After the season of the great Renaissance painters, the prestige of the figurative arts grew as never before in history. During the 16th century, the artist went from being a common craftsman to holding a status equal to that of the greatest intellectuals of his time. The relationship between poetry and painting was consolidated in the 17th century, and became close, even competitive, when artists and men of letters confronted each other with the same themes. In this framework, the great poetry of Giovan Battista Marino (Naples, 1569-1625) plays a fundamental role. His compositions are rich in visual suggestions, derived as much from direct contact with the art collections he visited during his itinerant life as from the memory of the images of the great artists of the past. The Galeria (1620), one of his most famous books, projects onto the walls of an imaginary gallery the names of the artists and works of art that marked the poet’s courtly experience.
Stucco decorations have traditionally been studied considering their formal and artistic qualities. Although much research and numerous publications have explored the works of stucco artists and their cultural context, little attention has been paid to their professional role in relation to the other actors involved in the decorative process (architects, painters, sculptors, patrons), the technical skills of these artists, and how their know-how contributed to the great professional success they enjoyed. From the 16th to the 18th century, many of the stucco decorations in churches and palaces throughout Europe were made by masters from the border area between what is now Canton Ticino and Lombardy. This collection of essays aims to examine how these artists worked from Spain to Poland, from Denmark to Italy, via the Netherlands, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Austria, adapting to the realities of the different contexts. The authors examine these issues with an interdisciplinary approach, considering art history and social history, the history of artistic techniques, and the science of materials.
Text in English and Italian.
Jerome and Evelyn Ackerman, the prolific artist-couple were central to the development of mid-century design in Southern California. They combined modernist craft—in weaving, carving, ceramics, tapestries, hookings, and mosaics—and made it accessible to the middle class. Their works were celebrated for their combination of bright colors and craftsmanship, with an artisanal attention to detail. In Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman: California Mid-Century Designers Laura Ackerman-Shaw, their daughter, who has expanded their legacy with both commercial and institutional recognition, takes the reader through her parents’ unique impact on post-war design in America. Because of the success of Hand-in-Hand, Pointed Leaf Press is publishing a new book, in a much larger format, with 80% new material, much of it discovered by Ackerman-Shaw in her parent’s archive. By showcasing their output through Jenev Design Studio, ERA Industries, and their involvement in the prestigious California Design exhibitions from 1954 to 1976, readers can see how they translated their ideas into the varied materials of their choosing. Unlike the previous monograph, this book focuses less on their personal lives and more on the Ackerman’s impact on the world, a must-read for collectors and connoisseurs. With new and updated essays by scholars, as well as numerous never-before-seen drawings, photographs, and archival materials, Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman: California Mid-Century Designers is the indelible story of a lifetime of artistic partnership.
Curated and introduced by Ian Warrell, the leading expert on Turner, this selection from the fabled Hickman Bacon collection is one of the finest groups of British watercolors in existence, and hardly ever seen or reproduced. Centered around 32 watercolors by Turner, including some of his breathtaking views of the Alps, early views, and late cloud and sea studies, the collection also encompasses some of the greatest works by Turner’s contemporaries: John Sell Cotman, Alexander Cozens, Thomas Girtin, Peter de Wint, John Crome, David Cox and others. Beautifully printed on heavy uncoated paper, with some reproductions life size, this book conveys the intensity and freshness and stupendous virtuosity of these artists whose work in watercolor has never been rivaled. An extended essay by the leading expert and former Tate curator Ian Warrell examines the paintings and gives a vivid picture of the artists who made them.
Distilling a lifetime’s study of English art, Duncan Robinson here looks at the six leading artists of the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries through the lens of their relationship with writing. Hogarth, Reynolds, Gainsborough, Blake, Constable, Turner all engaged in different ways with literature and the word. From Hogarth, who developed a new kind of narrative from his experience of the theater, to Turner who wrote increasingly elaborate and enigmatic epic poetry to explain his painting, passing by Blake’s naive Songs of Innocence and Experience and his hallucinatory deranged mythological visions, the originality and fascination of these great artists are brought into a new, sharper focus by Robinson’s approach. Written with his characteristic geniality and profound, but lightly worn scholarship, and richly illustrated with familiar and many unfamiliar images, this will be an unmissable book for all interested in this seminal period in English art.
With an introduction by Brian Allen, former Director of the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art
The work of photographer Gérard Uféras (b. 1954, Paris) covers a compelling and charming array of subjects, from glimpses of life behind the scenes at the opera and ballet, to marrying couples and their families on their wedding day, to the spontaneous energy and interaction of crowds at carnivals and sporting events. With the discreet but unerring eye of the seasoned photojournalist (he began a long association with Libération newspaper in the 1980s), Gérard Uféras captures people from all walks of life in moments of contemplation, creation and camaraderie, resulting in a body of work that offers a rich and nuanced picture of humanity.
Published to coincide with a retrospective of his work in 2025, this book presents the photographer’s own choice of some of his finest work from a long and distinguished career. What emerges most strongly from this collection is Gérard Uféras’s great passion for favorite themes such as music, theater and dance, but, perhaps more resoundingly still, his profound empathy and respect for his human subjects.
In Florence, cassettai refers to the special group of street vendors who take their name from the drawer-like containers in which they display their wares. They have belonged to the association of the same name since 1909; today they are recognized as an important part of Florence’s historical and cultural heritage. They are both promoters and protagonists of a volume on the history of the illustrated postcard, in whose diffusion they have traditionally played an important role.
The history of the postcard intersects closely with that of the art of the last two centuries, beginning with the emergence of photography. Over time, the postcard became an art form in its own right; it also had a hand in transforming communication, providing travelers with the opportunity of recording spontaneous impressions while forever capturing a picture of the visited site.
Sponsored by the association of the cassettai, the volume offers a rich and varied overview of the illustrated postcard, which was once an extremely popular means of conveying messages through words and images. Still today, the postcard holds its own in a world dominated by more modern and rapid means of communication, while retaining its connection with a fascinating history, one imbued with culture, identity, beauty and romanticism.
Text in English and Italian.
Explorer, Oriental scholar and diplomat, Pierre Lefèvre-Pontalis (1864-1938) was a member of Pavie Mission to Laos in the 1890s, participating in drawing up the borders between French Indochina and independent Siam, as well as the French territories and Burma, annexed by the British in 1886. He was later appointed as Minister Plenipotentiary to Siam. However, before taking up this ambassadorial role he journeyed in Siam and Burma in 1912, during which he wrote copious notes recording ethnographic, historical and geopolitical thoughts. This is the first time these journals have been published and provides a unique window into the colonial mindset of the time.
In the Land of Fire and Ice: Horses of Iceland is photographer and explorer Guadalupe Laiz’s second book celebrating her love for Iceland, its people, and its horses. In this follow up to Horses of Iceland (2019), Laiz widens her lens to not only capture the undeniable beauty of the horses in their natural habitat, but to showcase the rugged, harsh, and unpredictable environment that has shaped their character. Her intimate color and black-and-white images of the majestic Icelandic horses are pure poetry in motion.
Undertaking a more ambitious production, Laiz collaborated with local horse breeders and with Icelandic photographer, filmmaker, and artist Thrainn Kolbeinsson to capture the magnificent animals in iconic and breathtaking locations—from the famous Skógafoss blanketed with snow to the active Fagradalsfjall volcano; and galloping across beaches, frolicking amid glaciers, and with waterfalls, tundra, and fierce ocean backdrops. Kolbeinsson’s powerful drone photography featured throughout the book showcases the aerial perspective of these epic landscapes that have shaped the horses of Iceland.
Laiz’s photographs are testament to her passion for the Icelandic horse and wildlife photography. She shares this collection to reveal the beauty and importance of the remote corners of our planet and the unique animals that call it home.
The Baliem valley lies in Papua, a remote eastern region of Indonesia and home to some of the last peoples on earth to come into contact with modern civilization. When anthropologist O.W. Hampton visited in the 1980s, he found isolated peoples using stone tools, spears, and bows and arrows. Over the following ten years he documented life in the valley, including the making of stone axes and adzes—the last such tools to be in daily use on our planet. He collected sacred stones wrapped in orchid fiber and feathers, tools, net bags, and many other objects, and documented their uses in rituals of war and healing. In this book, author Christopher Buckley presents Hampton’s fieldwork alongside new studio photographs of his collection with detailed explanations.
The book will be of value to archaeologists, anthropologists, students, collectors and curators of Papuan art, and anyone with an interest in how mankind lived in millennia past.
Miami is a city in constant motion, where luxury high-rises reshape the skyline and vibrant art, neon-lit beaches, and tropical charm create a one-of-a-kind atmosphere. Beyond the lively nightlife lies the serene paradise of the Keys, a chain of islands steeped in history, hidden gems, and sun-soaked adventures.
This guide uncovers Miami and the Keys’ most unusual experiences, inviting you to explore places you’ve passed or never noticed. Discover rotating art displays in a millionaire’s mansion, dance to Latin rhythms in Little Havana, or slide down a two-story chute into a shopping haven.
Dive into crystal-clear waters to explore pirate shipwrecks, visit the country’s smallest post office, or track down Florida’s elusive Skunk Ape. Seek tranquility at a tropical Buddhist temple, stroll through mango groves, and celebrate sunsets at the southernmost point of the U.S. 111 places are waiting to reveal the magic of Miami and the Keys.
A beautifully illustrated and extensively researched collection of 100 of the most famous houses of Britain’s Arts and Crafts Movement.
The Arts and Crafts Movement, founded in the philosophies of John Ruskin and William Morris, produced some of the world’s most enduring architectural masterpieces. Author and architect David Cole presents the 100 great Arts and Crafts houses, each individually described and analyzed with insightful detail and floor plans, and illustrated with stunning photography.
Beginning with Morris’s own iconic Red House, the book traces the fifty-year span of the movement, with a short chapter dedicated to each of these extraordinary houses: from the works of the pioneer Arts and Crafts architects, to the great reformer architects of the next generation, to the craftsman architects who took their lives and their work to the countryside, to the movement’s Scottish architects, and finally to the houses of the Garden Cities and suburbs built through the movement’s last decade before the First World War. The book features the great houses of some forty of the movement’s most renowned architects, including Philip Webb, R. Norman Shaw, E.S. Prior, William Lethaby, C.F.A. Voysey, Edgar Wood, Ernest Gimson, the Barnsley brothers, C.R. Ashbee, M.H. Baillie Scott, Edwin Lutyens, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Robert Lorimer, Parker and Unwin, and many others.
As Morris famously said, “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”
The monumental complex of St Agnes is located on the Via Nomentana in the north-east of Rome. The site consists of an underground cemetery (catacombs), the remains of the ancient circiform sepulchral basilica, commissioned by the imperial family of emperor Constantine, the mausoleum dedicated to St Constance and the basilica of St Agnes Outside the Walls, built by Pope Honorius I (625-638) on the small room with an altar, venerated as the burial place of the martyr Agnes.
The mausoleum dedicated to St Constance, which houses the remains of the imperial princess Constantine, is a splendid example of late antique architecture. The deambulatory is covered by a sumptuous mosaic decoration with Hellenised geometric motifs and cosmic-seasonal phytomorphic and zoomorphic elements, symbolic scenes such as the harvest and portraits of historical figures.
The basilica of St Agnes, until the beginning of the 17th century, was below ground and to reach the ground floor a staircase was used. The basilica still retains many elements unchanged from the time of Pope Honorius: the splendid reused roman columns, the famous mosaic showing Agnes between Honorius I and Pope Symmachus, and the Proconnesian marble and porphyry facing of the apse… Above the high altar is the statue of St. Agnes, made by Nicolas Cordier from gilded metal, using an ancient oriental alabaster for the bust.
1000 piece puzzle featuring the artwork of Sarah Cain.
Sarah Cain brings rooms to life with experiments in color, composition, and non-conformity. Cain modifies canvases by cutting, sewing, and attaching found objects. She also paints floors, walls, and furniture on-site, grounding each space she occupies in the present tense. Her process of creation and destruction is steeped in the history of painting and feminist art practices. and this feeling (2023), incorporates sand and prisms to add a touch of found-object energy to planes of pure color and are typical of Cain’s boundless approach to art.
A 1,000-piece puzzle featuring the artwork of Simone Johnson.
Bodega cats are as essential to New York City as the subway! The skyscrapers! The yellow cabs! Bodega cats are cute, sure, but really, they’re around to keep mice out of bodegas, which are mainstays of NYC culture. Simone Johnson is their eager and gifted portraitist, capturing them at work—which is to say, napping on crates of fruits, stacks of canned beans, and amidst twelve packs of beer, one eye always open for intruders.
Joan Mitchell, an extraordinary figure in 20th-century art, remains one of the most celebrated painters of the Abstract Expressionist movement. Born in 1925, in Chicago, Illinois, she grew to redefine abstraction, blending emotional intensity with lyrical beauty. Her work, characterized by dynamic brushstrokes, vivid colors, and profound emotional depth, established her as a towering presence in a predominantly male art world.
Joan Mitchell had at least nine dogs during her lifetime, and Georges du Soleil, a brown poodle, was her first beloved canine companion. Known for her deep affection for animals, Mitchell treasured Georges as a constant presence during her New York years. Like the other dogs that would follow, Georges was more than just a companion; he was also part of the vibrant, dynamic environment that nourished her creativity and her ability to channel emotion into her art.
“Dogs are objects of love (I suppose people could be? Sometimes)” wrote Joan Mitchell.
From her first dog, the adored Georges du Soleil, to Skye Terriers Idée, Isabelle, and Ibertelle (“Bertie”), Brittany Spaniel Patou, German Shepherds Iva, Marion, and Madeleine, and not forgetting Prunelle and Belle-Bête; all of them cherished companions in her life and work, all of them celebrated here. Joan Mitchell and her dogs: a love story.
The male body plays a glorious leading role in the work of Michelangelo. Known for his strong and muscular nudes, his precise anatomical drawings and beautiful androgynous figures, it is well known that Michelangelo also expressed interest in the male body on a more personal level.
This book is the first to carefully explore the male body in the work and life of Michelangelo. Renowned art historians address the topic from different angles: from the influence of anatomical studies and Classical Antiquity on his work, his adoration of the body of Christ, his adherence to Neoplatonic ideas of perfection and beauty, to his personal preference for the young male body and the exceptional artworks this resulted in.
Mixing Roman and medieval roots, Chichester sits at the heart of a storied landscape where South Down hills dotted with idyllic hamlets ripple back from a shoreline mixing wild dune-backed beaches with old-school seaside resorts. Reminders of smuggling and war add spice.
But a thrilling thread of modernity runs through this slice of West Sussex too. Chichester’s modernist Festival Theatre provided the foundation for London’s National Theatre, while masterpieces of contemporary architecture that draw admirers from around the world include Sea Lane House in East Preston and The White Tower in Bognor Regis.
Evocative ancient memorials abound. Chichester is blessed with the only English cathedral visible from the sea, while England’s largest castle rises above the ravishing – and cosmopolitan – riverside town of Arundel. Ancient yew trees mark the burial spots of Viking warriors in an idyllic Downland spot. And it’s a land vibrant with creative imprints: poets, painters, composers, from Blake and Keats to Joyce and Chagall.
This guidebook takes you exploring through Chichester and its surroundings to find incomparable natural beauty, hidden secrets, astonishing history, art of all kinds, and much more.
1000 piece puzzle featuring the artwork of acclaimed Los Angeles-based artist Pedro Pedro.
Pedro Pedro paints vividly colored still lifes that look as if each object could suddenly spring from the canvas. His subjects -often bountiful clusters of fruit -are exaggerated in their tone, scale, and perspective, recalling the exuberant fantasies of Peter Saul and the bulbous forms of Fernando Botero. Pedro began working in this bright style after moving from New York City to Los Angeles in 2015, influenced by the more relaxed environment. Pedro has exhibited widely, including solo shows at The Hole, where his 2023 exhibition Table, Fruits, Flowers and Cakes explored themes of consumption and restraint. His work has also been featured in group shows including with Anat Ebgi and Nicodim galleries.
Another Chance Encounter celebrates Lubaina Himid’s first UK museum exhibition since 2018. Beautifully designed in collaboration with the artist, this fully illustrated book documents three new bodies of paintings and installations created for the exhibition at Kettle’s Yard, one made in collaboration with artist and master printmaker Magda Stawarska. Inspired by the unique Kettle’s Yard house and collection, Himid’s new work illuminates figures and histories often considered marginal. Himid will populate the Kettle’s Yard house with paintings in cupboards and drawers, and display a new collection of found and made objects and in the galleries. The publication follows Himid as she brilliantly crafts alternative histories with her distinctive bold colors and characters. The book will include new texts by Amy Tobin, Amelia Groom and Aneta Krzemien in conversation with Magda Stawarska, as well as Himid’s own writing.
Explosive technological development and several global crises have left their mark on society in recent decades. What impact do such upheavals have on architects and the way they work?
With contributions from Sam Jakob, Helen Runting, Max Creasy, Joakim Skajaa and Kellenberger White.
Text in English and Norwegian.
Adam awakes one morning to be greeted by the figures of Qismah and his sister Naseeb. At first, he believes them to be figments of his imagination and then wishes them out of his sight. However, they accompany him on a day which brings all sorts of challenges, helping him on a journey of spiritual self-discovery. As Adam is tested by numerous setbacks, Qismah and Naseeb – embodiments of Fate and Fortune – help him gradually to cast off his selfishness, irascibility, envy and greed, and to learn gratitude, humility, generosity and fairness. By the end of the day Adam has reached a contented acceptance of his lot, and is duly rewarded.
Halla Bint Khalid’s engaging moral fable is spun in beguiling prose accompanied by her gorgeous artwork, as we follow Adam, Qismah and Naseeb through an array of enchanting landscapes that draw on locations across the Arabic world. Qismah and Naseeb is a latter-day Arabian Nights that will delight children and their parents alike.
Ages 8-11 years.
Joan Mitchell, an extraordinary figure in 20th-century art, remains one of the most celebrated painters of the Abstract Expressionist movement. Born in 1925, in Chicago, Illinois, she grew to redefine abstraction, blending emotional intensity with lyrical beauty. Her work, characterized by dynamic brushstrokes, vivid colors, and profound emotional depth, established her as a towering presence in a predominantly male art world.
Joan Mitchell had at least nine dogs during her lifetime, and Georges du Soleil, a brown poodle, was her first beloved canine companion. Known for her deep affection for animals, Mitchell treasured Georges as a constant presence during her New York years. Like the other dogs that would follow, Georges was more than just a companion; he was also part of the vibrant, dynamic environment that nourished her creativity and her ability to channel emotion into her art.
“Dogs are objects of love (I suppose people could be? Sometimes)” wrote Joan Mitchell.
From her first dog, the adored Georges du Soleil, to Skye Terriers Idée, Isabelle, and Ibertelle (“Bertie”), Brittany Spaniel Patou, German Shepherds Iva, Marion, and Madeleine, and not forgetting Prunelle and Belle-Bête; all of them cherished companions in her life and work, all of them celebrated here. Joan Mitchell and her dogs: a love story.
Text in French.
“I very much enjoyed reading the many philosophical reflections acquired during a lifetime. In fact, these reflections gave me much to think about.” – Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries | professor INSEAD
“In times of change and great uncertainty, this book by Luc offers a valuable source of ideas and insights. An inspiring and thoughtful work that is certainly worth reading.” – Duco Sickinghe | Executive Chairman Fortino Capital
“I read this book with great care and interest, and from time to time was genuinely moved by the intense experience of entrepreneurship as a deeply human activity.” – Manu Keirse | emeritus professor of medicine KU Leuven
In Life and Entrepreneurship Luc Geuten examines some of life’s fundamental questions that fascinate many of us: What makes a life meaningful? Does free will truly exist, or are we merely puppets of fate? Are humans inherently good, or does darkness reside within each of us? Is life really a vale of tears, or is happiness hidden somewhere in the folds of our journey? To explore and reflect on these profound questions, Luc Geuten has outlined a simple concept he calls GLEE ME FEE WE. Using these four core ideas, he invites his readers to join him in contemplating the complexity of human existence. By embracing the life attitude he calls healthy cynicism, he emphasizes that it is a true blessing to be alive, even amid doubts and unanswered question, thus revealing the precious value of our existence.