Master printmaker Liu Chunjie is renowned for his beautiful woodcut art. Born to land reclamation workers in Heilongjiang Province’s 856 Farm, Lui began life in a remote part of China that was deemed to be a place of cultural exile. But it is here that a vibrant chapter in the history of contemporary Chinese printmaking, known as Beidahuang Prints, was born.

Living and breathing woodcut art, Liu takes the reader on a personal journey through his life’s work. Written in beautiful poetic prose, Liu describes how his art and the techniques he uses have developed over time, culminating in a stunning body of work that has made him the celebrated artist he is today.

Having experimented with colored ink, installation art and mixed-media painting, it is the spirit of woodcut that remains the foundation of Liu’s art. Using ancient tools and materials, he creates works that embody modern concepts, elevating the essence of woodcut art to a new level.

Rembrandt in a red beret: the vanishings and reappearances of a self-portrait follows the fortunes of a fascinating painting along two lines. First is the history of the painting as a precious collector’s object, a story almost too unlikely to be true. In 1823 it was bought by the future King Willem II as one of his first purchases for the greatest collection of paintings ever assembled by a Dutch individual. For nearly a hundred years it remained with his heirs, coming to Weimar. Then, in 1921 it was stolen from the Weimar Museum, to turn up in 1945 in Dayton, Ohio, owned by a man who said he bought it in 1934 from a German sailor on the New York waterfront. What followed is revealed in this book for the first time, based on declassified U.S. government information. In 1947 the U.S. government seized the Rembrandt under such strict terms that 20 years later, when it wanted to return it to Germany, it was forced to go into legislative and diplomatic gymnastics to do so. Upon its return, an heir to the Weimar title sued for its restitution, and after seven years of one trial after another, she got it. She sold it in 1983 to the private collector who still owns it. Since 1921 it has been on public display only for 10 days in Dayton (1947) and 10 weeks in Washington (1967). The book also traces the critical history of the painting as a Rembrandt. In 1969 his authorship was disputed by Horst Gerson, an opinion that was seconded by the Rembrandt Research Project. Examining all the evidence and arguments, the eminent Rembrandt specialist Gary Schwartz comes to the conclusion that there is no reason not to accept the painting for what it looks like – a self-portrait of the great master, painted by his own hand.

The Lake District delights its visitors with a series of superlatives: England’s largest national park, highest mountain, deepest lakes and now a new World Heritage status. One of Britain’s best-loved and most visited locations unveils its secrets. This unusual guidebook explores 111 of the area’s most interesting places, it leaves the well-trodden paths to find the unknown: marvel at a stained glass window which inspired the American flag, let others flock to Hill Top while you explore Beatrix Potter’s holiday home, walk through ancient forest to talk to fairies and swim with immortal fish. Pause to wonder at a stunning lake where a President proposed, view a constellation of stars like nowhere else, find out why exotic spices are used in local cuisine.

New Zealand, also known as Aotearoa, the “Land of the Long White Cloud” in the indigenous language, offers breathtaking scenery. In our mind’s eye we see high snow-capped mountains alternating with green valleys, while the sea holds up a mirror to all of this. Ever since Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings we have come to expect a hobbit or an elf behind every rock. In reality, however, we mostly encounter sheep, although their number is constantly decreasing.

This volume of CURVES focuses on another, lesser-known New Zealand attraction: the incredible roads that can be found across the North and South Islands. Spectacular views are guaranteed here, as the panorama could hardly be more varied. Soulful driving is included! And if you need to reset your head full of impressions, there are numerous picturesque towns ready to recharge your batteries. Join Stefan Bogner on his tour of discovery through New Zealand!

Text in English and German.

The Lake District delights its visitors with a series of superlatives: England’s largest national park, highest mountain, deepest lakes and now a new World Heritage status. One of Britain’s best-loved and most visited locations unveils its secrets. This unusual guidebook explores 111 of the area’s most interesting places, it leaves the well-trodden paths to find the unknown: marvel at a stained glass window which inspired the American flag, let others flock to Hill Top while you explore Beatrix Potter’s holiday home, walk through ancient forest to talk to fairies and swim with immortal fish. Pause to wonder at a stunning lake where a President proposed, view a constellation of stars like nowhere else, find out why exotic spices are used in local cuisine.

Cycling has never lost its appeal. Alongside mass-produced models, the craftsmanship of bespoke bicycle makers has emerged to satisfy the passion of people who ride bikes as a means of daily transport, as a sport and for recreation. This book by passionate cyclists Christine Elliott and David Jablonka is the product of a worldwide search for the most influential custom bicycle makers on the planet. The result is a presentation of a wonderful collection of expertly honed, human-powered machines, built by some of the most creative bicycle makers in the world. It highlights the range of techniques, materials, design elements, and dedication that go into producing a custom handmade bicycle. It is guaranteed to take you on the ride of your life. Bicycle brands featured include: Anderson Custom Bicycles, Baum Cycles, Bilkeny Cycle Works, Black Sheep Bikes, Bob Brown Cycles, Bohemian Cycles, Bruce Gordon Cycles, Calfee Design, Columbine Cycle Works, Crisp Titanium, Cycles Alex Singer, Cyfac, Davidson Handbuilt Bicycles, Don Walker Cycles, GURU Bikes, Independent Fabrication, Ira Ryan Cycles, Jeff Jones Custom Bicycles, Keith Anderson Cycles, Kirk Frameworks, Kish Fabrication, Llewelyn Custom Bicycles, Lynskey, Marschall Framework, Moots, Naked Bicycles and Design, Pegoretti, Richard Sachs Cycles, Roark Custom Titanium Bicycles, Robin Mather, Signal Cycles, Steve Potts Bicycles, Strawberry, Sweet Pea Cycles, Vanilla Bicycles, Vendetta Cycles, Vicious Cycles, Wolfhound Cycles. Also available: Racing Bicycles ISBN: 9781864704822

The book presents a significantly curated cross-section of the textile treasures offered by Varanasi. It combines the past and the present, linking them to different moments in the city’s history, and makes a powerful case for rediscovering, preserving and patronizing these textile treasures that are inextricably bound to the ancient aura of the city. Jaya Jaitly, emphasizes the need to acknowledge the beauty of Varanasi’s textiles emerging out of age-old traditions and techniques. She highlights the danger of the loss of livelihoods and highly sophisticated skills. She expresses concern over erosion of identity and importance in the wake of machine-made imitations being produced in other parts of the world that has already begun.

A unique insight into the ways in which one of today’s leading artists is inspired by great works of the past. In 16 emphatically modern new paintings, renowned artist, Alison Watt, responds to the remarkable delicacy of the female portraits by eighteenth-century Scottish portraitist, Allan Ramsay. Watt’s new works are particularly inspired by Ramsay’s much-loved portrait of his wife, along with less familiar portraits and drawings. Watt shines a light on enigmatic details in Ramsay’s work and has created paintings which hover between the genres of still life and portraiture. In conversation with curator Julie Lawson, Watt discusses how painters look at paintings, explains why Ramsay inspired her, and provides unique insight into her own creative process. Andrew O’Hagan responds to Watt’s paintings with a new work of short fiction and art historian Tom Normand’s commentary explores further layers of depth to our understanding of both artists.

This volume marks the publishing debut of the Spanish-Argentinian photographer based in Milan, Patricio Reig, and introduces one of the artist’s preferred subjects: the female portrait.

Patricio Reig prints and sets his images on special oriental paper, folded over and over, and finally dipped in a bath of coffee and sodium thiosulfate. He has found the result intriguing ever since his very first experiments: fortuitous coffee stains become scars that denote each photograph, and consequently every story they tell.
As he himself says: “A portrait is not the recording of a single identity, but rather the layering of many elements. For this reason, the image may be fragmented, pieced back together, or even folded over, and yet it never loses its essence.” 

Text in English, French and Spanish.

The Konyaks – a once fearsome headhunting tribe in Nagaland on the border of Myanmar in northeast India – are well known for their iconic body and facial tattoos, originally earned for taking an enemy’s head. This book – over four years in the making – is the personal journey of a Konyak woman who retraces the steps of her grandfather and great-grandfather by documenting her tribe’s tattooing practices. She explores the Konyak’s concept of beautification of the body using it as a canvas for art, with inscriptions marked on the skin as a form of rite of passage and cycle of life. With elegant and powerful portraits of elders, both men and women, this book preserves the unique but vanishing practices of the culture, together with tattoo patterns, their meanings, and the oral traditions attached to them in folktales, songs, poems and sayings. It includes descriptions and information on headhunting and tattooing practices; reasons behind them; techniques used; tattoo artists; different tattoo groups; types of tattoos; and personal stories. Contents: The Konyaks; Headhunting; Traditional Tattooing Art; Tattoo Artist; Face Tattoo Group SHEN-TU; Body Tattoo Group TANGTA-TU; Nose Tattoo Group KONG-TU; The Last of the Tattooed Headhunters; Glossary.

The Mauritshuis has ten paintings by Rembrandt. The most famous is undoubtedly The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp, but just as popular are Simeon’s Song of Praise, Portrait of an Old Man and Self-Portrait, one of the last which the Master painted. In this playfully designed book, the paintings and their distinctive features are conveyed in an accessible manner. A large number of detailed images capture Rembrandt’s extraordinary painting technique from close by: the quick brushstrokes, the crisscrossing in wet paint and the carefully placed dabs and jabs. The recent restoration of three Rembrandts at the Mauritshuis also receives special attention.

David Bailly’s Vanitas Still Life with Portrait of a Young Painter earned him a prominent place in art history. Almost 400 years after it was made, the painting – a masterpiece that raises all kinds of questions – continues to fascinate art historians. Is this a self-portrait? What do all the objects in the painting refer to? And who is the mysterious woman whose image appears against the wall? This book subjects the painting and the artist to a thorough examination. Bailly lived in Leiden, at the same time as Rembrandt. He painted and drew portraits and still lifes. This book considers his life and work together for the first time and presents the results of a technical investigation that has revealed the hidden layers in his most important masterpiece.

Gertrude Vernon, or Lady Agnew of Lochnaw, was an English woman who married a Scot. The American artist John Singer Sargent excelled as a painter in Europe. His portrait of Lady Agnew was painted in London but has found its definitive home in Edinburgh. All these contexts converge in a supremely beautiful painting which is one the icons of the collection of the National Galleries of Scotland.

Created in the 1890s, it proved to be a seminal work in the lives of the artist and his subject and has enjoyed a rich afterlife, inspiring artistic and written responses. This book offers a fascinating biography of this most accomplished, evocative and admired of portraits, placing it in the context of Sargent’s career and how he worked, discussing the life of the sitter and unveiling the picture’s rich critical history.

Martha Bibescu (Bucharest, 1886 – Paris, 1973) was one of the greatest and most representative protagonists of the extraordinary world of the Belle Époque, of which Paris, which became her adopted city, was the capital. Linked to the most important political and intellectual personalities of the time, from the kings of Romania to King Alfonso XIII of Spain, from Charles de Gaulle to Winston Churchill and Marcel Proust, Martha intertwined her life with that of the sculptor and architect Domenico Rupolo (Caneva, 1861-1945), the creator of the radical modernization, lasting almost twenty-five years, of the Bibescu palace in Mogoșoaia. To crown the profound association that bound him to Martha, Rupolo executed the hitherto unpublished marble portrait of her in 1933, on which this volume focuses. This face emerging enigmatically from the marble, a paradigm of the art and culture of an entire era, is a remarkable and unexpected addition to the portraiture of one of the most popular women of the 20th century.

Text in English and Italian. 

Between 1978 and 1987, renowned British photographer Derek Ridgers captured London youth culture in all its glory. With skinheads, punks and new romantics, in clubs and on the street, his images have come to define a seminal decade of British subculture.

This completely reimagined edition of 78/87 London Youth showcases a fresh selection of those images from the depths of Ridgers’ exceptional archive – including several previously unseen – beautifully printed and bound in an oversized volume.

Each picture is a tribute to the trials and triumphs of youth, and a precious document of style and culture in 1980s England, from the height of punk to the birth of acid house. Several have been exhibited internationally in cities as far-ranging as Moscow, Adelaide and Beverly Hills, in the National Portrait Gallery, Tate Britain and Somerset House. Ridgers has also collaborated with a number of major fashion houses, including Saint Laurent and Gucci, and his images continue to inspire photographers, artists and fashion designers around the world.

‘As time passes, this kind of observational photography attains a new importance’ – Sean O’Hagan, The Observer

‘Ridgers’ portraits of young boys and girls are weighted with a raw poetry and beauty’ – Cory Reynolds, artbook.com

The fascinating and truly exceptional Portrait of a Lady in White Satin, which forms part of The Klesch Collection, offers Marco Tanzi the leading expert on 16th- and 17th-century Cremonese painting an opportunity to delve into some hitherto unknown aspects of the painter’s artistic production. Breaking away from the repetitive monotony of a celebration firmly rooted in an audacious biography that is more or less fictional, but above all anchored to some erroneous attributions that are traced back to Bernardino Campi, her first master.

The Bund was once a mud land criss-crossed with farm fields, wild reeds, and a rooster fighting yard. Then its shape transformed dramatically looking similar to a European City, thus the mud Bund became the modern and attractive gold Bund. The stories of the Bund are about how the mud land turned into a billion-dollar skyline.

This book is a practiced journalist’s notebook about historical buildings in the Bund. The story of the Bund is the history of Shanghai’s rapid development. The book records the past and present details of 30 buildings on the Bund north of Yan ‘an East Road, and shares hundreds of architectural photos and historical pictures. The 30 buildings listed in the book are accompanied by the latest tourist tips, as well as colorful architectural maps of the Bund and data analysis charts. The great changes in Shanghai can be seen more clearly from the authors’ unique perspective.

Michelle Qiao has done arduous research in Xujiahui Library where abundant historical archives from Shanghai’s old English newspapers are kept. This book presents Bund architecture with the authors’ unique descriptions and vivid photos.

Text in English and Chinese.

“… a fascinating collection of images of wild horses.” — Amateur Photographer

Photographer and wildlife activist, Alfie Bowen presents his two-year-long project photographing Britain’s wild horses through the eyes of someone living with autism spectrum disorder. Wild Horses is all about connection: Bowen’s personal connection to the animals he photographs; his connection to photography as an art form; the horses’ connection to one another; and our collective connection to the land and our planet.

Bowen borrows the words of American landscape photographer Ansel Adams to describe his approach to his work: ‘You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.’ For Bowen, photography is an outlet for his emotional energy. It enables him to draw from difficult moments in his life and turn the energy that manifests from his emotions into truly mesmerizing images.

“Capturing the spirit of every Glastonbury since 1992, this coffee table book from award-winning photographer Liam Bailey brings together three decades of revelry and wonder among festivalgoers on Somerset’s most famous dairy farm.” — Redonline.co.uk

“…Iconic Photos That Capture the Messy Essence of Glastonbury.” — VICE

“The book’s images capture the rugged anarchy that spreads through Somerset each year around the solstice.” — MSN

“There are many books about the music scene but few that show punters in all their beautiful variety. Liam Bailey’s long-term documentation has really paid off – this book about the craziness of Glastonbury Festival is terrific.” – Martin Parr

Glastonbury is the striking distillation of over 30 years’ unprecedented photographic access to the world’s largest green-field music and performing arts festival. In over 120 memorable images, Liam Bailey invites us to share his experiences of being among its diverse tribes.

Although Glastonbury has evolved into a sprawling fixture of the British summer calendar, this famously vibrant event is still powered by the belief in alternative communal culture. It is this special energy that has kept Bailey returning every year since 1992. Above all, this ‘access all areas’ visual diary makes a case for the positive human potential of over 200,000 people being able to get together in the open air – to enjoy music, performance and each other.

Bailey’s work has been exhibited in the UK and abroad, and appeared in magazines and newspapers including The Independent, The Guardian and Condé Nast Traveller.

In 111 Places in Buffalo That You Must Not Miss, author Brian Hayden reveals the lesser-known stories, off-the-beaten path locales, and hidden gems that make Buffalo and nearby Niagara Falls extraordinary. Journey through the region and explore century-old ethnic clubs, neighborhood taverns with incredible wings, a hiking trail in the shadow of a collapsed power plant, possible buried treasure in the Niagara River and the small town that invented the kazoo.

Find out why Irish Civil War Veterans launched an invasion on Canada from Buffalo, how the manuscript of a Mark Twain masterpiece ended up in a downtown library, and where you can see a “stunter’s row” of daredevils buried together in a Niagara Falls Cemetery. Shop for unique finds in the city’s last “junk shop,” browse for produce grown by recently resettled refugees at an urban farm, and play Buffalo Gay Bingo in an Amvets Hall. Discover the places and people who have called this region home for centuries – and the new arrivals from around the world who have infused New York’s second largest city with new life. Experience the Buffalo and Niagara Falls that even locals might not know about – and come away with a renewed appreciation for this historic and inspiring region.

‘Keep Portland Weird’ is just the tip of this delightfully bizarre city’s iceberg. Though the City of Roses has experienced its fair share of changes in recent years, the spirit of ‘Old Portland’ lives in the shadow of gourmet donut shops and farm-to-table restaurants, and that’s where the real adventure begins. Summon spirits at a haunted pizzeria. Let it all hang out at a nude beach on the Columbia River. Get your kicks at the world’s only vegan strip club, and visit the world’s smallest park (blink and you might miss it).

Throughout these pages, you’ll learn about Portland’s (at times sordid) past; relive the pioneers’ grueling trek to Oregon; discover the strangest museums you’ve ever heard of, and get the scoop on the restaurants, bars, and coffee shops that don’t come with an hour-long wait. Whether you’re a frequent visitor or first timer; recent transplant or Portland native, you will discover 111 hidden places that prove Portland is weirder than you could have ever imagined.

A Shepherd’s Life centres on Jenny Armstrong, born in 1903 at the farm of Fairliehope, who spent her life working as a shepherdess in the Pentland Hills. In a series of remarkable paintings made over twenty years and based on close observation, Victoria Crowe, one of Scotland’s foremost painters, pays tribute to the life and work of this exceptional woman. In spite of their different ages and backgrounds, the two women came to value each other’s company and it was through the shepherdess that the artist learned how to interpret the surrounding landscape. At the same time the paintings depict an ancient way of living that has been long in the decline and which, at the start of a new millennium, may be finally disappearing.

You’ve heard of the “Starchitects.” Now meet the “Marketects.” This monograph spans all twenty-five years of Powers Brown Architecture and evinces why all clients deserve good design.

“Marketecture,” a term coined by Powers Brown Architecture as an antithesis to the “Starchitecture,” is a market-driven strategy for striving for the best design solutions for all clients. Through this bottom-up approach, Powers Brown seeks cutting-edge solutions that elevate a seemingly mundane building type beyond client expectations. Its dedication to working with clients to develop cost-effective, market-driven buildings without sacrificing good design has resulted in a broad range of commercial projects that respond to everyday pragmatics while still exhibiting strong architectural ideas and developing new technologies along the way.

In Powers Brown Architecture: Commodity and Virtue in Architecture, the firm presents a curated collection of work that spans its entire twenty-five years in practice and includes projects not covered in earlier publications. The body of work evinces the disciplined structure of the practice itself over a predominant style or form.

Projects such as Hillel Student Center in Washington, D.C. and the Transit Terminal in Galveston, Texas showcase the firm’s approach to public work. Frank’s International and Seismic Exchange explore the possibilities of corporate architecture to create place as much as to make a statement. Arabella showcases the potential for variety, rather than repetition, in a condominium building, and the Thompson Hotel & Arts Residences in San Antonio navigates pedestrian scale in a twenty-storey tower. POST covers the commitment to resiliency and the future of the planet, while MEDDNet™ transforms urban design tactics into a national-scale disaster relief strategy.

The introduction is by journalist Stephen Sharpe, who has covered Powers Brown’s work for nearly twenty years. An extended essay by principal Jeffrey Brown, FAIA, situates the firm’s position at the conversational threshold of scepticism about “Starchitecure” and the reality of everyday architecture, or “Marketecture.” Architecture professor and author Donna Kacmar, FAIA, interviews Brown to reveal the details behind the firm and its work.