. 2008
What if you need someone to draw salad on a plate with a glass of wine next to it? You could go through the above processes, and after a while you'd probably find someone to draw or paint it in the style you wanted. Or you could simply pick up The Big Book of Illustration Ideas 2 flip to the section marked "Food and Still Life," and find pages and pages of illustrators who can draw all kinds of food in all kinds of styles: pencil, crayon, watercolor, collage, and so on, and so on. It's a smorgasbord of illustration ideas. In fact, within these pages are the best illustrators from all over the world, found together in one place along with all their contact information.(Amazon)

The architectural drawing course : understand the principles and master the practices / Mo Zell. 2008
This practical foundation course in architectural design offers key advice on the principles, practice and techniques of the subject. Dealing with much more than just the technical aspects of drawing, it introduces the reader to the visual language of architecture, encouraging them to think spatially and question the built environment. All architecture students, and anyone interested in the creative side of architecture, will find this book an invaluable tool and reference. (Amazon)

Kirby : king of comics / Mark Evanier ; introduction by Neil Gaiman. 2008
Jack Kirby created or co-created some of comic books' most popular characters including Captain America, The X-Men, The Hulk, The Fantastic Four, The Mighty Thor, Darkseid, and The New Gods. More significantly, he created much of the visual language for fantasy and adventure comics. There were comics before Kirby, but for the most part their page layout, graphics, and visual dynamic aped what was being done in syndicated newspaper strips. Almost everything that was different about comic books began in the forties on the drawing table of Jack Kirby. This is his story by one who knew him well - the authorized celebration of the one and only "King of Comics" and his groundbreaking work. (Amazon)

June 2008

Art books

Art & today / by Eleanor Heartney. 2008
"Art & Today" is an innovative and extensive survey of international contemporary art from the 1980s to the present. Over four hundred of the most significant contemporary artists from around the world are represented in this comprehensive overview - some emerging, some mid-career, and others long established. Each of the book's sixteen chapters address recurring and relevant themes as diverse as "Art & Popular Culture," "Art & Its Institutions," and "Art & Globalism," rather than follow a strict chronological, geographical, or stylistic structure. Lively and up-to-date, "Art & Today" explores an era in which art defies simple categorization. The result is a surprising and original yet clear and reasoned perspective on contemporary art that breaks from prescribed classifications to offer a survey as expansive as the art it describes.For instance, in the chapter "Art & the Body," one might find performance discussed alongside figurative painting, sculpture and photography alongside video, and North American artists alongside Asian artists. (Amazon)

British prints from the machine age : rhythms of modern life 1914-1939 / edited by Clifford S. Ackley ; with contributions by Stephen Coppel and others. 2008
Published to accompany the exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this catalogue examines the impact of Futurism and Cubism on British modernist printmaking from the beginning of World War I to the beginning of World War II. Imagery ranges from powerful artistic impressions of the first fully mechanized war, to radical geometric abstractions, to the colourful, streamlined jazz age images of speed, sport and diversion which the Grosvenor School artists created in order to introduce a broader public to modern art and design. Interest in this era is peaking among collectors, curators and art historians and this is an ideal moment to introduce these innovative British printmakers to a wider public. (Amazon)

In England / Don McCullin. 2007
Don McCullin's view of England is rooted in his wartime childhood and growing up around Finsbury Park in the fifties. His first published photograph was a picture of a gang from his neighbourhood, which appeared in a newspaper after a local murder; McCullin always balanced his anger at the unacceptable face of the nation with tenderness or compassion."In England" combines some of his greatest work with an entirely new body of photographs. McCullin sees his home country with its perpetual social gulf between the affluent and the desperate in mind. He continues in the same black and white tradition as he did between foreign assignments for the "Sunday Times" in the sixties and seventies, when his view of a deprived Britain seemed as dark as the conflict zones from which he'd just escaped. This book marks his return to the cities and landscape he knew as a young photographer. At a time when we might believe the world has changed beyond our imagination, McCullin shows us a view of England where the line between the wealthy and the deprived is as defined as ever. This time he adds wry humour to his lyricism, as if the nation is as absurd as it is tragic. (Amazon)

Photo art : the new world of photography / edited by Uta Grosenick and Thomas Seelig. 2008
This lavishly illustrated, accessible survey presents the work of nearly 120 international artists at the forefront of the boom in photography, among them Elina Brotherus, Tacita Dean, Luc Delahaye, Alec Soth, Jens Ullrich and Michael Wesely. Each artist is introduced by a brief essay, followed by four pages of their superbly reproduced work. This is a valuable and forward-looking reference book for photographers, collectors and photography lovers everywhere. (Amazon)

The revolution continues : new art from China / introduction by Jiang Jiehong ; [published in conjunction with exhibitions at] Saatchi Gallery. 2008
As world attention focuses on the economic development and massive cultural upheavals of China, all of which are embodied in the transformation of Beijing prior to the 2008 Olympics, Chinese artists have emerged after years of containment by the strictures of the national ideology. The Western art world, hungry for new spectacle, has consumed the new art with an appetite, but the art is changing so fast the Western viewer has little means of assessing or understanding the background to these extraordinary developments. "The Revolution Continues" provides a link between the rebellious spirit of the current generation of Chinese artists and the mood of rebellion that was so explicitly evident during the years of the Cultural Revolution that ran from 1966 to the death of Mao and the fall of the Gang of Four in 1976.In his text Jiang Jiehong argues that the widespread destruction of traditional Chinese treasures by the Red Guards, especially in the early period of 1966, overshadows the entire period. Today's rebellious artistic spirit is, in fact, an extension of Mao's legacy. The extensive Saatchi collection of new Chinese art is presented in conjunction with Joshua Jiang's examination of the use of the colour red, the iconography of Mao, the sense of the collective and the use of textual language that derives from the calligraphy of the propaganda poster. This dramatic material will be published to coincide with one of the opening exhibitions at the new Saatchi Gallery. (Amazon)

Graphics books

Best of business card design 8. 2008
The Best of Business Card Design series features an innovative collection of the most current and best work by top designers worldwide. The "go-to" sourcebook for business card design inspiration, this volume contains no text-other than design credits-which provides for pages packed with business cards, showing front, back, and special elements and materials. This unrivaled resource will be sought by professional designers, corporate executives, and in-house marketing departments as an essential identity and branding tool. (Amazon)

LogoLounge 4: 2000 international identities by leading designers. 2008
The fourth volume in the best-selling LogoLounge series provides 2,000 totally new logos from designers worldwide. This book, like the previous titles in the series, is compiled in association with LogoLounge.com, a website that was launched by Bill Gardner in 2002. The first portion of the book profiles 10 top designers recent work in the area of logo design; the second part of the book contains almost 2,000 logos organized by logo design (typography, people, mythology, nature, sports, etc.). (Amazon)

HKDA (Hong Kong Design Awards) 2. 2008
The Hong Kong Designers Association Awards 07 are widely acknowledged by designers around the world as one of the most important multi-disciplinary design awards in the Asia-Pacific region. This bi-annual awards show has become a benchmark for design professionals everywhere. On the occasion of the 35th Anniversary of the HKDA and the 21st HKDA Awards, 2,700 entries from across Asia were submitted in 4 main categories: Graphic, Product, New Media and Spatial. These were subsequently divided into 32 sub-categories that span commerce, culture, arts, society and politics. Some of this year's themes were as exhilarating as they were controversial. (Amazon)

Logo mondo / Hitoshi Nagasawa. 2007
This is a replete typography and logo collection, reflecting today's urban aesthetic. The collection is a tour de force, brimming with individuality and selected from thousands of entries submitted from hundreds of designers worldwide. The content is divided into categories, including typographic, icons, and illustrations, and further classified into categories, like Hip-Hop, Neo-Baroque, kanji, kana, psychedelic, 60s to 70s, corporate, erotic, and other distinct groups. This book features more than 1,000 works and is not only an idea source book, but also is comprehensive in its coverage of typography and design fonts. (Amazon)

Comic art now : the very best in contemporary comic art and illustration. 2008
This book showcases the creme de la creme of contemporary comic book creators, whether they're established professionals or hot new bucks making waves in the industry. From superlative superheroes to heart-stopping horror, the artwork is divided into today's most popular comic-book genres. This book takes a rare holistic approach, incorporating small, self-published projects, through independent artists work, right up to big established names working for Marvel, DC and Dark Horse. What qualifies them for inclusion is the quality of their work, regardless of genre, labels or preconceptions. "Comic Art Now" is at the razors edge of one of the most important, relevant and misunderstood artforms on the planet. (Amazon)

How to be an illustrator / Darrel Rees. 2008
At last! Here is real practical help for budding freelance illustrators. This book helps you avoid the pitfalls that can ruin a career, with advice on crucial first impressions, how to create a portfolio and approach clients, how to negotiate contracts, and how to handle, deliver and bill the first job. It discusses setting up a studio, maintaining a steady flow of work and managing time and money, and also provides information on successful self-promotion, self-publishing, and the pros and cons of agents. Packed with useful tips gleaned from the authors own career and his work as an agent handling major artists in the US and UK, this book includes interviews with 9 big-name illustrators. (Amazon)

May 2008

Art books

The art of Lee Miller / Mark Haworth-Booth. 2007
Lee Miller (1907-77) was not only one of the great beauties of the twentieth century but one of its most remarkable photographic artists. Miller was photographed constantly by her father, Theodore and in the 1920s by outstanding New York photographers such as Arnold Genthe and Edward Steichen, while Georges Lepape drew her for a Vogue cover in 1927. Arriving in Paris in 1928, she became the apprentice, collaborator and muse of Man Ray and played a leading role in a masterpiece of Surrealist cinema, Jean Cocteau's "The Blood of a Poet" (1931). Lee Miller is unique in performing with brilliance on both sides of the camera. She conceived and exhibited many Surrealist-inspired photographs of haunting originality; she was a portraitist of genius and an inspired and daring war photographer. This definitive book brings together all the major vintage prints for the first time, including sensational works never published before, rare and revealing drawings and an extraordinary collage from 1937. All aspects of Lee Miller's career are covered in detail, including Paris (1928-32), her New York studio (1932-4), the Egyptian period (1934-7) and travels in the late 1930s, her powerful war reportage, and finally her post-war portraiture. (Amazon)

The baroque world of Fernando Botero / John Sillevis ; with contributions by David Elliott, Edward J. Sullivan. 2006
Colombian-born Fernando Botero (b. 1932) is a painter, sculptor, and draftsman renowned for his extravagantly rounded figures combining the polish and excess of Spanish colonial baroque with the social realism of the Mexican muralists. Their humorous exaggeration belies the more serious content of Botero's work, as a commentary on colonialism, political instability in Latin America, and the vernacular artistic traditions of the region, as well as European art history. Accompanying the artist's first American retrospective in over thirty years, "The Baroque World of Fernando Botero" is the most extensive study of his life and work to date. Drawn exclusively from Botero's private collection, the one hundred works featured in this book, including previously unpublished paintings and drawings, represent the full scope of his oeuvre from a uniquely personal perspective. Many of these, portraits of friends and family members and remembered scenes, have remained in the artist's possession since their creation, while others he has bought back over the years as markers of significant developments in his career. Three scholarly essays examine the artist's creative life, from the aesthetic environment in which Botero developed his unique style to his catalyzing influence on the Colombian art world of the 1960s and 70s. (Amazon)

By hand : the use of craft in contemporary art / Shu Hung and Joseph Magliaro, editors. 2007
In a response to the sleek forms and perfect angles of late-1990s objects, many of today's artists are returning to handmade work such as hand lettering, hand drawing, and hand sewing. "By Hand" features an international collection of the most noteworthy artists and shows their work in detailed photography and insightful texts. (Amazon)

Next wave : emerging talents in Australia architecture / Davina Jackson ; photography, Shannon McGrath. 2007
As global focus turns towards the growing influence and power of the Far East, the architects of Australia are perfectly placed to respond with their own forward-looking visions. This book explores the sixteen most exciting young architectural studios in Australia, and the progressive projects built in Australasia that are winning them global attention. Highly attuned to the growing influence and economies of the Far East, where many of these architects are already working, Australia and the pioneering spirit of its creative community are well-placed to lead the way to the future. This will be an essential publication for the architectural community worldwide. (Amazon)

Modern painters : the Camden Town Group / edited by Robert Upstone ; with contributions by Fiona Baker and others. 2008
The Camden Town Group of British painters chronicled the changes in both British society and the rapidly developing city of London in the years immediately before and during the First World War. The best known of the Group were Spencer Gore, Harold Gilman, Robert Bevan, Charles Ginner and Walter Sickert. All of them focused on modernity and metropolitan existence, in an age when the horse-drawn cab was being replaced with the motor-car, and which saw the development of new, utopian garden cities like Letchworth in the unchanging rural landscapes of Britain's countryside.Accompanying the first major exhibition of the Camden Town Group for twenty years, this book will explore how these radically modern artists reflected the immense change that was taking place around them. (Amazon)

Socrates Sculpture Park / Alyson Baker and Ivana Mestrovic, editors. 2006
Socrates Sculpture Park is one of the most acclaimed public art spaces in the country. The Park opened in 1986 and has been an outdoor studio to over 500 artists, a venue presenting more than 40 exhibitions of large-scale sculpture, and a vital park attracting a diverse audience to Long Island City's East River waterfront. This handsome book is published to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Socrates Sculpture Park, and it is the first major publication on this unique outdoor museum. Sculptor Mark di Suvero founded the Park with the assistance of fellow artists, community members, and city officials who transformed an abandoned lot into an award-winning urban renewal project. The history, spirit, and nature of this collaborative enterprise is presented through photographs and essays that reveal the beauty, energy, and import of this successful public art space. (Amazon)

Graphics books

The adventures of Darius & Downey : & other true tales of street art as told to Ed Zipco / Leon Reid & Brad Downey. 2008
This unique, narrative-driven book gives an unparalleled insight into the tough, tight-knit, exciting world of street art as seen through the eyes of Darius and Downey, who have been working together since 2000. Through a series of blood-pumping adventures, it paints a vivid portrait of a creative but harsh environment of extremes: friendship and rivalry; respect and conflict; adversity and prosperity; and, reveals the incredible risks that artists take, day in, day out, to win their place in the graffiti hall of fame. Ed Zipco, acute and empathetic commentator on the ways of the street, relates Darius' and Downey's most memorable experiences. Along the way, we witness their artistic evolution from conventional graffiti tagging to ambitious street installations that are both wittily entertaining and strikingly subversive. (Amazon)

Drawing for designers / Alan Pipes. 2007
There is a dearth of books covering drawing and product design. "Drawing for Designers" fills this gap, offering a comprehensive guide to drawing for product/industrial designers and students. As well as industrial product design, the book encompasses automotive design and the design of other 3D artefacts such as jewellery and furniture. Covering both manual and computer drawing methods, the book follows the design process: from initial concept sketches; through presentation drawings and visualizations; general arrangement and detail drafting; to fully dimensioned production drawings; and beyond to technical illustrations and exploded/assembly diagrams used for publicity and instructing the end user in the product's assembly, operation and maintenance. Interspersed with the chapters, there are Case Study spreads featuring famous designer products shown both as drawn concepts and as finished objects. There are also several 'how-to-do-it' Step-by-Step sequences. (Amazon)

Graphic design : a new history / Stephen J. Eskilson. 2007
The history of graphic design is a very underpublished subject for such a widely studied discipline. Now, Stephen Eskilson provides a scholarly and accessible account of the field from Gutenberg to today. His approach is distinctive in that, for the first time, the subject is fully discussed in the light of prevailing political, social, military and economic conditions, nationalism, and gender. Clearly designed and easy-to-follow, the book tells the story chronologically with key topics developed in more than one chapter by way of cultural comparison. It covers a host of different materials: book, journal, magazine and album covers; photographs, prints, posters, logos and websites. Featured designers include Albers, Benton, Brody, Earls, Glaser, Morris, Rodchenko, Sagmeister, Scher and Toulouse-Lautrec. Logo designers Bass, Chermayeff & Geismar and Rand receive substantial coverage. Pioneering typographers range from Garamond, Caslon and Morison to Hoefler, Licko and Carter. (Amazon)

Illustration now! Volume 2 / [editor] Julius Wiedemann. 2007
Following the success of "Illustration Now!", this installment presents a completely new selection of 150 illustrators from all around the world. Whereas the first volume brought together a fascinating mix of star illustrators and brand new faces that together formed the face of illustration around the world, "Illustration Now 2" is even more exciting, featuring illustrators from all five continents, including more than 30 countries, with styles ranging from cutting edge to traditional. This book is a must have not only for creative professionals and illustration students, but also artists and anyone with an appreciation for visual language. (Amazon)

What is graphic design? / Quentin Newark. 2007
Now available for the first time in paperback, the best-selling "What is Graphic Design?" explores all the issues that shape design today: economics, ethics, technology, theory, and developments in other arts. It looks at how graphic design has evolved over the centuries, from the development of book printing in medieval Germany to the present day, including magazines, corporate branding, television titles, films, and websites. "What is Graphic Design?" breaks the discipline down into its elements, looking at typography, how text and images combine - the essence of graphic design - and how the process of reproduction underpins every aspect of design. This concise, accessible handbook is a must-have for students and professional designers. (Amazon)

April 2008

Art books

Conversations on sculpture / edited by Glenn Harper and Twylene Moyer. 2007
A unique collection of interviews with contemporary sculptors drawn from the 25-year history of Sculpture magazine, Conversations on Sculpture offers a valuable overview of three-dimensional art at the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century. The 43 interviews in Conversations on Sculpture capture the wide-ranging possibilities that characterize contemporary sculpture. The book includes an introduction by Robert Hobbs, discussing the sculptors interviewed and also the value of the interview format in exploring contemporary art and artists. There are full-color illustrations throughout. (Amazon)

Hand, heart and soul : the arts and crafts movement in Scotland / Elizabeth Cumming. 2006
Arts and Crafts artist-designers changed the lives of Scots. Through the furnishing of public buildings, exhibitions, church craft and home design, they aimed to restore beauty to everyday experience. They worked in diverse fields such as furniture, textiles, jewellery and metalwork, glass, ceramics, mural decoration and architectural design and crafts. Theirs is a narrative of close networks of families and friends, men and women, designers and industrialists dedicated to the rights of the individual and to the proper place of art within modern society. It is a remarkable and often inspiring story of ideals, commitment - and imagination. Scottish Arts and Crafts brought together British design practice with the romance of tradition. This book for the first time provides a national context for the work of Margaret Macdonald and Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Robert Lorimer, Phoebe Anna Traquair, and many new names that emerge from the shadows. (Amazon)

John Olsen : journeys into the 'you beaut country' / Jenny Zimmer & Ken McGregor. 2007
This volume ... presents a selection of several hundred paintings and drawings created over more than four decades. Perhaps more than any other post-war artists, John Olsen and Fred Williams have helped Australians see their unique landscape and its features with fresh vision. The several hundred glorious reproductions, accompanied by an historical overview and comments drawn from the artist's diaries, is certain to provide the viewer with an unique vision of Australia and particularly the spectacular 'outback' - as well as honour the artist in his eightieth year. (Amazon)

Raphael / Bette Talvacchia. 2007
This beautiful monograph explores the life and work of one of the most important artists in the history of the West, Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio, 1483-1520). Its scope covers Raphael's origins, his early influences, his important Urbino period and subsequently the extraordinary series of frescoes and portraits of his last phase in Rome. Over two hundred of Raphael's finest paintings and drawings are illustrated, accompanied by an accessible yet highly informative text by the distinguished Renaissance scholar Bette Talvacchia. The author also explores Raphael's artistic relationships with such Renaissance masters as Leonardo and Michelangelo, culminating in a brilliant account of his masterpieces done in Rome under the patronage of Popes Julius II and Leo X. (Amazon)

Rescuing da Vinci : Hitler and the Nazis stole Europe's great art : America and her allies recovered it / Robert M. Edsel ; forewords by Lynn H. Nicholas and Edmund P. Pillsbury. 2006
During and following WWII, a special multinational group of more than 350 men and women served behind enemy lines and joined frontline military units to ensure the preservation, protection, liberation and restitution of the world's greatest artistic and cultural treasures. This "band of unsung heroes," formally referred to as the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives (MFAA) section, or commonly referred to as the "Monuments Men," worked tirelessly to track down, identify and catalogue millions of priceless works of art and irreplaceable cultural artifacts, including masterpieces by Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rembrandt and Vermeer, that had been stolen by Hitler and the Nazis. The story of the Monuments Men, including their heroics and exploits in rescuing and safeguarding many of the world's greatest artworks for the benefit of mankind, has never before been fully revealed until now, with the publication of Rescuing Da Vinci, an exhaustively researched historical account written by Robert M. Edsel. Mr. Edsel can best be described as a successful athlete and business entrepreneur turned modern day "Indiana Jones." Mr. Edsel has dedicated the last five years of his life to painstaking and far-reaching research to unravel the secrets of the Monuments Men and, in so doing, to make the world aware of their unprecedented contributions, both during and after WWII, and to ensure that these unsung heroes receive appropriate recognition from the United States government, as well as the broad public. (Amazon)

Unmonumental : the object in the 21st century / [essays by Richard Flood ... [et. al]. 2007
"Unmonumental" introduces the world to a significant recent development in art that takes the definition of sculpture as an autonomous object and shatters it to pieces. Rather than cast or carved, these sculptures have been cobbled together from bits of the world at large. Less dedicated to memory, the works in this show are of their moment, making gentle or high mockery of a wide range of histories, employing a variety of 'neo-traditionalisms' that riff on everything from Russian Constructivism to 1980s appropriation. Far from paying tribute to received notions of the courageous, they are patently anti-heroic. In short, they are a metaphor for our times. "Unmonumental" will be published on the occasion of the inaugural exhibition at the New Museum of Contemporary Art's landmark new building (designed by Sejima and Nishazawa/SANAA) on the Bowery in New York. (Amazon)

March 2008

Art books

Art in America : 300 years of innovation / edited by Susan Davidson. 2007
"Art in America" is a stunning celebration of American art from colonial times to the present day. Divided into six historical periods, it examines how the art of each era both reflected and contributed to a complex visual narrative of a nation during times of discovery, growth and experimentation. Featuring a superb selection of over 250 iconic and little-known images, this book is a fascinating exploration of how the cultural, political, ethnic, economic and natural landscape of America has shaped national identity and consciousness. An accessible introduction to the major movements in American art, from the Hudson River and Ashcan schools to Abstract Expressionism, Pop art and beyond, "Art in America" features works by a diverse range of artists, from John Singleton Copley, Winslow Homer and Mary Cassatt to Thomas Hart Benton, Jackson Pollock, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Matthew Barney. (Amazon)

China art book / Uta Grosenick, Caspar H. Schubbe, eds. 2007
Everyone is talking about Chinese art, and market prices for works from China have reached new heights. International exhibitions about the country have awoken our curiosity to learn more about the artists and their work. But who are the modern masters, and which are the works of art that really matter[unk] This book, the first comprehensive overview of China's current art scene, presents the 80 most important and influential artists working today and predicts the stars of tomorrow. The first Who's Who of contemporary Chinese art, introducing the most important artists in China today, among them Cao Fei, Gu Dexin, Yang Fudong and Zhang Huan. It is an essential resource reflecting the rapidly growing international market for and interest in contemporary Chinese art. (Amazon)

Frida Kahlo / edited by Elizabeth Carpenter ; texts by Elizabeth Carpenter, Hayden Herrera, and Victor Zamudio-Taylor. 2007
Few artists have captured the public's imagination with the force of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. During her lifetime, she was best known as the flamboyant wife of celebrated muralist Diego Rivera. Theirs was a tumultuous relationship: Rivera declared himself to be "unfit for fidelity." As if to assuage her pain, Kahlo recorded the vicissitudes of her marriage in paint. She also recorded the misery of her deteriorating health--the orthopedic corsets that she was forced to wear, the numerous spinal surgeries, the miscarriages and therapeutic abortions. The artist's sometimes harrowing imagery is mitigated by an intentional primitivism and small scale, as well as by her sardonic humor and extraordinary imagination. In celebration of the one-hundredth anniversary of Kahlo's birth, this major new monograph is published on the occasion of the 2007-08 traveling exhibition. It features the artist's most renowned work--the hauntingly seductive and often brutal self-portraits--as well as a selection of key portraits and still lifes; more than 100 color plates, from Kahlo's earliest works, made in 1926, to her last, in 1954; critical essays by Elizabeth Carpenter, Hayden Herrera and Victor Zamudio-Taylor; and a selection of photographs of Kahlo and Rivera by preeminent photographers of the period, including Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Lola Alvarez Bravo, Gisele Freund, Tina Modotti and Nickolas Muray. The catalogue also contains snapshots from the artist's own photo albums of Kahlo with family and friends such as Andre Breton and Leon Trotsky--some of which have never been published, and several of which Kahlo inscribed with dedications, effaced with self-deprecating marks or kissed with a lipstick trace--plus an extensive illustrated timeline, selected bibliography, exhibition history and index. (Amazon)

Hoglands : the home of Henry and Irina Moore / David Mitchinson ; Anita Feldman Bennet ... and others. 2007
Hoglands was home to Henry Moore and his wife, Irina for almost fifty years. This book traces the development of the house, Moore's studio, Irina's garden and their art collections from the early 1940s to the late 1980s, placing the history of the house within the broader context of Moore's life and work. The book combines architecture, period interior design, and working practices with illustrations of the Moores' diverse personal art collection, their guests and their domestic routine. Many photographs are previously unpublished. Individual chapters focus on key themes central to each decade of the Moores' life at Hoglands: why they acquired the house; raising their daughter; Moore's reception of international architects, curators and dealers; the Moores as collectors; the family archive; and the recent restoration of the building. These are interspersed by sections reproducing archival photographs of Hoglands at different periods alongside quotations from those who visited the Moores at home. The book should appeal to all those with an interest in Moore's sculpture who are curious to know more about how he lived and worked. (Amazon)

Pink : the exposed color in contemporary art and culture / edited by Barbara Nemitz ; with essays by Hideto Fuse and others. 2006
Looks at the applications and cultural implications and significance of the colour pink within art. This discourse is illustrated with the works of 50 international artists. (Amazon)

30 St Mary Axe : a tower for London / Kenneth Powell ; photography by Grant Smith. 2006
The office building designed by Foster and Partners for client Swiss Re at 30 St Mary Axe in London, is an established icon on the City skyline. This book tells the story from genesis to public reception of this radical building. [Amazon)

Who the #$&% is Jackson Pollock? 2007 (DVD)
A 73-year-old former truck driver with an 8th grade education, buys a painting in a thrift shop for five dollars, but unbeknownst to her, the artist is Jackson Pollock. This adventure documents a 15-year war with the art world's inner circle, lifts the veil on how art is bought and sold in America and introduces audiences to the funny, profane and utterly unforgettable Teri Horton. [Amazon)

Graphics books

Type addict-ed. 2007
Lettering is a key visual element of great design. The right type can transform any project from mundane to extraordinary, and how to choose and treat font and lettering is a common challenge among designers and artists from every discipline. Type Addicted not only presents a rich selection of experimental and inspirational typefaces and their applications, it also reveals the diversity of innovative approaches used by contemporary designers to set tone, add impact, reinforce brand identity, and lend character to print and design work in various disciplines. Solutions to any type of dilemma are sure to be discovered among the pages. Examples include work by up and coming names as well as renowned icons from around the world. (Amazon)

The storyboard design course : the ultimate guide for artists, directors, producers and scriptwriters / Giuseppe Cristiano. 2008
Storyboards are the blueprint for a multitude of media productions, including TV shows, movies, commercials, music videos, computer games and animation. A critical part of the creative process, they can be used to pitch an idea, communicate a concept, help build a budget and execute an entire shoot. This book is the ultimate storyboard manual, packed with professional, fully finished and work-in-progress examples from students and industry professionals. As well as being an essential guide for aspiring storyboard artists, this comprehensive book will enable anyone working in media production to get the most out of both the storyboard artist and the storyboard process. (Amazon)

Fashion illustration by fashion designers / Laird Borrelli. 2008
This book showcases the fashion sketches of sixty contemporary fashion designers, selected for their extraordinary talent in the art of illustration. The drawings of world-famous designers such as Christian Lacroix, Sonia Rykiel and Yves Saint Laurent appear, as well as the work of up-and-coming visionaries including Roksanda Ilincic, Jens Laugesen and Tuleh. Their fashion drawings display a wide range of creative techniques and approaches: from refined and elegant sketchwork, through colourful and cartoon-like imagery, to amazingly accomplished draftsmanship. All the artworks featured are guaranteed to amaze, enlighten and inspire anyone interested in fashion or illustration. (Amazon)

The animation bible: a guide to everything - from flipbooks to flash / Maureen Furniss. 2008
Over the last ten years, there has been a surge in the use of animation in various contexts, including animated entertainment, special effects for live-action media and a host of other fields, such as medical research. As animation expands beyond the confines of light entertainment, so also the growing number of animators and animation students must respond with not only the latest techniques in computer animation, but also with the vast wealth of non-digital techniques that continue to be used. "The Animation Bible" covers every conceivable animation process and technique, explaining and exploring their use through case studies of eminent and cutting-edge animators of the past and present. (Amazon)

Street renegades : new underground art / Francesca Gavin. 2007
Graffiti and street art have been at the heart of visual subcultures for the past thirty years. However, as time progresses the new wave of artists are moving in fresh directions. Corporate giants have been quick to jump on the graffiti bandwagon, perceiving it as a shortcut to youth culture. Even street stickers have been highjacked by the multinationals for advertising. Frustrated by wholesale corporate theft of the scene, the latest generation of street artists are employing different techniques in their work, different means of dissemination, different materials, different ways of getting their work noticed. Using the detritus of the urban environmen - advertising, fly-tipped rubbish, street signs - the new scene is subverting the streetscape in 3D to shock, educate, and entertain. This book documents the new graffiti with photographs of the work and interviews with major players around the world. (Amazon)

February 2008

Art books

Bizarre buildings / Paul Cattermole with Ian Westwell. 2007
Bizarre Buildings is a collection of outrageous oddities and extravagant exceptions--a celebration of unique works of architectural genius that are unapologetically weird. From the vigorous imaginations of ingenious architects, builders and patrons, here are the finest and the strangest from every school of architecture. (Amazon)

Chinese posters : art from the great proletarian cultural revolution / Lincoln Cushing and Ann Tompkins. 2007
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in China produced thousands of powerful social and political posters to exhort the Chinese people in the sweeping transformation of Chinese society. "Revolutionary Chinese Poster Art" collects more than 150 of most the striking of these posters, complemented by an insightful and thoroughly researched text on their social and artistic context, and a personal account of living in Beijing during the Revolution. In a nutshell, from 1966 to 1976, there was a countrywide mass campaign to reform Chinese society and the Communist Party, directed by Mao Zedong, that resulted in mass social upheaval. Those who were not considered to be following the right socialist path were called out as class traitors, some sent to re-education labour camps.Everything and everyone was meant to serve the greater effort of the socialist revolution, including these posters, one of the few art forms sanctioned by the party. The posters are uniformly utopian, bright, and graphically powerful, portraying the ideal society that they were at least ostensibly trying to achieve. A short (politically neutral, as much as possible) primer on the GPCR and context on the production, social circumstance, graphics, and design influence of the posters. (Amazon)

Great collectors of our time : art collecting since 1945 / James Stourton. 2007
"Great Collectors of Our Time" is the first major survey of contemporary collecting and collectors since Douglas Cooper's "Great Private Collections", published in 1963. It examines many of the greatest collectors of our time in Europe, North America and the Far East, and follows their tastes - whether in the Old Masters or the avant garde - from the 20th century into the 21st. In 1945, Paris was still the cultural capital of the world, but its culture was being increasingly challenged by America. American collecting was soon to pull up its European anchor and move across the Atlantic, in growing acceptance of America's own art, the decline in the domination of three European schools of art - Italian Renaissance, English 18th century and French 19th century Impressionism - and the rise of the New York School and contemporary art.Prior to 1939, collecting was a private pleasure, sometimes intellectual and scholarly, but more often about enhancing surroundings - 'la douceur de vivre'. This original and far-reaching survey features many collectors who have spoken about their collections here for the first time. Magnificently illustrated throughout, with favourite images often selected by the owners themselves, this book will appeal to anyone interested in art and in the extraordinary people who collect it. (Amazon)

Light of India : a conflagration of Indian matchbox art / Warren Dotz. 2007
With all the zany vibrancy of a Bollywood musical, the colourful matchbox labels of "Light Of India" present a fascinating confluence of popular culture and a sophisticated graphic arts tradition that stretches back for centuries. Populated with pouncing Bengal tigers, regal jungle elephants, and Hindu gods and goddesses, these miniature masterpieces are worlds unto themselves, skillfully illustrated with a naive yet irresistible charm. This delightful art book is sure to fire the imagination of all who wish to study, preserve, and celebrate India's more humble, but no less brilliant, visual arts heritage. (Amazon)

The real thing : contemporary art from China / text: Karen Smith. 2007
For many in the West, Chinese contemporary art is still synonymous with the political realist painters of the 1980s and 90s, who recycled the styles of communist social Realism with pop cynicism. In China itself, the speed of change in technology, architecture, industry and lifestyle has been matched by extraordinary developments in the arts. The embracing of modern technologies and a widespread openness to the history of Western art has combined with distinctly Chinese traditions and concerns to forge entirely new forms of expression in the new century. Placing this huge variety of work in the context of the art of previous decades, the author examine the different modes of production, artist groups, market systems and infrastructure that shape artistic production in China and make it unique in the world today. With widespread and increasing fascination in the West for all things Chinese and with Chinese art now increasingly dominant in auction houses and exhibition spaces across the globe, this is a vital guide for all those interested in Chinese art today. (Amazon)

Turner watercolours / David Blayney Brown. 2007
Turner's lifetime was also the classic age of English watercolour, and his mastery and perfection of the medium coincided with its establishment as an independent art form. Turner was at the forefront of these developments, but he also stood apart from them. This volume examines the unique body of watercolours Turner produced throughout his lifetime. In an extensive and illuminating introduction, world-acclaimed Turner expert David Blayney Brown provides a context to the watercolours and a background to the Tate's unrivalled collection of Turner's work. Aspects considered include, 'From Architecture to Landscape: Early Work', 'Nature and the Ideal: Work in England to 1815', 'Home and Abroad: Watercolour and Gouache in the 1820s', 'The Annual Tourist: Designing for the Engraver in the 1830s' and 'Hand and Heart: the Late Watercolours' [Amazon)

Graphics books

The big book of graphic design / general editor, Roger Walton. 2007
The Big Book of Graphic Design is the independent, international, and indispensable collection of graphic design from around the world. The work is grouped into seven categories: Corporate design, Design for the arts, Design for music, Design for education, Editorial design, Self promotion, Unpublished. So, if you're looking for some ideas when designing a company brochure, go to Corporate Design. Need a theater poster? Look in Design for the Arts. Got a new band that could use some CD packaging? Browse through the wealth of design work for the music industry. But why stop there? Have a look at everything. You might find someone's educational design solution shows an approach that could work on your editorial project. Or how about some unfettered self-promotion? Bound to be something there! (Amazon)

The Art of Beowulf / by Steve Starkey and Mark Cotta Vaz. 2007
This fall, Academy Award -winning and groundbreaking director Robert Zemeckis offers a vision of the ancient epic poem "Beowulf" that has never been seen before. Actors Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie, John Malkevich, and Robin Wright Penn bring to life this macabre dark ages tale. Fans of the intense, action-packed film will relish this extraordinary hardcover packed with lavish concept art from production designer Doug Chiang's revered studio (responsible for the design of Robota, Star Wars, Episode I, and War of the Worlds). Quotes from the production designers, artists, actors, and filmmakers complete this stunning homage to the genesis and visual execution of a unique motion picture. (Amazon)

Sequential images / Mark Wigan. 2007
Sequential image making is a rich area of original and innovative work, riding the wave of interest in the art of illustration and graphic novels. Basics Illustration: Sequential Images investigates visual storytelling through examples of work that is intelligent, experimental, oblique, beguiling, incisive, visceral, and beautiful. Topics covered include concepts, pacing, narrative structure, storylines, genres, storyboards, navigation, visual codes, book illustration, graphic novels, comics, e-comics, manga, anime, animation, children's books, interactivity, web publishing, mobile devices, film theory, paper engineering, film, design, video art, motion graphics installations, club art and VJs, viral images, kinetic worlds, exhibition and retail display, podcasts, video games, and more. For anyone interested in illustration and visual communication, Sequential Images is a must-have. (Amazon)

The revisionaries :a decade of art in Tokion. 2007
In the last fifteen years, a tremendously vibrant youth culture movement has emerged made up of DIY artists and creators, who are descended from and inspired by the 1970s to '80s underground movements of punk, hip-hop, and skateboarding. These predecessors set the foundation for the current movement - which in the broadest sense can be called "street culture" - with their ability to work outside of the traditional fine art establishment through their own network of independent newspapers, 'zines, books, music, film, and galleries. Today's renegade artists blur the lines between graffiti, graphic design, folk art, and stoned doodling. From streetwalls to T-shirts, sneakers, and toys, the works of these artists are instantly recognizable and are defining today's aesthetic. (Amazon)

Verbalising the visual : translating art and design into words / Michael Clarke. 2007
IIs every picture worth a thousand words? And what words should they be? Verbalising the Visual explores the ever-changing relationship between language, objects, and meanings, and considers how we translate the experience of visual culture into written and spoken words. World-renowned author and cultural commentator Michael Clarke looks at a range of language - formal and informal, academic and colloquial, global and local - and reveals how this language characterizes current art and design discourse. More than 300 pictures illustrate the intriguing examples. Ideal for visual arts students and helpful for anyone interested in writing and talking about art, including everyone in marketing, advertising, and communications, Verbalising the Visual is a refreshing, insightful look at words and pictures and the place where they intersect. (Amazon)

January 2008

Art books

Artists in China : inside the contemporary studio / photographs by Mario Ciampi ; essays by Philip Tinari. 2007
"Artists in China" documents the intriguing art and interiors that are emanating from China in the wake of the recent dynamic developments in the country's contemporary arts world. Showing spaces linked to more than fifty artists working in China today, and with more than 500 powerful photographs, this sumptuous, large-format book brilliantly captures the eclectic and exciting atmosphere that prevails in the Chinese art world today. (Amazon)

Bruegel to Rubens : masterpieces of Flemish painting / Desmond Shawe-Taylor, Jennifer Scott. 2007
It is said that much of the greatest art is produced during periods of strife. In the mid-16th century, Flanders - the United Provinces in the north (modern Holland) and the Spanish Netherlands in the south (modern Belgium) - was the most sophisticated society in Europe, but its learning and luxury industries were all but annihilated by the so-called Dutch Revolt and by the Eighty Years War that followed (1568-1648). Two-thirds of the works discussed here were painted during this turbulent period, including Pieter Bruegel's "Massacre of the Innocents of 1567". Other highlights include works by his son Jan Brueghel, while the "Twelve Year's Truce" (1609-21) is celebrated by a group of landscapes (including three by Rubens) depicting the blessings of peace and the fertility of the region. During the Renaissance, the Low Countries attained a flawless technique of painting and the highest standards of craftsmanship. This tradition survived during even the worst years of the war. Everyone is familiar with the Golden Age of Dutch art; this is an opportunity to explore its no less glorious Flemish counterpart. It accompanies the exhibition of the fifty finest 16th- and 17th-century Flemish paintings in the Royal Collection, opening at The Queen's Gallery, Edinburgh, in September 2007 and at The Queen's Gallery, London, in October 2008. (Amazon)

A century of colour photography : from the autochrome to the digital age / Pamela Roberts. 2007
Since the Lumièe brothers made the autochrome process commercially available in June 1907, colour photography has proliferated in so many directions that we are saturated with it. In this stunning large-format collection, Pam Roberts has gathered together the finest examples of the art of colour photography, covering every major technical and artistic development in colour photography over the last 100 years. (Amazon)

Dan Dailey / editing/design, Joe Rapone. 2007
Although he has been represented in nearly fifty museum collections around the world in the past four decades, there has never been a monograph of glass artist Dan Dailey's work. Here, for the first time, is a comprehensive look at Dailey's glass work, including lamps, vases, wall reliefs and murals, tables, busts, chandeliers plus various sketches and drawings. In addition, the book includes a foreword by celebrated graphic designer Milton Glaser, an essay by former Corning Museum of Glass curator Wiliam Warmus and an interview with the artist by the Museum's current curator, Tina Oldknow. (Amazon)

Enclosure / Andy Goldsworthy. 2007
In 1995, the sculptor Andy Goldsworthy approached Cumbria County Council in northwest England with his idea of identifying a significant number of sheepfolds - stone enclosures used for assembling, sheltering and washing sheep - from old maps and reconstructing them to incorporate artworks or contain artworks. It was a long and fraught process, but by 2006, 35 folds had been completed and these form the core of Enclosure. Reflecting Goldsworthy's lifelong interest in the land, its history and its inhabitants, "Enclosure" is an exciting addition to the artist's highly successful series of books. (Amazon)

Sculpture today / Judith Collins. 2007
Contemporary sculpture is a wide-ranging and fascinating subject, surprisingly unrepresented in the current marketplace. This beautifully illustrated book is a comprehensive overview of developments in the world of sculpture during the past fifty years, and follows the successful, highly illustrated formula of Phaidon's best-selling volumes "Art Today" and "Architecture Today". In the great sea-change marking the end of Modernism - a general set of views and assumptions about art which reigned during the first half of the twentieth century - critical opinion began to shift from painting to sculpture. Sculpture was felt to be more socially engaging because it occupied actual space rather than creating an illusionistic realm using perspective and other techniques. In recent years sculpture has become a capacious and enormously inventive category that includes an astonishing range of phenomena. These encompass installations, environments, staged video displays and even choreographed humans. This sheer array of materials, forms and techniques that has been - and continues to be - presented under the term of 'sculpture' in the twenty-first century indicates that the discipline is not an immutable art form with fixed boundaries and commandments, but rather that it can expand its terms of reference with unflagging energy, and is apparently inexhaustible. Judith Collins' authoritative yet accessible text explores the various subjects, materials, techniques and styles utilized by contemporary sculptors and celebrates both the vitality and sheer diversity of this wide-ranging art form. [Amazon)

Graphics books

Book art : innovation in book design / Charlotte Rivers. 2007
... "Book-Art" showcases an international collection of exemplary and innovative book design. From mass-market publications to glossy coffee table and exclusive artist's books, "Book-Art" explores both the creative inspiration and the logistics behind the work. Showcasing the most captivating examples of book design, alongside insightful interviews with designers, "Book-Art" explores solutions for creating impact, directing readers through layers on information, and providing a usable publication and desirable object. It examines the use of colour, artwork, and typography to achieve successful covers and interior design; utilizing principles of information design; creating a three-dimensional element through the use of pop-ups, foldouts, and inserts; and adding value through the opportune use of printing and finishing methods. (Amazon)

Contemporary graphic design / Charlotte & Peter Fiell. 2007
This compendium showcases the extraordinary cutting-edge work of 100 of the world's most progressive graphic designers, from the hard-hitting political messages of Jonathan Barnbrook to the lyrical digital compositions of Peter Saville to the iconoclastic imagery of Stefan Sagmeister. Alongside the array of visually stunning and thought-provoking advertisements, CD covers, posters, packaging, websites, and corporate identities are texts by each designer expressing his or her individual approach to graphic design practice as well as personal insights into the motivations that lie behind the work. An accompanying introductory essay highlights the current issues surrounding graphic design practice, from the ascendancy of digital tools to the amorality of consumerism. By presenting a provocative survey of the latest, most experimental and forward-looking graphic design from around the globe, this exciting book provides a unique and totally unforgettable snapshot of where the discipline stands today and hopefully offers directions for its future. "Contemporary Graphic Design" is absolutely essential to anyone interested in the power of images. (Amazon)

Illusive 2 : contemporary illustration and its context / edited by Robert Klanten and Hendrik Hellige. 2007
In Illusive we identified the main trends in contemporary illustration and introduced many young illustrators. Since then, the demand for illustration has continued to grow - and with it the range of application and the forms of expression in this medium. This positive development is confirmed by the exciting work of international illustrators that we have seen since publishing Illusive; it was thus a logical step to present the best of these new works in Illusive 2.

Illusive 2 is a survey of current illustration from around the world; unlike other titles on this subject, all of the work was selected for inclusion based solely on its artistic merit. The book reveals a trend toward Neo-Realism that is demonstrated by the willingness of today's magazines to use illustration in almost the same way as photography. In general, the illustrations featured in Illusive 2 have become more differentiated and complex - the spontaneous-looking scribbles of years past have given way to elaborate, multi-layered collages. The variety of styles and new design approaches is impressive.
Illusive 2 includes a broad range of illustrations including personal artistic work, fashion illustration and commercial projects, revealing a diversity that shows how this design discipline functions independently of fickle fashion trends. At the same time, the book outlines current developments and the many design approaches that coexist today. Because it is hard to keep an overview amid such a wealth of material, texts and interviews with leading design agencies provide context and give surprising insights into techniques, methods and motivations. (Amazon)

Massin / Laetitia Wolff. 2007
Robert Massin (b. 1925) is a highly influential French graphic designer and writer. He has worked with many famous authors and playwrights, including Euèe Ionesco, Blaise Cendrars, and Raymond Queneau, and for twenty years has been the art director for the pre-eminent French publisher Gallimard. This is the first monograph published in English on the work of Massin, one of the key exponents in the development of post-war graphic design. Wolff charts Massin's wide-ranging career with detailed discussion of some of his most inventive and exciting projects, including the award-winning The bald prima donna (1964) and Letter and image (1970). Wolff carried out her research in close collaboration with Massin, gaining unrivaled access to the Massin collection in Chartres as well as the designer's personal archives. MASSIN includes preparatory sketches, letters, and finished works, photographed especially for this book.

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