Rare Special Editions available from ACC Art Books –  More Information

Van Overstraeten is one of the oldest and most exclusive interior design companies in Belgium, started in 1891 and now with a worldwide reputation working with the best architects, interior designers and decorators for private and public projects. In this stunning debut monograph, beautifully presented with all new photography is a selection of more than 40 projects from recent years.

Text in English, French and Dutch.

Little Tim is the central character for this innovative series that speaks both to parents and their little ones. Each of the first four books in the series deals with a fundamental problem that might affect three- to five-year olds: fear, especially of the dark, anger and aggression that are frightening and difficult to manage, jealousy, perhaps due to the arrival of a new family member and the shyness that makes it difficult to face new situations such as the first day of nursery school. The book’s point of view makes it unique. It speaks directly to the reader, describing a problem and providing five small, simple solutions to help face it. All of the points are imaginative and written using language suitable to the targeted age group with examples taken from the child’s daily life that he or she can actually put into practice. At the end of every book, parents will find reflections and behaviours in a section dedicated to them because sometimes, parents find these situations just as hard as their children do and sometimes, even harder. Ages: 3 plus

The Dark Side is a project that solicits the public on the ‘dark side’ that is in each of us, which manifests itself in ancestral fears such as the fear of the dark ( to which this first volume is dedicated), the fear of loneliness, the fear of time. These fears require a pause, a reflection: they destabilise, but at the same time ignite new possibilities, new thoughts, new perspectives.

This volume Who’s Afraid of the Dark?
investigates the theme of physical and metaphorical darkness, and consequently the relationship with its opposite, light. It includes works ranging from installations, multi-sensory experiences, mixed media and large scale-works from 13 of the most important international artists such as Gregor Schneider, Robert Longo, Hermann Nitsch, Tony Oursler, Christian Boltanski, James Lee Byars up to the new protagonists of the contemporary art scene such as Monster Chetwind, Sheela Gowda, Shiota Chiharu and, among Italian artists, Gino De Dominicis, Gianni Dessì, Flavio Favelli, Monica Bonvicini.

The artistic perspective is countered with the interventions by theologian Gianfranco Ravasi, physicist-theorist Mario Rasetti, psychiatrist Eugenio Borgna and philosopher Federico Vercellone, who offer a polyphonic look of great intellectual interest on this theme.

The Dark Side project inaugurates Musja, a new museum in the city of Rome, which is proposed as a reference for the most innovative trends in the contemporary art scene.

Text in English and Italian.

“I’ve loved the films of Yuri Norstein for years now. I first saw ‘Hedgehog in the Fog’ as a film student in the early 1980s and became instantly enchanted. Like many I was immediately drawn into his sensual world by the richness of the aural and visual landscapes he creates. Norstein’s films are magical and atmospheric, lovingly and masterfully executed. His story-telling and illustration style is earthy and rich in symbols which are beautiful in themselves – but one senses there is a lot more hidden behind them.” Nick Park, The creator of Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run and four times Oscar-winner
Hedgehog in the Fog is an international bestseller which has already been published in many languages. The book is based on Francesca Yarbusova’s sketches to the award-winning animated film directed by Yuri Norstein. It is about the adventures of the philosophical little Hedgehog on his way to meet with his friend Bear. Along the way Hedgehog enters into a mysterious fog in which he encounters a horse, a dog, an owl, and a fish. Also available in the Norstein & Yarbusova Collection – a beautiful series of children’s picture books based on the art of famous Russian artists and animators Yuri Norstein and Francesca Yarbusova are: The Fox and the Hare ISBN: 9780984586714 and Mishmash ISBN: 9780984586745.

This volume contains nearly 1600 coins of the 9th-16th centuries from North Africa to Great Syria. The collections included in the catalogue are those of the Heberden Coin Room and the Shamma Collection. Unlike previous SICA volumes, the coins are arranged by dynasty and ruler because of the large number of distinctive types belonging to each dynasty’s coinage.

Drawing on more than 40 years of work, Walter Van Beirendonck selected over 500 iconic fashion drawings that have rarely, if ever, been seen before. Draw the World Awake is a wild ride through Van Beirendonck’s imaginative evolution, showcasing his bold and boundary-pushing style like never before. Whether you’re a fashion fanatic or just love a good visual feast, this collectible book offers a vibrant glimpse into the mind of a true mastermind in fashion design.

This XL volume features three interchangeable covers and showcases the full range of Van Beirendonck’s oeuvre in drawings, from his Sado collection in 1982 and the outfits he designed for U2’s Popmart tour in 1997, to his Hand on Heart collection of Fall 2011 until today. The book reveals his wide range of inspirations, which include technology, art, pop culture and ethnography. Walter Van Beirendonck studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. He broke through at the British Designer Show in London in 1987, together with ‘The Antwerp Six’: Dirk Bikkembergs, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene and Marina Yee.

The Opéra has been reinvented — at least to some extent. After eight successful editions with alternating art direction, the editor, Matthias Straub has entrusted the design legend Mirko Borsche (ZEIT magazine, SZ magazine, and many more) with the creative re-launch of the ninth edition. This refreshing new approach to the pictures and typography will bring The Opéra into its next decade. The proven structure and the artistic gaze in the selection of photographers and pictures are also central in Volume IX: The Opéra embodies contemporary nude photography and stands for an unconditional commitment to art and the body.

Artists:
Shiori Akiba, Kimbra Audrey, Jim de Block, Martina Borsche, Eva Bukareva, Arthur Cadre, Indira Cesarine, Barron Claiborne, Stephane Coutelle, Francois Delebecque, Emmet Green, Samy Husson, David PD Hyde, Arnoldas Kubilius, Anna Lazareva, Joanne Leah, Maud Levavasseur, Lin Zhipeng, Julia Luzina, Mia Macfarlane & Julien Crouigneau, Gerhard Merzeder, Stefan Milev, Veronique Pecheux, Laurence Philomene, Christina Rollny, Maya Ruska, Ryuta Sakurai, Caroline Senecal, Joanna Szproch, Slava Thisset, Sean Patrick Watters, Leafy Yeh, Ziqian Liu

“In this radiant biography, the painter Anne Eisner springs to life as a figure of formidable originality… Christie McDonald’s heroic, feminist work restores Eisner as artist and as a key anthropological observer of her time.” – Rosanna Warren, author of Max Jacob: A Life in Art and Letters.  
This biography traces Anne Eisner’s life and art between cultures: from her early years and artistic career in New York, through living at the edge of the Ituri Forest in the ex-Belgian Congo (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), to her return to New York.
Eisner came of age in the 1930s and 1940s, with the struggle among artists and intellectuals to combat fascism and create a better world. Leaving behind a successful career as a painter, Anne followed anthropologist Patrick Putnam, with whom she fell in love, to the multi-cultural community of Epulu. As an American woman and painter, her focus on cultural and aesthetic values, her belief in freedom and equality, brought an eccentric perspective to the colonial context. Unanticipated challenges forced her to think about who she was, as she agreed to marry under unfamiliar conditions, became one of the mothers, hosted researchers and tourists, and attempted to care for Putnam in his tragic decline. That her art sustained her throughout as a discipline (sketching, drawing, painting) reveals to what extent Anne was able to express joy in creativity; the beauty of her art testifies to its transformative power.

In this book, Joseph Masheck re-examines the spiritual in Mondrian’s art and proposes a parallel between the equilibrium found in his paintings and his writings on theological justification. The artist’s Calvinist Christianity is considered in respect to the balanced, asymmetrical works of his ‘classic’ phase of the 1920s and 1930s, and potential parallels with the writings of an important Dutch theologian of the Neo-Calvinist movement are explored. Finally, the author follows Mondrian’s classic phase into the 1930s and beyond, in this extraordinary and inspiring reassessment of one of the fathers of abstract art.

In this collection of photographs taken in over 36 countries, Christer Löfgren explores the international art of graffiti and wall paintings. From his base in Stockholm, Sweden, Löfgren travels to places where street art can be found, including places like the Antarctic, Greenland, and Svalbard, where you may not expect to see it. The book addresses the current duality of opinion about street art: it is still viewed as a criminal act in many places, and yet at the same time it is accepted as a valid and important art form. It crosses boundaries to unite communities all around the world. Organised in two sections, the first section of this book explores the methods and motivations behind the work, while the second section focuses on street art in specific countries around the world.

The Potato Eaters is one of Vincent van Gogh’s most famous works. The artist himself described it in 1887 as ‘after all the best thing I did’. He completed it in the spring of 1885 while living with his parents in Nuenen after his brother Theo had asked him to paint a ‘masterwork’ for the Paris art market. Van Gogh’s fascination for peasant life led him to choose as his subject a scene of a simple meal by lamplight. He was convinced that ‘there’s life in it’, which was precisely what he was seeking. Bregje Gerritse, a researcher at the Van Gogh Museum, describes in this book how meticulously Van Gogh went about preparing The Potato Eaters. Through his preliminary studies and letters, we get to know an ambitious painter working constantly to improve his skills. We discover the details of his location, make the acquaintance of the figures in the painting and read how his friends and critics responded to a work that Van Gogh wanted so badly to be his artistic breakthrough.

Ten more handscrolls from the series Collection of Ancient Calligraphy and Painting Handscrolls: Paintings have rich themes and diverse styles, such as vivid portraits, exquisite landscape paintings, and meticulous paintings of flowers and birds. The paintings are accompanied by texts written by experts, offering detailed analysis of the artists’ works. It is a powerful tribute to Chinese ancient paintings and provides original insight into the work itself. In this series (volumes 11-20), most of handscrolls are painted in Song Dynasty, in which painting became an art of high sophistication and reached a new level of sophistication with further development of landscape painting. The original paintings have been in the collection of the Palace Museum or the Taipei Palace Museum for many years.

The artworks are presented in the traditional format of a handscroll which can be extended indefinitely, so that the postscripts and observations of later generations can be directly followed by the end of the works.

Since its debut nearly 70 years ago, the Berlin International Film Festival – known as the Berlinale – has become one of the world’s leading showcases for cinematic talent and ranks amongst the industry’s best attended events. Every year, photographs from the festival – held every February – capture the attention of the world. This selection of images of the Berlinale from the 1950s to the present in the archives of the Deutsche Kinemathek features highlights from on and off the red carpet. In addition to the stars and directors, it includes images of lively press conferences, parties, fans, award ceremonies, and some rare instances of calm amidst the hustle and bustle of the festival.

From a historical perspective, the collection draws attention to the development of Berlin itself and the transformations within the film industry. These are revealed by images of interiors, by the fluctuations of fashion, and by the way, changing over time, that people interacted with photographers and journalists.

Contents: 1. 50 Photographs; 2. Fans; 3. Movie Theaters; 4. Parties; 5. Fashion; 6. Press 7; Politics; 8. Portraits; 9. Couples; 10. City; 11. Stars; 12. Bears.

Text in English and German

“This book is a fascinating look at a history rarely told.”The Guardian

“a fascinating look at a history rarely told” The Observer

“In his new book “Around the World in 200 Globes” (Luster), he spot-lights some of the most significant and interesting, shpwing that a globe is more than a map on a ball.” — Wall Street Journal

“a superb illustrator of changing boundaries and national self-regard” — Strong Words

“exquisite examples that speak to our species’ ever-shifting ideas of who we are and where we live”National Geographic Traveler

The Dutch architect Willem Jan Neutelings (co-founder of Neutelings Riedijk Architects) is known as the architect of, among other things, the MAS in Antwerp and the Gare Maritime in Brussels’ Tour & Taxis district. Few people know, however, that Neutelings is also an avid collector who, over the years, has built up a very extensive and also very specific collection of hundreds of globes, made between 1900 and 2000. In this book, he presents his collection to the public for the first time. He selected 200 globes, each telling a very individual and interesting story about the time and place when and where they were created. Some globes bear witness to technological innovations by the way they were made, some show how advanced people’s knowledge of space was at the time, some were intended as navigational aids. Neutelings’ collection includes globes in cast iron, steel, wood and even paper; some look very old and fragile, others are very colourful, and some even give off light. Each one is a beautiful and intriguing object that teaches us a lot about the ever-changing world view of mankind. This beautiful and skillfully crafted book is an ode to these stories, to the unique objects often anonymous craftsmen produced in the last century, and to the special dedication of collectors.

The year was 1978, and Quinnipiac College was forming a new campus in Hamden, Connecticut. Chance would bring the author and the place together, and for the next forty years Jefferson B. Riley, FAIA, one of the founding partners of Centerbrook Architects and Planners, would be Quinnipiac’s architect designing over a hundred renovations, additions, and new buildings on three separate campuses that now comprise Quinnipiac University. The University thus became Riley’s devotion, vigorously so after the arrival of Dr. John L. Lahey in 1987 who, as its eighth president, personally put Quinnipiac University on its path to national prominence. Riley’s work has not only helped to give Quinnipiac roots but also wings. Here, then, is a comprehensive architectural account of Quinnipiac from 1978 to 2018.

For generations, Black artists from the American South have forged a unique art tradition. Working in near isolation from established practices, they have created masterpieces in clay, driftwood, roots, soil, and recycled and cast-off objects that articulate America’s painful past – the inhuman practice of enslavement, the cruel segregationist policies of the Jim Crow era, and institutionalised racism. Their works date from the early twentieth century to today and respond to issues ranging from economic inequality, oppression and social marginalisation, to sexuality, the influence of place, and ancestral memory. Among the sculptures, paintings, reliefs and drawings included here are works by Hawkins Bolden, Thornton Dial, Sam Doyle, Bessie Harvey, Lonnie Holley, Ronald Lockett, Joe Minter, Nellie Mae Rowe, Mary T. Smith, Henry and Georgia Speller, Mose Tolliver, Charles Williams and Purvis Young. Also featured are the celebrated quiltmakers of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, among them Mary Lee Bendolph, Marlene Bennett Jones, Loretta Pettway and Martha Jane Pettway.

This attractive little volume offers a day-by-day guide to the coming year in New York City: cultural events, holidays, historical anniversaries, weather predictions, the night sky, and much more. Each week gets its own page, with enough space to record your own appointments. The almanac’s numerous special features include a municipal horoscope by Janelle Belgrave; weather predictions by the noted meteorological sage Professor Vaticinate; notes on the night sky by Joe Rao, an Associate of the Hayden Planetarium; and style predictions by fashion historian Raissa Bretaña. Charming illustrations by Andrey Kokorin depict the city’s favourite activities, as well as its characteristic foodstuffs and fauna. Printed on creamy, high-quality paper with a sewn binding, this almanac is the perfect guide to all the Big Apple has to offer in 2023. It will make a delightful gift for residents and visitors alike.

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl was founded in 2003. Twenty years later, the team consists of 31 talented cyclists from 10 different countries. Under the leadership of CEO Patrick Lefevere, the team became one of the most successful ones in cycling history. In 2010, Czech businessman Zdenek Bakala joined the squad. They have won more than 800 UCI races, including 20 Monuments, more than 50 national titles, 6 world titles on the road, 6 world titles in the individual time trial, 4 world titles team time trial, 2 World Cups, 2 European titles and an Olympic title.

This book is an overview of the most exciting highlights of 20 years of the Wolfpack, with fantastic photos from the archive and interviews with the key players.

New additions to the automotive market are judged primarily by efficiency or fuel consumption. Things are quite different for historical cars. Major car shows, from Pebble Beach to Villa d’Este, feature classic cars, which, although they may not achieve top marks in the wind tunnel, have a timeless elegance that makes the hearts of all aficionados skip a beat. The photographer Ansel Adams, who was an honorary judge at Pebble Beach, once defined them as follows: “The type of vehicle I would like to be buried in.” From the Maserati Ghibli to the Ford Thunderbird, René Staud has shot automotive classics in settings ranging from the subtle to the spectacular. As co-organizer and head of the Car Selection Committee for Schloss Bensberg Classics, Jürgen Lewandowski provides authoritative texts. The Classic Cars Book conveys a real passion for these spectacular vehicles, appealing to existing fans and those yet to fall under their spell.

Text in English, German, French, Chinese, Russian.

This series of board books will help children to make the right choice when coming to recycling and saving the planet! On each page, after a short explanatory introduction, children will find a turning wheel. If they place it on the right recycling action, the following page will result in a happy ending. If they make the wrong decision, something bad for the environment will happen… but they can learn from that experience and start all over again thinking about their choices! A simple yet effective idea to make children understand that their actions have an impact on the planet. They can learn from it and make the right choice also in real life. Ages: 5 plus

The Ghent Altarpiece or the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, by the Van Eyck brothers (1432), is recognised worldwide as a great work of art, and one of the most influential paintings ever made. It was the world’s first major oil painting, and it is laced with religious mysticism. The work almost reads like an A to Z of Christianity – from the Annunciation to the symbolic sacrifice of Christ, with the ‘Mystic Lamb’ on an altar in a heavenly meadow, bleeding into the Holy Grail.
For the first time, this book gathers together diverse insights on the Ghent Altarpiece, the monumental poliptych that the brothers Hubert and Jan van Eyck realised with the assistance of a large workshop and advisers on the painting’s subject matters. This book has the same aim: to bring together experts from the most diverse disciplines. Only by combining the perspectives of (art) historians, philosophers, religious studies scholars, mathematicians and specialists in optics can one fully understand the riches and depth of this masterpiece.
Lavishly illustrated, including details that have come to light using state-of-the-art techniques during the current conservation project and are not always visible to the naked eye.

This new book explores the work of Mahendra Raj, arguably India’s most significant structural engineer. Born in 1924, Raj studied in Lahore and gained first working practice at the Punjab Public Works Department. He completed his education by working with engineering firms in the US and degrees he took from University of Minnesota and Columbia University, New York in 1955-59. He established his independent practice in New Delhi in 1960. Many of Raj’s structures are recognised as monuments narrating the history of energetic nation building in post-independence India. Some of them are unique, such as the Hall of Nations and Industries (New Delhi, 1972) with its large-span concrete space frame, the Hindon River Mill (Ghaziabad, 1973) with a series of bowstring concrete arches. Especially during the 1980s, Raj designed further innovative, groundbreaking structures, most notably the NCDC Office (New Delhi, 1980) and the State Trading Corporation building (New Delhi, 1988). The Structure features twenty-eight of Mahendra Raj’s buildings from all periods of his career in detail and richly illustrated with photographs and colour reproductions of archival plans as well as selected sections and plans. Essays by expert authors, interviews with Mahindra Raj, and an illustrated complete list of works round out this first comprehensive monograph on a pioneer of structural engineering.

This beautifully appointed monograph features stunning full-colour photographs and richly detailed plans and diagrams showcasing the work of Spanish architect Luis Vidal and his studio, Luis Vidal + Architects. Renowned writer and international architecture expert Philip Jodidio provides valuable insights into the work of Vidal and eloquently narrates the stories of 14 distinctive projects across a wide international region.

The projects in the stunning volume, ranging from private residences and urban buildings to hospitals, airports, and educational and cultural centres, have become a world reference in architecture, design, and construction. Among the selected works are the award-winning Terminal 2 (The Queen’s Terminal) at Heathrow Airport in London, Matta Sur Community Center in Santiago de Chile, and Loyola University Campus in Seville. The monograph also features an intensely personal endeavour for Vidal—a private residence that encapsulates much of the thinking that has made Vidal’s work so successful across the world.

A decade after the Swiss National Bank had opened its neo-baroque building in Berne, the bank’s Zurich-based Governing Board moved into its own grand office building in 1922. This major work of the local firm of Otto and Werner Pfister is a prime example of neo-classicism in Switzerland and provided Zurich with an architectural landmark at the top end of its famous Bahnhofstrasse.

Marking its centenary, this book celebrates the Zurich home of the Swiss Franc. It describes in detail and lavishly illustrated the architecture and building history from planning stage until today. This is supplemented by essays on bank architecture since the Middle Ages, the urban formation of Zurich and the city’s development into a financial centre in the late 19th century. In his contribution, the renowned Canadian-British architect Adam Caruso compares it from today’s perspective with other central bank buildings and places it in context of the Pfister brothers’ other public commissions, many of which are occupying prominent locations in Zurich’s cityscape.

Richly illustrated with historical and new photographs, original plans and other historical documents, the volume pays tribute to a piece of public architecture that combines monumentality with pragmatism and republican modesty.