Prestel

The importance of the work of Hannah Wilke (1940-1993) has never been clearer. In retrospect, her artwork, like her life, frames a heroic story about formal invention and social activism; about personal loyalties and individual freedom; and, above all, about breathtaking risk. A defining presence in a nascent community of women artists, determined to expose (and fix) the inequities of the fast-growing art world of the 1960s. At the same time, Wilke was an unapologetic individualist, who celebrated her relationships with men as well as women and frankly explored the pleasures of sexuality. Using a wide range of unconventional media, including latex and chewing gum as well as photography and film, she paid tribute — however irreverently — to her predecessors, from Duchamp to David Smith. A key concern was the body as instrument and object of visual expression; Wilke was most boldly honest in an unremitting self-exploration that she undertook without false modesty (when her naked body was an uncomplicated delight to behold) or shame (when it was mercilessly blighted by cancer). Beauty and glamour, power and individual prerogative, and the responsibility to account for one's place in the political landscape are all issues that Wilke explored thoroughly, and in which her work provides an essential seminar for younger artists. Wilke's photographs, films, installation and writing now find themselves in a cultural climate that once again seems more favourable to candour and controversy.

Few contemporary buildings demonstrate the purpose of their existence as effectively as Hawkins\Brown's newest scheme. Built to bring together lecturers, researchers and students previously based in separate buildings across Oxford's campus, its glass and steel exterior literally reveals the cutting-edge work being done in its interior — challenging the notion that laboratory walls should be opaque and secretive. The building includes an ambitious art project, Salt Bridges, which combines chemistry and design to illustrate the chaos and coincidence that so often shape scientific discovery. This volume features a fascinating critical introduction to the project, photographs of plans and models, contributions from the builder on the construction process, and conversations between architects, artists and scientists at the heart of the building's conception. The story of collaboration between seemingly disparate disciplines makes this monograph particularly appealing to those interested in the relationship between art, architecture and science.

The firm of Hilmer & Sattler und Albrecht has been making headlines after winning the competition to design the Potsdamer Platz in Berlin. This book highlights their prolific output from 2004 to 2010 and features housing projects, hotels, office buildings, retail shops and private residences in Germany, Switzerland, and other countries. Full-colour photographs, sketches, and detailed plans reveal the firm's talent for incorporating classic European principles into cutting-edge buildings.

This book of a major travelling exhibition of the same name includes nearly 100 works by the famous masters during the mid-19th century, and from whose midst arose one of the most original and recognisable of all artistic styles, Impressionism. This exhibition begins with paintings by naturalist artists such as Bougereau and Courbet and presents American expatriate James McNeil Whistler's Arrangement in Gray and Black, known to many as Whistler's Mother. Early work by Manet, Monet, Renoir and Sisley are included as well as a selection of Degas' paintings that depict images of the ballet, the racetrack and life in la Belle Aepoque. Notable works in this book include The Fife Player by Edouard Manet (1866), Family Reunion by Frederic Bazille (1867), Arrangement in Gray and Black No. 1 or Portrait of the Artist's Mother by James McNeil Whistler (1871), The Birth of Venus by William Adolphe Bouguereau (1879), The Cradle by Berthe Morisot (1872), Saint-Lazare Station by Claude Monet (1877), The Swing by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1876), Rue Montorgueil, Paris. Festival of June 30, 1878 by Claude Monet, Racehorses Before the Stands by Edgar Degas (1866-1868), The Dancing Lesson by Edgar Degas (1873-1876), Portraits at the Stock Exchange by Edgar Degas (1878-1879).

Martin Ramirez created nearly 450 drawings of remarkable visual clarity and expressive power while confined in a California mental institution for more than twenty-five years. Diagnosed as schizophrenic, he achieved posthumous fame with recent exhibitions of his works. Eighty important drawings, culled from public and private collections, comprehensively survey his achievement and demonstrate that he was one of the great draftsmen of the twentieth century. The richness of Ramirez's drawings and the depth of historical and cultural influences in his work point to his deep engagement with society. The artist's unique process-employing found items, homemade pigments, matchsticks, and large swaths of paper is explored, as are his personal experiences of poverty, exile, and confinement. The volume includes recent research about Ramirez's life, family, and art, and features examples from a cache of previously unknown drawings by Ramirez, whose discovery caused a great sensation. This dazzling book displays Ramirez's skill and inventiveness and shows why his work is worthy of its own place in the annals of modern art.

The world as seen through Kalman's eyes is a quirky, slightly off-kilter place as colourful and varied as a kaleidoscope. For decades this brilliant artist has captured our hearts with her whimsical illustrations and engaged our minds with her trenchant observations. A companion to a travelling exhibition, this monograph on Kalman's work features hundreds of paintings, drawings, sketchbook pages, and journal entries as well as rarely glimpsed photographs, stills from performance pieces, and examples of her newest project, embroidery. Kalman was born in Tel Aviv in 1949 and moved to New York at the age of four. Among her varied body of work are illustrated books for children and adults, clocks she designed with her late husband Tibor Kalman, columns for The New York Times, fabrics for Maharam and Isaac Mizrahi, and sets for the choreographer Mark Morris. In this book, Kalman offers commentary on her life as an artist, collector, observer, traveller, and maker of lists, while essays by curator Ingrid Schaffner and art historian Kenneth Silver explore her unique gift for distilling the extraordinary from the merely ordinary. From the youngest readers to the most discerning critics, Kalman's many admirers will embrace this wonderful celebration of a life dedicated to making art.

Drawing Fashion celebrates a unique collection of some of the most remarkable fashion illustrations from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. These original works define the fine art of illustrating fashion, from the collections of Chanel, Dior, Comme des Garcons and Poiret as well as Victor and Rolf, Lacroix and McQueen. This catalogue, which accompanies the exhibition at the Design Museum in London, showcases fashion illustrators at their creative heights: Lepape at the beginning of the century, Gruau in the 40's and 50's, Antonio throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s, to current artists Mats Gustafson, Aurore de La Morinerie and Francois Berthoud. The illustrations reflect not only the spirit and the style of the decades but also the wider social and cultural changes of the century.

Fashion is in the details. The textiles, tailoring, and trimmings all work together in the creation of the finest pieces. Drawing on the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's internationally known fashion collection, this gorgeous book tells the story-in words and beautiful pictures-of fashion's aesthetic and technical development from the Age of Enlightenment to World War I, a period when fashionable dress underwent sweeping changes. Many remarkable examples of men's, women's, and children's garments are featured here for the first time, including an extraordinarily rare 1790s man's vest designed to promote sympathy with the French Revolution; a stunning 1845 black satin gown from the royal court of Portugal heavily embroidered with gold; and an 1891 evening mantle with silk embroidery, glass beads, and ostrich feathers designed by French couturier Aemile Pingat. An invaluable resource for anyone interested in the evolution of fashion, this generously illustrated book provides a rich visual history of the changes that occurred in fashionable dress spanning a period of more than two hundred years.

The real movers and shakers in the fashion world aren't sitting in the front rows of runway shows or presenting their collections during fashion week. They are flipping through the racks of vintage stores, plundering their parents' closets, and scouring eBay for shoes. They are also blogging about their ideas and finds on the web-part of a complex network that is a breeding ground for ideas for the fashion industry. Style Diaries features nearly fifty of today's most compelling fashion bloggers in colorful spreads that reveal who they are, what they wear, and how they feel about fashion. Fully illustrated, this book showcases each subject's personal style; and the bloggers' answers to questions such as What is the best purchase you ever made? What is something that you would never wear? How do you get dressed in the morning and before a night out? Are as insightful as they are fun to read. Style Diaries offers readers access to a vibrant community of interesting, intelligent people who may very well be the most influential forces behind tomorrow's trends.

Acclaimed photographers Jaime Rojo and Steven Harrington's photographs of stencils, wheatpastes, stickers and renegade installations show off the very best art found on the streets of New York. The book follows in the footsteps of the recent London Street Art Anthology by including artist interviews, quotes and street locations. The images will highlight work from New Yorkers including Swoon, Judith Supine, Dan Witz, Skewville and WK to international artists like Armsrock (Denmark), Banksy (UK), Space Invader (France), Nick Walker (UK) and Mr. Brainwash (France), who frequently make pilgrimages to one of the art form's most holy destinations.

World War II and its aftermath ushered in a new era of artistic expression. Abstract Expressionism, film noir, Beat poetry, and the New Journalism — all considered responses to war's shocking realities — were influenced by the photography of the period. Street Seen, a companion volume to an exhibition, highlights six photographers who were prominent during and immediately following the war. Lisette Model's unflinching portraits; Louis Faurer's cars, crowds and buildings; Ted Croner's haunting night images; Saul Leiter's painterly, evocative technique; William Klein's manipulation of focus and composition; and Robert Frank's documentation of American ideals gone awry — these and other beautifully reproduced photographs exquisitely communicate the emotional resonance of everyday life in post-war America. An essay by Lisa Hostetler explores the aesthetic revolution that took place after the war and reveals the principles of spontaneity and subjective interpretation that guided these photographers as they sought to make sense of new realities. Brief biographies and bibliography are also included in this valuable compilation of the mid-century's most influential photography.

This companion volume to an ambitious retrospective holds a mirror up to the iconic artist whose work so strongly reflected her life. The life and work of Frida Kahlo were inextricably intertwined. This beautiful monograph celebrates the artist while exploring the lesser-known aspects of her story. Reproductions of Kahlo s paintings are accompanied by a series of illuminating essays that explore the artist s private writings and the intense public interest in her life, the role of physical and mental suffering in the creative process, and the coded and double meanings hidden in so much of Kahlo s work. In addition, a photographic essay compiled by her grandniece, Cristina Kahlo, features images from the family s private collection. As an icon of female strength and suffering, Frida Kahlo has become something of an art world myth. This scholarly yet profoundly moving illustrated tribute to her life and work offers a measured perspective that rises above the noise of celebrity to discover the true artist and the truth of her art.

Recreating Picasso's first museum retrospective curated by the artist himself, this book provides a unique historical perspective on a towering figure in modern art. Pablo Picasso was a famous artist-and infamous celebrity by the time he launched his first museum exhibition at the Kunsthaus Zurich in 1932. The history of that retrospective, its influence on Picasso's reception and reputation, and the impact it had on Picasso's contemporaries and associates are all explored in this book, which features installation photographs from the original exhibition and will for the first time give full catalogue details of the 225 paintings that were included. Picasso curated the original retrospective, selecting works from the first three decades of his career. The works featured in the book include paintings, sculpture and prints from the artist's Blue and Rose periods, his foray into Cubism, his neo-classical paintings of the 1920s and his sensual images inspired by his young lover Marie-Therese Walter in the early 1930s.

At once deeply personal and brilliantly perceptive, this dynamic reconsideration of the life and work of Frida Kahlo is curated by the prominent feminist artist Judy Chicago, who helped introduce American audiences to Kahlo's paintings. For decades Judy Chicago has worked tirelessly to ensure that women's artistic achievements become a permanent part of our cultural heritage. In this sumptuous, large format book, she turns her attention to the work of Frida Kahlo, one of the world's most revered female painters. In this volume Chicago, together with her collaborator, art historian Frances Borzello, has handpicked a selection of Kahlo's work, a hundred portraits that speak to the full spectrum of women's experience. The result is a fascinating conversation between two artistic icons, one that is further enhanced by a dialogue between Chicago and Borzello, an authority on women's portraiture. The book features each work on its own spread, facing commentary by Chicago and Borzello. Essays explore Kahlo's many facets: woman, artist, historical figure, and inspiration. Designed to evoke a Mexican retablo, or altarpiece, this volume reframes Frida Kahlo for a contemporary audience.

Entirely self-educated, Tadao Ando is considered Japan's leading architect and his sublime buildings are located all over the world. This book profiles ninety of Ando's projects across the globe from the mid 1990s to today, including museums, convention centres, factories, shrines, residences, and corporate headquarters. Each building is beautifully photographed and is accompanied by drawings, sketches, plans, materials from the architect's own studio, and in-depth commentary. In addition, Ando has written an enlightening essay on his work. An up-to-date collection of Ando's works from the past fifteen years, this elegant book will please all fans of modern architecture.

Renowned for such powerful paintings as The Scream and Madonna, Munch continually reworked his monumental themes in the graphic arts. This publication brings together nearly sixty of Munch's most important prints, from the National Gallery of Art and two exceptional private collections, demonstrating how the artist's experimental impulses and virtuosic handling of intaglio, lithography, and woodcut over the course of his lifetime endowed his haunting motifs with new meanings. Stunning reproductions reveal Munch as a master printmaker, manipulating materials and color in the service of his artistic concepts. Scholars and general readers alike will gain a much richer and more nuanced appreciation for this great Norwegian artist.

Big art for little hands, these enchanting activity books allow young artists to explore the world's masterpieces on their own terms and with plenty of space to colour outside the lines.

Richly illustrated throughout, this elegant volume introduces two hundred years of Japanese prints and examines their evolution, innovative techniques, and radical impact on the European and American avant-garde of the nineteenth century. The book commences with a chronological survey of the Japanese print, including works from early masters such as Harunobu and Utamaro, classic prints by the renowned artists Hokusai and Hiroshige, and nineteenth century examples by Kunisada and Kuniyoshi. The second half of the book focuses on Western artists such as Pierre Bonnard, Mary Cassatt, Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, Henri Riviere, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and James Abbott McNeill Whistler, who drew on the Japanese aesthetic in their own diverse ways. The result is a beautiful book that offers a fascinating glimpse of how the great Japanese prints affected modern art — Impressionism and beyond.

The latest volume in Prestel's most successful series profiles the world's top 50 designers, including Armani, Balenciaga, Dior, Galliano, Givenchy, Lacroix, McCartney, McQueen, Quant, Versace and Westwood. Their careers and creations are explored through colourful, double-page spreads, with a timeline to highlight significant events in the designer's life and to outline their accomplishments and influence. Brilliant full-colour reproductions of the designer's works bring their creations to life and illustrate their remarkable contributions to the world of fashion. An essential reference for any fashion lover, student or budding designer.

In this lavishly illustrated book, a renowned editor at British Vogue examines the links between fashion and jewelry. For as long as we've been dressing ourselves, we've been adorning ourselves with embellishments for ears, hands, wrists, waist and fingers. And as fashion trends evolve, so do trends in jewellery. Here jewellery expert Carol Woolton demonstrates how the worlds of fashion and jewelry have become increasingly integrated over the last century. From the corset-bound silhouettes of the turn of the century, with their elegant drop earrings and delicate chokers, to the free-flowing kaftans of the 1970's, adorned with chunky, earthy bangles and beads-major trends and designers are featured in double-page spreads that offer endlessly fascinating and informative texts and illustrations. Profiles of icons from Coco Chanel and Harry Winston to Princess Diana and Michelle Obama reveal the interplay of personality and history in the world of fashion. And as jewellery from Chanel, Boucheron, Van Cleef & Arpels and others was shown for the first time alongside haute couture in this year's Paris Fashion Week, Woolton explores how brands have made the most of this trend. Gorgeous photography from the archives of Conde Nast, Sotheby's, and many fine jewelers bring precious metal and twinkling gems to glorious life on the pages of this book.

Founded by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Magnum Photos is an iconic international photographic cooperative whose members have captured the major historical events of their times, as well as private and intimate moments. A year's worth of these images is offered in this beautiful book that features full page reproductions organized to reflect what Cartier-Bresson himself declared a community of thought, a shared human quality, a curiosity about what is going on in the world, a respect for what is going on and a desire to transcribe it visually. A Nearly 70 photographers are represented with five to six images and the current Magnum members have selected the photographs that they consider to best represent their own output. Opposite each photograph is a page reserved for special dates, reflections, and notes. Published in an appealing and impressively-sized format, running more than 700 pages, this book includes images that make history both individual and universal.

As opulent as the treasures it celebrates, this lavish volume presents Cartier's timeless designs worn by some of the twentieth century's most legendary figures. It's been one hundred years since the House of Cartier opened its doors on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Since then the luxury jeweller has been creating exquisite brooches, bracelets, tiaras, timepieces and other objects — including scent bottles, so-called mystery clocks, and handbags — many of them specially commissioned by their illustrious patrons. Readers will see Gloria Swanson's bracelet from Sunset Boulevard, Douglas Fairbanks' elegant watch, the Duchess of Windsor's panther brooch, and Grace Kelly's 10.47-carat diamond engagement ring, as well as items owned by Marion Davies, Vivien Leigh, Barbara Hutton, and Elizabeth Taylor. Author Martin Chapman offers an in-depth exploration of how Cartier conquered America, from its European birth in 1847 to its arrival on the other side of the Atlantic and from its whimsical Art Deco creations to the red carpet prominence that linked the name Cartier with fame, wealth and exclusivity. In addition to stunning colour images of each object, the book features photographs of stars and heiresses wearing their Cartier jewellery from Manhattan to Hollywood A beautiful volume for fashion aficionados, this treasure trove of jewellery is a tribute to Cartier's ingenuity and unmatched craftsmanship.

Big art for little hands, these enchanting activity books allow young artists to explore the world's masterpieces on their own terms and with plenty of space to color outside the lines.

Henry Moore is most celebrated for his monumental outdoor sculptures in many major cities around the world. Lesser known are the sculptor's plaster pieces, which represent an important stage in the development of his work leading up to the final bronze sculptures. Moore's sculptures are presentedalongside a generous selection of his drawings and carvings made during the last decades of his life. Commentary by leading scholars from the Henry Moore Foundation offers Moore's audience a deeper understanding of the artist's approach to his work and the evolution of his worldview.