Taschen

Poetic nightscapes: Darren Almond's nocturnal nature series In Full Moon, the conceptual meets the poetic: British artist Darren Almond catches natural archetypes and silent landscapes in night photographs made under a full moon, with the shutter kept open for over a quarter of an hour. The long exposure time illuminates the landscape almost like daybreak, but the atmosphere is different. There is a mild glow emanating even from the shadows, star-lines cross the sky, and water blankets the earth like a misty froth. The enhanced moonlight infuses the pictures with a haunted quality, casting the landscapes in an unease that is wholly of our time, as a contemporary notion of the sublime. The work is about time, both in its contemplation of timeless qualities in the landscape and of photography as a medium to record its passage. The book collects roughly 250 images which Almond captured following the full moon around the globe. Natural monuments like Yosemite National Park or the German Isle of Rugen draw links to Romantic paintings, from Albert Bierstadt and Caspar David Friedrich respectively, and the whole series circles around the possibility of Romantic themes today: majestic American mountains, austere Arctic ice fields, picturesque rocks by the seascape in Japan, or, most intimately viewed, the nature of Britain, whose painterly subjects are closest to home. This book covers the complete series started at the turn of the century and continuing today in full-page illustrations, the thoughts and references elucidated in essays on the role of photography in our media-saturated times and on the memories within the landscape that become visible in Almond's work. Also available in three Art Editions, all numbered and signed by the artist.

Mario Testino's boundless talent with a camera must be maddening for other photographers working in a highly competitive field, but he remains one of the most revered stars in his profession. Often imitated and never equaled, Testino is graced with a natural ability to float effortlessly from studio to backstage to after-party, producing stunning shots in any kind of situation. From royals to mega-celebrities. Testino has shot some of the world's most inaccessible subjects, always with an ease that betrays the complexity of the task. When Testino gets «in your face» he captures you at your best and that is what makes him the best. This unorthodox collection of various images chosen by Testino from the span of his 30-year career reflects the diversity of his work, ranging from fashion and advertising shots to sexually-charged images and autobiographical photos. Full of color, life, and humor, this selection is a testament to the sheer brilliance of a tireless chronicler of fabulousness.

Ellen von Unwerth was a supermodel before the term was invented, so she knows a thing or two about photographing beautiful women. Now one of the world's most original and successful fashion photographers, she pays homage to the world's most delectable females in Fraulein. This celebration of our era's sexiest female icons includes Claudia Schiffer, Kate Moss, Vanessa Paradis, Britney Spears, Eva Mendes, Lindsay Lohan, Dita von Teese, Adriana Lima, Carla Bruni, Eva Green, Christina Aguilera, Monica Bellucci and dozens more. Switching effortlessly between color and immaculate black and white, von Unwerth's photography revels in sexual intrigue, femininity, romance, fetishism, kitsch humor, decadence and sheer joie de vivre. Whether nude or in lingerie and a dazzling smile. Her subjects are never objectified. Some flaunt personal fantasies; others are guarded, suggesting that we have stumbled into a secret world. Fashion and fantasy were never so enchantingly combined. These images were shot over the last 15 years and many are previously unpublished.

With investigations into everything from black holes to exoplanets, the Hubble Telescope has changed not only the face of astronomy, but also our very sense of being in the universe, on the 25th anniversary of its launch into low-earth orbit, TASCHEN celebrates its most breathtaking deep space images both as scientific feats and as photographic masterpieces. Ultra high-resolution and taken with almost no background light, these pictures have answered some of the most compelling questions of time and space, while also revealing new mysteries, like the strange «dark energy» that sees the universe expanding at an ever-accelerated rate. In generous square format with several foldouts, the pictures mesmerize in their iridescent colors, intricate textures, and vast, fragile forms. The collection is accompanied by an essay from photography critic Owen Edwards and an interview with Zoltan Levay, who explains how the pictures are composed. Veteran Hubble astronauts Charles F. Bolden, Jr. and John Mace Grunsfeld also offer their insights on Hubble's legacy and future space exploration.

Exploring the globe since 1888. A journey through time with the world's favorite magazine Limited edition of 125,000 copies worldwide! For five generations, National Geographic magazine has dazzled and educated people with its incredible photographs, illustrations, and gripping stories from the four corners of the earth. Combining travel, wildlife, science, history, culture, and conservation, the National Geographic Society's trailblazing magazine has inspired millions of readers to explore and take an interest in the planet we inhabit. Now, in celebration of its 125th anniversary, National Geographic has given TASCHEN complete access to its archives to distill the journey of a lifetime into three prodigious volumes featuring photographs — many unpublished — almost as rich, deep, and colorful as the world itself. Our trans-continental trip starts in the Americas and Antarctica (Volume 1); we then cross the Atlantic to Europe and Africa (Volume 2); and finally sail the Indian Ocean to Asia and Oceania (Volume 3). From evocative early black-and-white pictures to autochromes, from the golden age of Kodachromes to digital, National Geographic invented the aesthetic of the photo essay, while pushing the technical boundaries of the medium. Readers will discover how the magazine evolved from presenting a romantic view of the world — subjects posed and smiling — to edgier stories reflecting political turmoil, social issues, and environmental threats. Of course, the journey would not be complete without prime examples of the magazine's revered groundbreaking underwater and wildlife photography, so we've included plenty of such treasures as well. This world class set is a cultural investment to be cherished, shared, and passed down to future generations. Features: Approximately 1,500 pages of photos and illustrations. Includes photos by Steve McCurry, Frans Lanting, George Rodger, James Nachtwey, and dozens of National Geographic staffers who covered the world in captivating Kodachrome from Timbuktu to Tuvalu. Introductory essays by Douglas Brinkley National Geographic time line. Photographer biographies Each slipcase converts into its own book stand because these treasures deserve to be put on display!

Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (1606 1669) was one of the most complex and multi faceted artists of the 17th century. From his initial period in Leiden to his early and late phases in Amsterdam, the stages of Rembrandt s career mirror the artistic and intellectual developments of the century. After breaking off his studies in Leiden, the young Rembrandt trained as a painter for two years and eventually established his own painting workshop. Characteristic of the Leiden period are his biblical histories, such as The Raising of Lazarus, but the roots of Rembrandt s portraiture, nourished by his intensive studies of physiognomy, also are to be found in these same years. Later, in Amsterdam, the perfection of Rembrandt s likenesses initially won him the favor of numerous patrons but the artist soon surpassed their expectations. Transcending traditional modes of presentation, Rembrandt composed his portraits in the same manner in which he had earlier constructed his scenes. The results are visible, for example, in the famous group portrait The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp from 1632. In the last phase of Rembrandt s work when, plagued by financial problems, he had withdrawn into seclusion it is no longer possible to distinguish between event paintings and portraits.

Fashion's dynamic duo. Mario Testino's tribute to his greatest muse Mario Testino is recognized as the ultimate fashion photographer of his generation but his pictures of Kate Moss transcend fashion. The consequence of two decades of extraordinary friendship, and phenomenal glamor, this iconic collaboration is an intimate insight into the lives and minds of two of the world's definitive style leaders. Follow the journey of one of fashion's most extraordinary friendships, from early days backstage at the shows to behind-the-scenes glimpses of the ground-breaking editorials they continue to produce for the world's most respected magazines. Many photographs have been chosen from Testino's private archive and are published here for the first time. This book is Mario's personal homage to his greatest muse a young girl that captured his heart and eye with her beauty, humor and spirit, and whose image in his photographs has captured imaginations the world over. Contents include: Foreword by Mario Testino Exclusive essay by Kate Moss Over 100 images in black-and-white and color, including many unseen private photographs.

A prophet of modernism. Strong colours and sinuous figures El Greco (1541-1614) was born Domenikos Theotokopoulos in Crete in 1541. He arrived in Venice in 1566, where his work was greatly influenced by Titian and Tintoretto. Later he made an offer to the Pope to paint over Michelangelo's Last Judgement in the spirit of the Counter Reformation, which so incurred the wrath of Roman artists that a career in Italy was no longer conceivable. El Greco then settled in Spain, in Toledo, where he received numerous commissions from the Church and the nobility. Between 1586 and 1588 he created a major work of European painting, the monumental Burial of the Count of Orgaz for a chapel altar in the parish church of Santo Tome in Toledo. El Greco confined his range of colours to a small number of very expressively used shades, with an evident preference for pale purple, pink, and yellow and greyish tones. He located the iconographical events in a space that he dramatized by means of light and atmospheric phenomena. His oeuvre had a wide-ranging impact on art up to and including modern 20th century painting. Paul Cezanne and later Picasso and the Expressionists regarded El Greco as a prophet of modernism.About the Series: Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Art Series features: a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance a concise biography approximately 100 colour illustrations with explanatory captions.

Genius of the Early Renaissance During Sandro Botticelli's lifetime (1444/45-1510), the influence of his art scarcely reached beyond his native Florence, and following his death he was soon forgotten, to be rediscovered only in the 19th century, by the Pre-Raphaelites. Since then, Botticelli has ranked among the greatest of the Renaissance artists. In the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, paintings such as Primavera and The Birth of Venus belong to the foremost attractions for tourists and art lovers. His captivating figures of women, his intimate portrayals of the Madonna and Child, and the angel-like beauty of his adolescents are famous the world over today. About the Series: Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Art Series features: a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance a concise biography approximately 100 colour illustrations with explanatory captions.

A Van Gogh a day with TASCHEN Tear-off Calendar Van Gogh 2015. Enjoy a Van Gogh gallery on your desktop. From starry nights to sweeping scenes of Arles, see the year through with one of art-history's most important, if all too belatedly recognized, masters. The TASCHEN Tear-off Calendar — on your desk 365 days a year. Sumptuous color images, a big and bold dateline and all international holidays make this an indispensible addition to your desktop. Comes complete with stand and in a presentation box. It offers: Pad on tray; Gift box; 320 calendar pages; 314 illustrations; and, all international holidays included.

Dappled light, golden meadows, open skies, and soaring spires. Nobody does picturesque quite like Monet. Bring a little calm to your schedule with TASCHEN’s Monet Tear-off Calendar 2015, the soothing desktop accessory featuring a gorgeous new Monet image with each new day. About the Series: The TASCHEN Tear-off Calendar – on your desk 365 days a year. Sumptuous color images, a big and bold dateline and all international holidays make this an indispensible addition to your desktop. Comes complete with stand and in a presentation box.

Saving space: Big ideas for small buildings Over the years, talented architects have occasionally indulged themselves with the challenge of designing small but perfectly formed buildings. Today, with reduced budgets, many architects have turned in a more focused way to creating works that may be in diminutive in their dimensions, but which are definitely big when it comes to trendsetting ideas. Whether in Japanese cities, where large sites are hard to come by, or at the frontier between art and architecture, small buildings present many advantages, and push their designers to do more with less. A dollhouse for Calvin Klein in New York, a playhouse for children in Trondheim, pop-up stores for fashion stars, vacation cabins, or housing for victims of natural disasters are all part of the new rush to develop the great small architecture of the moment. The 2013 Pritzker Prize winner Toyo Ito is here, but so are emergent architects from Portugal, Chile, England, and New Zealand. Alvaro Siza and Kazuyo Sejima (SANAA) display their eye for tiny detail alongside artists Doug Aitken and Olafur Eliasson. From world-famous names to the freshest new talent, come discover architectural invention on a whole new, small scale.

The city of lights to see you through the year with TASCHEN's Paris Wall Calendar 2015. Does any city soothe the soul like Paris? Keep on top of your schedule with evocative images of the city's breathtaking beauty and charm. Presented in an elegant, LP-style, sleeve, TASCHEN's Wall Calendars feature 12 top quality reproduction images, an elegant layout for the days of the month, and all official holidays for your country. It includes: 12 calendar pages; 12 illustrations; sleeve; and, all international holidays.

You can see the year through with the city that never sleeps with TASCHEN's New York Wall Calendar 2015. If your schedule's as hectic as a New York sidewalk, here's a calendar to keep your appointments, and your spirits, in order. Bring a whole new energy and inspiration to your date planning with these inspiring images of the Big Apple's incomparable culture, crowds and soaring skyline. Presented in an elegant, LP-style, sleeve, TASCHEN's Wall Calendars feature 12 top quality reproduction images, an elegant layout for the days of the month, and all official holidays for your country. It includes: 12 calendar pages; 12 illustrations; sleeve; and, all international holidays.

Il divino. This is a glorious exploration of Michelangelo's works. Before reaching the tender age of thirty, Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) had already sculpted «David» and «Pieta», two of the most famous sculptures in the entire history of art. His achievements as a sculptor, painter, draughtsman, and architect are unique — no artist before or after him has ever produced such a vast, multi-faceted, and wide-ranging oeuvre. This is demonstrated not only by the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel but also by Michelangelo's monumental sculptures and his unconventional architectural designs, whose forms went far beyond the accepted vocabulary of his day. Such was his renown that Michelangelo was the subject of two biographics during his lifetime. TASCHEN brings you this comprehensive two-volume edition that explores Michelangelo's life and work in more depth and detail than ever before. The first volume concentrates on the life of Michelangelo via an extensive and copiously illustrated biographical essay; the main body of the book presents his work in four parts providing a complete analytical inventory of Michelangelo's paintings, sculptures, buildings and drawings. Gorgeous, full page reproductions and enlarged details bring readers up close to the works. This sumptuous book also takes account, to a previously unseen extent, of Michelangelo's more personal traits and circumstances, such as his solitary nature, his thirst for money and commissions, his miserliness, his immense wealth, and his skill as a property investor. In addition, the book tackles the controversial issue of the attribution of Michelangelo drawings, an area in which decisions continue to be steered by the interests of the art market and the major collections. This is the definitive work about Michelangelo for generations to come.

Is this a man's world? Bright, bold pictograms from Yang Liu revisit the roles, relationships and age-old cliches of male and female experience. Imagine a setting in which a man wearing a dress might be as habitual as a woman in trousers. Where a woman exposing herself in public wasn't sexy, but as creepy as a male flasher. Where professional status and success presented the same prospects for both sexes. In this first in a new series for TASCHEN, leading graphic designer Yang Liu tackles one of the hottest, and one of the oldest, topics of all: he and she. Drawing on the experiences, challenges and many perspectives on men and women she has encountered in her own life, Yang Liu distils the vast, swirling question of gender to bold, binary pictograms. Dealing with a whole host of situations from the bedroom to the boardroom, Yang Liu's designs are as simple and accessible in their presentation as they are infinite in the associations, evocations and responses they elicit. Combining age-old stereotypes with topical discrepancies, this fresh approach to the roles and relationships of men and women is above all an effort to synthesize a notoriously thorny issue into a fun and refreshing graphic form, and so to lighten and enlighten our mutual understanding and tolerance.

Our Fair Lady. The many facets of Hepburn's beauty, on and off set. In his distinguished career as a Hollywood photographer, Bob Willoughby took iconic photos of Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Jane Fonda, but remains unequivocal about his favorite subject: Audrey Kathleen Ruston, later Edda van Heemstra Hepburn-Ruston, best known as Audrey Hepburn. Willoughby was called in to shoot the new starlet one morning shortly after she arrived in Hollywood in 1953. It was a humdrum commission for the portraitist often credited with having perfected the photojournalistic movie still, but when he met the Belgian-born beauty, Willoughby was enraptured. «She took my hand like... well a princess, and dazzled me with that smile that God designed to melt mortal men's hearts,» he recalled. As Hepburn's career soared following her Oscar-winning US debut in Roman Holiday, Willoughby became a trusted friend, framing her working and home life. His historic, perfectionist, tender photographs seek out the many facets of Hepburn's beauty and elegance, as she progresses from her debut to her career high of My Fair Lady in 1963. Willoughby's studies, showing her on set, preparing for a scene, interacting with actors and directors, and returning to her private life, comprise one of photography's great platonic love affairs and an unrivalled record of one of the 20th century's touchstone beauties.

This title features fabulous flowers, all year long. An enduring symbol of love and beauty, the rose remains a queen among flowers. Delight in the delicacy and charm of this floral favorite with TASCHEN's Redoute, Roses Diary. Each calendar week includes a beautiful reproduction of Rose print from 18th-century master Pierre-Joseph Redoute, nicknamed the «Raphael of flowers». TASCHEN's Spiral Diaries are beautiful to look at and a joy to use. Every week brings a new picture and a fresh page to fill with your life's events. Useful features include national holidays, year planners, and a lay-flat spiral binding. This title features spiral-bound with matt PE cover; 53 calendar pages; 56 illustrations; and all international holidays.

High Five! TASCHEN's regular Illustration Now! series brings you the latest, groundbreaking work from the world s most exciting illustrators. A stimulating mix of established master draftsmen and neophytes, working in a vast range of techniques, this Illustration Now! Vol. 5 features 150 illustrators from over 30 countries, including illustration duo Craig&Carl, reportage artist Sue Coe, upcoming Agata Nowicka, old masters James McMullan and Syrian artist Youssef Abdelke. The spread includes personal work, as well as high-profile projects for clients such as Nike, The New Yorker, Harper's Bazar, The New York Time Magazine or Time magazine. Looking back at the history of media, the book's introduction from Steven Heller explores the many styles of illustration. A perfect round-up of illustration's here-and-now for graphic artists, creative professionals and illustration students, but also for anyone with an appreciation of draftsmanship and visual language.

Creative genius, all year long with TASCHEN Tear-off Calendar: Mid-Century Ads 2015. Always after the next Big Idea? Bring a little creative motivation to your desktop with TASCHEN's Mid-Century Ads Tear-off calendar, featuring an inspiring image from Madison Avenue's heyday with each new date. The TASCHEN Tear-off Calendar — on your desk 365 days a year. Sumptuous color images, a big and bold dateline and all international holidays make this an indispensible addition to your desktop. Comes complete with stand and in a presentation box. It offers: Pad on tray; Gift box; 320 calendar pages; 314 illustrations; and, all international holidays included.

About the Series: TASCHEN's Spiral Diaries are beautiful to look at and a joy to use. Every week brings a new picture and a fresh page to fill with your life's events. Useful features include national holidays, year planners, and a lay-flat spiral binding.

About the Series: The TASCHEN Tear-off Calendar — on your desk 365 days a year. Sumptuous colour images, a big and bold dateline and all national holidays make this Calendar an indispensible day-to-day desktop accessory. Comes complete with stand in a presentation box.

Great impression with TASCHEN Diary Monet 2015. Lighten your year with delightful Monet views week after week, from shaded gardens to frosted fields, saturated sunsets to the world-famous waterlilies. TASCHEN's Spiral Diaries are beautiful to look at and a joy to use. Every week brings a new picture and a fresh page to fill with your life's events. Useful features include national holidays, year planners, and a lay-flat spiral binding. It includes: Spiral-bound with matt PE cover; 53 calendar pages; 56 illustrations; and, all international holidays included.

Through a tender lens with TASCHEN's Doisneau, Paris Wall Calendar 2015. Keep things heartwarming in 2015 with Robert Doisneau's beloved pictures of Paris on your wall. With a fresh image each month celebrating Doisneau's remarkable eye for humor, affection and beauty, you'll be sure to lift your spirits, as well as organize your schedule. Presented in an elegant, LP-style, sleeve, TASCHEN's Wall Calendars feature 12 top quality reproduction images, an elegant layout for the days of the month, and all official holidays for your country. It comes with: 12 calendar pages; 12 illustrations; sleeve; and all international holidays.