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Vasari famously wrote that Giotto “recovered the true method of painting, which had been lost for many years before him,” and indeed, he is traditionally considered a founder of the Italian Renaissance. Producing a series of commissioned works for the church and upper classes in his native Tuscany and surrounding regions, Giotto changed the course of European art by breaking away from the rigid, stereotyped figures of the Byzantine and medieval traditions. His innovation was to give his characters natural movement and expression. His great fresco cycles, such as the lives of the Virgin and Christ in the Scrovegni (or Arena) Chapel, Padua, are populated with realistic depictions of three-dimensional figures; secondary characters, both comic and tragic, display the range of the painter’s wit and invention. And Giotto’s treatment of perspective was just as revolutionary as his approach to the human form: the dramatic power of his scenes is heightened by the convincing illusionistic spaces in which he places them.In this authoritative survey of Giotto’s life and work, Francesca Flores d’Arcais draws on an impressive range of sources, from 14th-century documents to the most recent art-historical investigations. Her research leads her to important reattributions of Giottesque paintings and to new conclusions regarding the execution and dating of both famous and lesser-known works. In this second edition of her study, d’Arcais also discusses the earthquake of September 26, 1997, that damaged the frescoes of the Upper Basilica of San Francisco in Assisi, some of which are attributed to the young Giotto; she explains not only the extent of the damage, but also the art-historical insights that emerged from the subsequent restoration effort. 

More than three hundred illustrations, most in full colour and some on double gatefold pages, reproduce all of Giotto’s important frescoes in exquisite detail, as well as his moving crucifixes and jewel-like polyptychs. These splendid images and d’Arcais’s insightful text, now, for the first time, in an affordable paperback edition, make this the definitive monograph on the greatest of trecento masters.

The best-illustrated survey of a spectacular ancient art, now available in an affordable edition

Mosaic has been called “painting for eternity,” and it is in fact one of the few arts of antiquity to survive in something like its original condition and variety. Mosaic pavements with geometric and figural motifs first appeared in Greece at the end of the fifth century BC and subsequently spread throughout the classical world, from the palaces of emperors and kings to even relatively modest private homes. Across the Mediterranean, local workshops cultivated many distinctive regional styles, while travelling teams of Hellenistic craftsmen produced figural mosaics of stunning refinement, often modelled after famous paintings; indeed, their work constitutes one of our only records of classical Greek painting, which has been almost entirely lost. The styles and techniques of the ancient mosaicist’s art are given a concise yet authoritative exposition in the first part of this handsome volume.
The second, and larger, part conducts the reader on a chronologically ordered tour of the most important centres of the art form’s development, from the Macedonian capital of Pella, whose compositions in natural pebbles set a high artistic standard for mosaics at the beginning of their history, to the Basilica of San Vitale at Ravenna, whose wall and vault mosaics, with their glittering vision of a triumphant Christianity, mark the transition between antiquity and the Middle Ages. Special attention is given to Pompeii and its surroundings, where the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 preserved intact an astonishing variety of mosaics, including such ambitious figural scenes as the famous Alexander Mosaic, composed of some four million miniscule tesserae, as well as characteristically Roman pavements in black and white, and the brightly coloured wall mosaics of garden grottoes.Featuring more than 230 vibrant photographs, many newly commissioned, Greek and Roman Mosaics is the first survey of its subject to be illustrated in full colour. It will be an essential visual reference for every student of classical antiquity, and a source of considerable delight for art lovers.
This is an epic tale; a fantasy replete with grand romances and countless avenues leading to divine love. Venture through diverse time perspectives and complex mythologies of the gods in this multidimensional drama, inspired by ancient Asian principles. The Gold Lotus is a dance in written form; a saga with a rhythmic delivery that will transport you through intricate plots, legendary wars, unsettling separations and passionate love, unbound.
Manifested in a time of darkness and war, the celestial being Kānu prepares for a journey brought on by Muniji, the minstrel saint, to face a destiny that stands between destruction and salvation. Weaving through the ways of love and power, the almighty Kānu will learn to become the saviour of his heavenly kingdom while discovering the deepest desires of the heart and defeating evil – both within and without.

As the heavenly kingdom yearns for its saviour, a formidable and broken God of War comes to battle with an unpredictable foe that has bested the mightiest of warriors before him: finding the lost love capable of fulfilling the void in his heart. What (or who) he finds as the answer proves to be a riddle never before encountered by the revered warrior. Alongside Kānu and a kingdom of mystical beings that oversee the forces of existence, the celestial war for balance is far from won and the stakes grow higher with every heartbeat.  

The expressive paintings by the Armenian artist Armen Eloyan (b. 1966) are as beguiling and seductive as they are repulsive. According to Eloyan, a fine painting is like a good joke, the pieces must fit together. With his characteristic dark humour, colourful paint and thick black contours he reveals a dark universe, in which things are thrown out of kilter and the viewer is confronted with existential questions.
Cartoon-like figures emerge from mysterious landscapes, as though they have stepped out of a comic strip. They find themselves at the mercy of a harsh, dystopian reality. Eloyan’s characters seem disturbed, melancholic and alcoholic, and appear to be in a state of existential meltdown. Almost masochistically they seem to passively accept their destiny.
Eloyan combines influences from street art and cartoons with references to the great pioneers of painting, such as Willem De Kooning, Caspar David Friedrich and Philip Guston. He presents a world in which familiar figures, whom we often associate with our own youth, have lost their innocence.
The publication is realised in collaboration with the FRAC des Pays de la Loire and the Tim Van Laere Gallery, Antwerp.

This book recounts the fascinating history of Titian’s unfinished portrait, A Lady and her Daughter (possibly his mistress Milia and their daughter), which dates from the early 1550s. After Titian’s death in 1576, it was repainted in his studio with a more saleable image of Tobias and the Angel. Often presented as Titian’s work but in a style which made the attribution suspect, the painting has had a succession of owners. It belonged to Tsar Nicholas I for a short time, and ultimately to the art dealer René Gimpel, who hid it with other artwork in a warehouse in London during World War II, where it miraculously survived the Blitz. It was not until the mid-20th century that an x-ray examination uncovered the beautiful painting underneath, an undisputed work by the great master himself. The painstaking restoration process, begun in 1983, took 20 years. Notable art historians and conservators have contributed essays that offer an in-depth examination of this exceptional and mysterious painting.

When American Readers at Home was published in early 2018, it was met with widespread praise. The German weekly Die Zeit
called it “a fascinating contemporary document of contradictions.” The manager of a major London art bookshop tweeted on April 10, 2018 that he had “checked ALL the books at London Book Fair today to find the best one and this is it: American Readers at Home […] It’s incredible!” The book soon sold out, not least because it won gold in the 2019 German Design Award and was also among the winners of the 2018 Swiss and German national book design competitions.
Swiss graphic designer and photographer Ludovic Balland has now put together a new selection of the compelling material amassed on his road trip across the United States during the 2016 presidential campaign. American Readers at Home – New Cut brings together colour photographs of cityscapes and black-and-white portraits of American citizens with interviews about their use of news media, alongside facsimiles of newspapers and collages with statements about the current state of the country. Four years have passed, yet none of these stories have lost their power or urgency!

French journalist Julien Gester, who writes for the French daily Libération, and Swiss curator Hilar Stadler have contributed new forewords.

Florentine photographer Lapo Baraldi eloquently captures a silent and surreal Florence, empty of people, during the first phase of the pandemic in the spring of 2020. Shooting with black and white film, these urban spaces are revealed as their planners imagined them, and the viewer becomes lost in their timelessness. As with archival images, we are aware of the life that is simmering below the surface.
Florence As It Is is accompanied by a previously unpublished short story by Elena Ronchi.

Aenne Biermann (1898–1933) was one of the leading figures of photography in the 1920s and 1930s. Today, she is considered one of the most important avant-garde photographers of the 20th century. In just a few years of practice, the self-taught artist became a well-known representative of German photography, participating in almost all the important exhibitions of her time. She captured plants, objects, people, and everyday situations in pictures that have to this day lost none of their allure and poignancy. By means of clear structures, precise compositions of light and contrast, as well as narrow framing, she drew a special kind of poetry out of the motifs of her personal environment and developed her own, distinctly modern pictorial style.

This is the first substantial new book in English on this exceptional artist since the 1930s, published to coincide with a major exhibition at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in fall 2021. The large-format volume features some 100 of Aenne Biermann’s photographs in colour and duotone reproduction, several of them published here for the first time ever. This impressive selection is complemented by essays on Biremann’s photography in art-historical context and on selected aspects of her oeuvre.

Text in English and Hebrew.

An exhibition featuring the work of Aenne Biermann is taking place at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art from 5 August 2021.

For 20 years the association 100 Beste Plakate e.V. has been spotlighting the most groundbreaking poster designs from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In its anniversary year, the group and its members are facing existential questions, just like graphic designers all over the world. The coronavirus has laid waste not only to people’s lives but to cultural life as well. In our day and age, museums are closed while people are still allowed to shop at DIY stores; they can get a haircut, but theatres remain off-limits. The place of culture in society is shifting, which most often means it is becoming less relevant. But what is society without culture?

Some of the posters included in this book were made for events that never happened, for billboards that remained empty, for an audience that wasn’t there.

These upheavals have had an impact not only on the selection of the 100 best posters of 2020, but also on current trends in the graphic arts. Last year, as the authorities imposed restrictions, or in some cases even outright bans, on interpersonal communication, the desire for visual communication and design seemed to grow by the same measure. This book and the posters presented in it can be regarded as a physical testimony to the time and space that was lost in 2020.

Text in English and German.

This beautiful book in the “500” series celebrates the extraordinary talent of Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, arguably the most renowned artist of the Italian Renaissance. 500 years ago, he was 46 years old. He had already completed the Statue of David, the Doni Tondo, the Vatican Pietà, and the Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He would later paint the Last Judgement, the frescoes of the Pauline Chapel, and complete the Tomb of Julius II.

This book celebrates his magisterial accomplishments throughout his lifetime, and includes his less celebrated works, architectural projects, lost works, and attributions.

Text in English and Italian.

“This book takes in his introduction to wine – at the age of three! – through his continued travels and championing of New World wines when they were less fashionable.” — Matthew Nugent, The Irish Sun

“You can feel Oz Clarke’s expansive, chatty presence in every sentence” — Telegraph

“Frankly, it’s the best and most entertaining wine read I’ve had in years.” —Tom Doorley, The Irish Mail

“You can never have too much of his captivating enthusiasm and rich knowledge and this is him at his best.” — Waitrose magazine

“A rollicking good read.” — Sommelier India

There have never been so many delicious and original wines in the world, and to discover them, all you need is a glass in your hand and Oz Clarke – the ideal wine companion. With his inimitable sense of adventure and fun, Oz explains how his fascination with flavour led him to abandon a promising acting career and follow his heart from Chablis to ‘the lost Himalayan valleys of Yunnan’ in pursuit new taste experiences and wine thrills. He found them! Oz Clarke On Wine takes us on a fast-paced, witty romp around the grape varieties key to the world’s major wine styles, then explores the vineyards and regions where a vast trove of wine treasure lies waiting for discovery. Oz’s passion for sharing, his deep wine knowledge, and his ability to conjure up the wine world’s most beautiful landscapes, make this book the most unputdownable wine read this century.

Includes:

Royalty, Aristocrats, American heiresses, exiled Russian Grand Dukes, Randlords, Maharajas, Socialites and Financiers with newly made fortunes flocked to Fabergé in London to buy gifts for each other. The Imperial Russian Goldsmith’s London branch was the only one outside of Russia and its jewelled and enamelled contents were as popular there as they were in St. Petersburg or Moscow.

Using previously unreferenced sources and a newly discovered archive of papers relating to Fabergé in London, Kieran McCarthy studies the branch’s structure, customers and exclusive stock. The book will be of interest to enthusiasts of the decorative arts, the social history of the Edwardian Golden Age and especially of European Royalty. Fabergé’s works were and continue to be intimately associated with the British Royal Family. For Violet Trefusis, daughter of King Edward VII’s mistress Mrs. Keppel and lover of Vita Sackville-West, a Fabergé cigarette case was the emblem of Royalty, as symbolical as the ‘bookies’ cigar’, or the ‘ostler’s straw’.

Between 1886 and 1942, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Pomology Division — pomology being the study of fruit growing — commissioned an illustrated register of fruits. These watercolour illustrations were invaluable to growers, who used them as records of prized varieties that were in danger of being stolen or counterfeited by competitors. The illustrations realistically portrayed fruit in all conditions, showing not only immaculate pomegranates fit to eat off of the page but bruised bananas as well. These watercolours, most of which were painted by women, chronicle an agricultural landscape at the turn of the twentieth century and provide a visual time capsule of many fruit varieties now lost.

This book highlights 250 vibrant, mouthwatering watercolours from the Pomological Watercolor Collection, showing fruit from all 50 states and around the world, from apples and oranges to gooseberries and plums. As small as an apple or avocado you would hold in your hand, this miniature book will entice both gourmets and art lovers.

“Scenic photography and vivid storytelling.” — PhotoLondon website
“Venice – as you’ve never seen it before.” — Sarah Holt, Mail online

“It’s Venice as you’ve never seen her before as artist Federico Povoleri gives us a whole new perspective into the soul of the Adriatic city.” — Why Now
Photographer Federico Povoleri is a native Venetian and knows his hometown like almost no one else. With his black-and-white photographs, he captures an atmosphere of the lagoon city that is usually lost in the buzz of the tourist crowds. His experiences and knowledge of the city allow him to capture motifs that we seem to know, and yet show Venice to us in a new light. His book of photographs becomes a wistful declaration of love for his hometown and a warning of the creeping destruction that threatens this unparalleled beauty.

Text in English and German.

From long lost paintings to ephemeral sculptures; from whimsical performances to iconic public murals; and from independent films to landmark design objects, the surprising and provocative contents of Moving Focus, India have been provided by a varied group of experts. A first of its kind, this book invited 54 artists, curators, historians and writers to each create a list of five works of art, made at any time since 1900, by artists living in India or identifying as part of its diaspora.  

With over 250 individual nominations, including artists whose works have been exhibited at venues as various as Houghton Hall (Anish Kapoor, 2020), the Asia Society Museum, New York (MF Husain, 2019) and the Piramal Museum of Art, Mumbai (SH Raza, 2018), the exercise produced thrilling and unexpected choices across many mediums. Drawing from a wide range of private and public collections, the selections reveal the diversity and inclusiveness of today’s art scene: an art scene that has embraced the progressive changes evident in society at large. In addition to these lists, the book includes reflections on collecting, curating and canon-formation from a range of important voices, by way of a roundtable discussion and a series of essays.  

Spread over two volumes and marked by an innovative and fresh design sensibility, whether you are familiar with modern and contemporary art from the subcontinent or looking for an introduction, Moving Focus, India contains a wealth of information. Lavishly illustrated with over 1,000 archival and freshly commissioned photographs, this book is an important and timely addition to the global art discourse and a key source of reference. 

Nominated artists include Ramkinkar Baij, Chittaprosad, VS Gaitonde, Amrita Sher Gil, Rummana Hussain, Bhupen Khakhar, Nasreen Mohamedi, Benode Behari Mukherjee, Meera Mukherjee, Mrinalini Mukherjee, Gieve Patel, Sudhir Patwardhan, Nilima Sheikh, Jangarh Singh Shyam, KG Subramanyan, Vivan Sundaram, Zarina and many more. 

An intimate view of humanity and the world: Atlas Moksha is a collection of photos taken by Anthony Curri (*1992) during his travels and at home. The various chapters attempt to give structure to the grand black-and-white chaos. Each tells a different story about places Curri has been or people he has met or lost. “You can say it’s like a documentary of different life phases and dear memories depicted in black-and-white while sharing the same common ground,” says the artist. “Some photos are colorful because just as in life, some things deserve to be.”

All photos were shot on an iPhone.

Jephan de Villiers’ book is an invitation to break away from the alienating burdens of everyday life and immerse ourselves in an imaginary civilisation. Here, we set out with the artist on a journey to encounter a lost world, where nature and culture were once closely entwined, where humanity lived in harmony with the elements.

Trees and water are of central importance throughout the artist’s work. Whether as a reminder of the origins of life or as testimonies of ancestral beliefs and practices, nothing has been invented in this singular world of sculptures. Everything in his work has been composed and transferred from a forgotten world. His creations are made from materials derived from natural objects that have fallen to the ground: splinters of wood, bark, water chestnuts, rays’ eggs, mysterious sea balls washed up by the ocean and fragments of horseshoe crab shells.

For the artist, the time he devotes to his work means being alone, in the strictest sense of the word. It is time spent scouring the ground, in search of materials gathered “on the edge of the world”. His work of one of memory, a tribute to all those on the look‐out, watching over our forgotten world.

Text in English and French.

120 years ago the first permission was granted for archaeological excavations in Ephesos. The signature of Emperor Franz Josef I laid the foundation for one of the most prominent excavation enterprises in the world and to this day it has lost none of its significance for science or its fascination for visitors. The pulsating, cosmopolitan metropolis of antiquity may have turned into a site of ruins, but here, more than anywhere else, archaeology has succeeded in bringing past eras into the focus of both science and the public. Today more than 2 million people visit Ephesos every year indisputable proof of the fascination and interest that earlier cultures can arouse as well as confirmation for the relevance and topicality of archaeological research. In their joint book project, archaeologist Sabine Ladstätter and photographer Lois Lammerhuber venture behind the historical front. Central for them is the economic role of Ephesos as antique trading town, modern archaeological enterprise and visitor magnet.

Text in English, German and Turkish.

The complex, enigmatic work of Meret Oppenheim (1913–1985) has lost nothing of its fascination to the present day. Much has been written about her career and her art. Yet very little is known about the real person Meret Oppenheim, who always remained secretive about herself and banned publication of any personal documents until 20 years after her death.

In 1958, Oppenheim put together an album that she titled Von der Kindheit bis 1943 (From Childhood to 1943). It has a dual identity of a diary and a work of art in itself. It assembles photos, objects, notes and brief texts, as well as ideas and concepts for art works, and offers very personal insights into Oppenheim’s private life and thought. This book features the entire album in true-size colour reproductions and, for the first time ever, with the full text translated into English. This is supplemented with a previously unpublished autobiographical text by Oppenheim, which she wrote in 1957-58 on the request of the French scholar Yves Poupard-Lieussou for his never completed project of a bio-bibliographical history of Dada and Surrealism.

An introduction by the editors Lisa Wenger and Martina Corgnati rounds out this beautiful book that offers entirely new perspectives on one of the most distinguished woman artists.

Text in English and German.

This inspiring and beautifully illustrated book chronicles the lives of seventeen pioneering women sculptors who dared to speak their truths about inequality and injustice and overcame obstacles of gender and race in the last hundred and fifty years. The works that these talented artists cast, carved, and moulded mirror both their internal worlds and the society surrounding them. There is no better way to inspire young women to fulfil their destiny with courage than to give them these brilliantly brief and cogent portraits of great women who shaped the world of sculpting and through that, our culture, and our world. Ausherman puts the spotlight on women artists simply by celebrating them insightfully, and so well.

With many helpful references for additional in-depth readings and beautiful photographs taken by Steven Taylor, this book is a gem for anyone who loves reading how immensely skilful and creative people pursue their passions through the art of sculpture.

From his childhood in Melbourne, David Neilson (b. 1946) has been motivated by his twin loves of mountaineering and photography. He has made multiple expeditions to southwest Tasmania, Patagonia, and Antarctica, and published critically acclaimed photo books about each of these places; he has also carried his camera into the Karakoram, and the Alps of Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. In this oversize volume, Neilson recounts his lifelong quest to capture the mountain light and encourage the preservation of wild places. His most spectacular images of jagged peaks, massive glaciers, and hardy wildlife are reproduced as duotones of the highest quality. A number of vertical double-page images even invite readers to turn the book sideways to immerse themselves in the mountain heights. Chasing the Mountain Light will delight all lovers of the outdoors.

The 500 Hidden Secrets of Berlin is the perfect book for those who wish to discover the city without ending up in all the usual tourist haunts, as well as for residents who are keen to track down the city’s best-kept secrets. In The 500 Hidden Secrets of Berlin, Nathalie Dewalhens shares hundreds of must-know addresses in the German capital, like the unexpected authentic coffee bar around the corner of Checkpoint Charlie, or the apartment where David Bowie stayed while composing some of his best songs. Or how about trying a pizza topped with purple potato crisps at one of the hippest pizzerias in town? Visit the boutique of an unconventional fashion designer with Iranian roots, or venture off to a peaceful lake outside the city, where you can enjoy a drink sitting on the wooden boardwalk, or check out a hip food market on the banks of the Spree? Berlin has so much to offer, and this guide will help you decide where to begin.

Alongside Erasmus of Rotterdam, Johannes Reuchlin (1455–1522) is one of the most important European humanists whose works marked the transition from the Middle Ages to the modern era. The year 2022 marks the 500th anniversary of the Pforzheim-born jurist, Hebraist, and religious philosopher’s death, cause indeed for an exhibition and publication to bring jewellery, writings, and language into a stimulating dialogue and to offer new meanings to the titular mystery of signs. At the fore stands the human quest for understanding and tolerance, which has lost none of its relevance today. One particular focal point comprises selected manuscripts and works by Reuchlin, highlighted from new perspectives. An additional emphasis is placed on objects that reflect Reuchlin’s cognitive world through script and symbols from the resplendent collection of the Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim [Pforzheim jewellery museum].

With contributions by Jonathan Boyd, Beatriz Chadour-Sampson, Matthias Dall’Asta, Cornelie Holzach, Wolfgang Mayer, Susanne Nagel, Katja Poljanac, Stefan Rhein, Nathan Ron, Isabel Schmidt-Mappes, Pierre Vesperin, and Anja Wolkenhauer.

Text in German.

Germany is currently experiencing an intense debate about the reconstruction of synagogues that were destroyed under Nazi rule in the 1930s, and the related search for an appropriate architectural expression of Jewish life and culture in the country’s major cities today. This book, which results from a collaboration between the Technical Universities of Darmstadt and Dresden, Hamburg’s HafenCity University, and the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, vividly contributes to this discussion.

The Synagogue Project features designs for new synagogues replacing the lost buildings on Berlin’s Fraenkelufer and on Joseph-Carlebach-Platz and Poolstrasse in Hamburg by students at the participating universities. They illustrate the search for a structural expression that can provide space for Jewish life and worship in the future. In conversation, members of Jewish communities and Franz-Josef Höing, representing the City of Hamburg’s department of urban development and housing, explain their views on the past and future of synagogues in Hamburg and Berlin. Mirjam Wenzel, director of the Jewish Museum in Frankfurt, Salomon Korn, former vice-president of Germany’s Central Council of Jews, Rabbi Edward van Voolen, and Swiss architect Roger Diener also contribute to the discussion on the history and significance of spaces for Jewish life, culture, and religion in German cities.

Text in English and German.