The 1960s and 1970s marked a sharp turning point in the history of decoration and furniture. Until that point, the world was confined to national and elitist forms of expression. At the beginning of the 1960s, the sector took its inspiration from Anglo-Saxon, Scandinavian, Italian and French decoration. Genres were combined in a frenzied desire to live in symbiosis with one’s time. The progress of technology strengthened the conviction that the individual had unlimited freedom and aroused the desire to inhabit in a new manner. Forms became rounder, furniture was in sync with a warm, playful, and anticonformist universe. Colors and decorative motifs took on the brilliance and fantasies of Pop Art and psychedelia. The living environment was transformed into a waking dream in which luxurious furniture in original materials and surprising objects were mixed, associated, for the first time, with early furniture. The end of the 1970s marked the advent of a period in which beauty and classic elegance gave way to a host of expressions that were unclassifiable and rejected any hierarchy. The postmodern period had arrived. Composed of a long introduction that provides a synoptic view and 32 monographs that describe its many faces, this book invites the reader to discover an exceptionally creative period and revels in an abundant iconography.

‘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.

Kulango Figurines is designed to introduce various miniature works created by the Kulango in northeastern Côte d’Ivoire, who were formerly vassals of the two kingdoms that inhabited the country (Bouna and Gyaman). Their extraordinarily varied art, which can be both intriguing and disconcerting, is relatively unknown. Their metal sculptures in particular display a strikingly free expressiveness, breaking as they do with the iconographic codes that govern their works in wood. Doing away with immobile remoteness, bodies seem to reinvent movement, sometimes adopting almost choreographic gestures, an airy grace, sinuous lines. Or, in trembling tension, some display unexpected twists and provocative curves, while others stretch out impossibly or offer a chance for virtuoso foreshortening and stylized bodies. Still others are even stranger, like Siamese twins, inseparable triplets, headless figures or figures with one head on two torsos, with one leg or four, webbed feet, outsize arms and hooped bodies. Who are these enigmatic beings whose bulging eyes peer at the invisible? Is the sculpture confined to just these specimens? The range of styles is simply astonishing, the forms beyond imagination. The collection includes over 100 figurines, none of which is over 10cm tall: pendants, amulets, fortune tellers’ statuettes or weights for gold. Introduced into our world through the metamorphosis of photography, transfigured by lighting and framing effects, these resurrected works have been revitalized, like apparitions from another world. Text in English and French.

Maria Lai (Ulassai, September 27, 1919 – Cardedu, April 16, 2013) is without doubt one of the leading figures in the history of contemporary Italian art. Not only on account of the content of her works, but also thanks to the diversity of her artistic approach, ranging as it does across many media – public art, embroidery, weaving, sculpture, drawing, and writing: all are grist for her poetics. The book is published to coincide with the exhibition at the MAXXI Museum in Rome, which is presenting to the general public over one hundred works by the Sardinian artist, from the early 1960s to her very last works, and explores the various themes dear to the artist with the contributions of experts in their fields: the locations, the creation, and publication of art books, her public art events and her relationship with the written word and her own writing. Her entire oeuvre is distinguished by its powerful visual impact, revealing a ‘way of doing art’ that is nothing other than an instrument of thought. The book’s structure reflects the exhibition’s own sections, arranged by theme, whose titles are paradigmatic of Lai’s oeuvre as a whole: Essere è tessere. Cucire e ricucire; L’arte è il gioco degli adulti. Giocare e raccontare; Disseminare e condividere; Il viaggiatore astrale. Immaginare l’altrove; L’arte ci prende per mano. Incontrare e partecipare.

Published to accompany an exhibition at the MAXXI Museum, Rome, 19 June 2019-12 January 2020.

Text in English and Italian.

Zen master Takuan Soho (1573 1645) was Abbot of the Daitokuji, the leading Rinzai Zen Temple in Kyoto, and was founder of the Tokaiji Temple in Edo. Living proof that ‘A master of Zen can be master of anything’, his teachings and practice influenced calligraphy, painting, poetry, martial arts, and the tea ceremony. He taught and inspired the Shogun Iemitsu, Yagyu Munenori, founder of one of Japan’s greatest schools of swordsmanship, and Miyamoto Musashi, author of The Book of Five Rings and Japan’s most famous swordsman and master of strategy. Immovable Wisdom includes an account of Takuan’s life and translations of his most important writings, as well as anecdotes encapsulating the essence of his wisdom, which are as relevant today as in his own turbulent era. Master Takuan taught that, rooted in immovable wisdom, the trained mind becomes unfettered; undistracted by the irrelevant, one’s response to the unexpected is always instantaneous and correct. Nobuko Hirose is a translator, writer, and co-author of Japanese Art Signatures, the standard reference on the subject. After graduating from Meiji University in Tokyo she obtained a Master’s degree in Japanese Art History at SOAS, University of London, and settled in England. Her translation skills and lineal descent from a traditional Japanese Zen family make her uniquely qualified to present the wisdom of Takuan Soho to a broader Western audience.

Tornabuoni art returns to the origins of sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro’s work (1926, Morciano di Romagna), specifically to the years 1956-1965, a pivotal period of the artist’s production. His creations, initially derived from the goldsmithing produced side by side with the brothers Gio and Giorgio Perfetti, evolves towards small concrete and lead reliefs, then in large mural panels engraved with illegible glyphs, inspired by Mesopotamian tablets’ cuneiform writing, Egyptian papyruses and Paul Klee’s graphic style. In 1960, Pomodoro was among the founders of the group Continuità, next to Novelli, Consagra, Tancredi, Dorazio and Fontana, preaching an ‘aesthetic of continuity’, defined as ‘the absence, the incertitude of limit’ and attached to the formal aspects of artworks. He thus produced his first Sfere, adopting gilded polished bronze as his preferred material of work, and of which the creation marks the definitive transition to monumental scale of his career.

Today, Pomodoro’s creations can be found in prestigious museum collections such as the Guggenheim in New York and the Vatican Museums. Moreover, his monumental artworks are exhibited in more than 40 public squares in major cities around the world. The artist lives and works in Milan, Italy.

Contents: Essays: Arnaldo Pomodoro. A discordant tension by Luca Massimo Barbero; The art of Arnaldo Pomodoro within the French art exhibition and critical context; Piecing together the traces of a dialogue by Chiara Mari; Artworks.

Text in English and Italian.

Founded probably in the 5th or 6th century, the Cathedral of Genoa was later rebuilt in Romanesque style and devoted to St. Lawrence the martyr. Money came from the successful enterprises of the Genoese fleets in the Crusades. After a fire in 1296, the building was partly restored, the inner colonnades rebuilt and matronei and frescoes added. In 1550 the Perugian architect Galeazzo Alessi was commissioned by the city magistrates to plan the reconstruction of the entire building, but the construction of the cathedral didn’t finish until the 17th century.

Among the artworks inside the church are ceiling frescoes, paintings and altarpieces by Luca Cambiaso, Federico Barocci, Lazzaro Tavarone and Gaetano Previati, while sculpture include works by Domenico Gagini, Andrea Sansovino, Giacomo and Guglielmo Della Porta. Impressive are also the works of art and silverware kept in the Museum of the Treasury which lies under the cathedral. One of the most important pieces is the Sacred bowl brought by Guglielmo Embriaco after the conquest of Cesarea and supposed to be the chalice used by Christ during the Last Supper.

Contributors include: Gianluca Ameri, Beatrice Astrua, Michele Bacci, Piero Boccardo, Antonella Capitanio, Marco Ciatti, Marco Collareta, Anna De Floriani, Clario Di Fabio, Grazia Di Natale, Gabriele Donati, Lucia Faedo, Marco Folin, Maria Flora Giubilei, Henrike Haug, Karin Kranhold, Anna Rosa Calderoni Masetti, Roberto Paolo Novello, Linda Pisani, Stefano Riccioni, Giorgio Rossini, Philippe Sénéchal, Carlo Tosco, Gerhard Wolf, Photographs by Ghigo Roli.

Text in English and Italian.

The second half of the eighteenth century saw an enthusiastic revival of the use of shapes and decoration from classical architecture in the design of furniture, ceramics and silver. A reaction against the curving outlines and elaborate decoration of the rococo, neo-classicism was promoted as a return to the ideal proportions and balance of the ancient world. The style’s chief proponents were members of the emerging profession of architecture such as James Wyatt and Robert Adam, who also designed silver, and their contribution to the elegant forms and simple decoration of domestic silver of the period is assessed in this book. The part played by industrialization in the development of the style is also examined, as is the increasingly important role of retailers such as Rundell, Bridge & Rundell. In the early nineteenth century, Rundell’s were at the forefront of the adoption of a new imperial style based no longer on classical architecture but on classical sculpture.

This history marks the tercentenary of Jacques de Gastigny’s founding bequest for La Providence, the French hospital for the Huguenot community in England. Its survival and continuing existence today bears witness to the tenacity of the community of Huguenot refugees and their descendants. Chapters on the successive phases of its history are illustrated with portraits of the Directors and Officers, and the silver, furniture, engravings, heraldry and other memorabilia associated with them. The book traces the history of this institution from the building of the original hospital in the parish of St. Luke’s, Finsbury, and the granting of the Royal Charter by George I in 1718, to the construction of a new building in Victoria Park, Hackney, in the 1860s designed by Robert Roumieu, an architect of Huguenot descent. In its present location in Rochester, Kent, La Providence provides sheltered housing for elderly people of proven Huguenot descent. For more information please visit: http://www.johnadamsonbooks.com/frenchhospital.html

The partnership of Philip Rundell and John Bridge began in London toward the end of the eighteenth century and went on to become the greatest firm of goldsmiths, jewelers and medalists of the age. Its stable of distinguished artists, headed by the sculptor John Flaxman, was the driving force in the adoption of a new imperial style in English silver. Later, the firm created jewelry and silver in the historicist and naturalistic styles and was at the forefront of the Gothic revival. Among the firm’s customers were the Prince Regent, later King George IV, and such notable figures as William Beckford, Thomas Hope, Lord Castlereagh, Prince Lieven and the Duke of Wellington.

Known as ‘Oil’ and ‘Vinegar’, Rundell and Bridge were of wildly contrasting personalities. While Philip Rundell was an irascible taskmaster deemed to be the best judge of gemstones in London, the urbane John Bridge, described by a contemporary as the ‘complete courtier’, was the public face of the firm. He guided the Prince Regent in assembling a magnificent collection of gold and silver works, both antique and new, which today forms part of the Royal Collection.

For fifteen years, renowned photographer Jan Locus has photographed the many different faces of christianity. In this contemporary book on faith and devotion, he portrays the variety of lifestyles which accompany some of the reported two billion followers of Christianity, through a collection of stunning black and white photographs. Text in English & Dutch.

In Innovate or Die creative economist and innovator Jan Kriekels shares his company philosophy. Five values are crucial in his vision for entrepeneurship and society: Respect Nature, Awake the Artist, Dream a Future, Create Emotion and Build Bridges. Combined, they are the cornerstones of the motto that will awake every reader and will form the basis for future’s society and economy: Innovate or Die!

New York has a history of immigration that results in one of the most dynamic street food scenes in the world. Those who believe food in New York should cost a pretty penny and can only be found in beautifully styled restaurants probably haven’t been further than downtown Manhattan. This book takes you to the far-flung culinary corners of the five boroughs. From sensory-rousing South American snacks in Jackson Heights to homemade noodle dishes in Brooklyn, and from gourmet food trucks in Midtown Manhattan to simple food stalls in Red Hook. New York Street Food introduces you to a culinary New York in all its facets. Culinary adventurer Tom Vandenberghe and food photographer Luk Thys will seduce you once more. With the help of Jacqueline Goossens, who has lived in New York for more than thirty years, they give you fifty recipes from the most delightful venues of the New York street food scene. Also available: Bangkok Street Food ISBN: 9789020987836 Hanoi Street Food ISBN: 9789020997842 Singapore & Penang Street Food ISBN: 9789401403672

The diversity of flavors and colors of rum is as rich as the history and culture that surrounds this alcoholic beverage. This guide provides an overview of more than 300 different types of rum and then categorizes them using an innovative taste model. For every rum, you receive a clear overview of its origins, taste and aroma. In addition, you can read all about the different types of rum, the production and maturing process, the perfect way to serve, and the best cocktails. Also available: Gin & Tonic ISBN 9789401425605 Tequila & Mezcal ISBN 9789401434645

Together Apart gives us new understandings of the role of architecture as a place to live, work and interact with, and as a podium for the arts and attempts to trigger emotions through its innovative architectural photography, its original lay-out and its rich and lyrical language. Ferran Adrià i Acosta is one the world’s greatest exponents of avant-garde cuisine of our time and the creative genius and engine of the historical restaurant el Bulli which closed its doors in 2012. He describes his cooking as as decontructivist. In 2004, the American magazine Time included him on the list of the 100 most innovative people in the world. He has published several books and gives lectures around the world. On 17 December 2007 the University of Barcelona awarded him an honorary doctorate. He will continue his work in an even more experimental way at the creative center El Bulli Foundation that opens its doors in 2014. For nearly twenty years now Hedwig Van Impe has shown consistent ways to support and collaborate with artists, curators and architects. At the end of the nineties he commissioned a building to his friend, the remarkable Italian designer and architect Ettore Sottsass. As a self-proclaimed anarchitect he is the author of La Dividida, his latest accomplishment. The building is the result of a cross-fertilization between himself and Ferran Adria. He developed inspiring and fresh ways of seeing and contextualizing contemporary art through his performative sculptures, Statuements, a fusion of the words ‘statue’ and ‘statement’, which he has created for many years now. The contemporary aspects in Flemish and Spanish Renaissance art impassion him. In the creative spot, La Dividida, he goes on to formulate new proposals in which different artistic and art related disciplines are mixed, manipulated, reinterpreted etc… in order to imbue them with new meaning.

Together Apart gives us new understandings of the role of architecture as a place to live, work and interact with, and as a podium for the arts and attempts to trigger emotions through its innovative architectural photography, its original lay-out and its rich and lyrical language. Text in Spanish. Ferran Adrià i Acosta is one the world’s greatest exponents of avant-garde cuisine of our time and the creative genius and engine of the historical restaurant El Bulli which closed its doors in 2012. He describes his cooking as as decontructivist. In 2004, the American magazine Time included him on the list of the 100 most innovative people in the world. He has published several books and gives lectures around the world. On 17 December 2007 the University of Barcelona awarded him an honorary doctorate. He will continue his work in an even more experimental way at the creative center El Bulli Foundation that opens its doors in 2014. For nearly twenty years now Hedwig Van Impe has shown consistent ways to support and collaborate with artists, curators and architects. At the end of the nineties he commissioned a building to his friend, the remarkable Italian designer and architect Ettore Sottsass. As a self-proclaimed anarchitect he is the author of La Dividida, his latest accomplishment. The building is the result of a cross-fertilization between himself and Ferran Adria. He developed inspiring and fresh ways of seeing and contextualizing contemporary art through his performative sculptures, Statuements, a fusion of the words ‘statue’ and ‘statement’, which he has created for many years now. The contemporary aspects in Flemish and Spanish Renaissance art impassion him. In the creative spot, La Dividida, he goes on to formulate new proposals in which different artistic and art related disciplines are mixed, manipulated, reinterpreted etc… in order to imbue them with new meaning.

By means of the ambitious We Drift-concept, an exhibition of 1,000,000 m², Wim Tellier wants to confront us with our vulnerability as a human on an endangered planet Earth. Through this book, the author shows us the origin of the project, the challenges and the various unique locations. Impressive images illustrate the result of this exciting project. It is the first art installation in the world that is driven by nature.

The current social and economic situation in Flanders has shown that European decisions definitely do have a national and regional impact. Flemish policymakers, too, are compelled to pay heed to Europe, as the latter’s decisions are becoming increasingly reflected in domestic policymaking and vice-versa. Against the background of the Pact 2020 and Flanders in Action, the Europe 2020 strategy and its industrial dimension have been translated into a regional long-term strategy and put into practice, even before the European programme was given the EU’s rubber stamp. As an innovative and open economy, part of Europe’s logistical hub, Flanders can lead the way in boosting Europe’s innovative, integrated industrial policy, while raising the region’s profile in the European and international forum. Industry and Innovation in Europe offers an extensive and insightful analysis of how the Flemish and European industrial policies add to each other and back each other up. Apart from policy statements from the European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, Antonio Tajani, and the Flemish Minister-President, Kris Peeters, and a report on round table talks involving a few Flemish captains of industry, Industry and Innovation in Europe also features the positions, initiatives and projects being promoted in this area by key Flemish stakeholders/Vleva members, such as representatives of employers, the farm sector, education and research institutes, the provinces, cities and municipalities. Industry and Innovation in Europe is the second in a series of Vleva journals. The Liaison Agency Flanders-Europe (Vleva) is keen for the journals to raise the profile of key European themes and spread the word more about the related positions of Flemish civil society and the authorities.

Shivdatt Sharma (b. 1931) is one of the most prolific Indian modernist architects. Starting out as an architect in the Chandigarh Capital Project Team led by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, Sharma subsequently became Chief Architect of the Indian Space Research Organisation. He then went into private practice. Sharma’s architecture is a distinct blend of the core principles of Modernism, interpreted through the lens of contemporary Indian realities. Modernism was adopted as both symbol and instrument of nation-building in Nehruvian India. Working alongside designers and artists, architects went to work building innumerable small townships, universities, public institutions, housing estates and infrastructural projects across the country. Progressive businesses also patronized Modernism as full participants in the project of nation-building. The Modernism in India Series documents the extensive heritage of Modernism and modern architecture in India. Bringing to light the work of a forgotten generation, this series documents work that is currently under threat by the forces of globalization. This well-illustrated book documents Sharma’s work from the early days, when it was a part of the experimental and innovative ethos of Chandigarh, to the present. He has designed for a range of public and private clients across the world. Along with a portfolio of selected works, this book includes critical essays, interviews and a chronology of projects.

The career of Y.G. Srimati – classical singer, musician, dancer and painter – represents a continuum in which each of these skills and experiences merged, influencing and pollinating each other.

Born in Mysore in 1926, Srimati was part of the generation much influenced by the rediscovery of a classical Sanskrit legacy devoted to the visual arts. Soon swept up in the nationalist movement for an independent India, she was deeply moved by the time she spent with Mahatma Gandhi. For the young Srimati, the explicit referencing of the past and of religious subjects came together in an unparalleled way, driven by the conscious striving for an indigenous agenda. This experience gave form and meaning to her art, and largely defined her style.

As John Guy demonstrates in this sumptuous volume, as a painter of the mid and late twentieth century, Y.G. Srimati embodied a traditionalist position, steadfast in her vision of an Indian style, one which resonated with those who knew India best.

Ganesh Pyne (1937-2013) traced his early influences to his grandmother’s folk tales and Abanindranath Tagore’s stories and illustrations for children. The gruesome violence which attended the Partition of India, including The Great Calcutta Killing of 1946, left a permanent effect on Pyne’s creative personality, revealing itself in the premonitions of death and destruction visible on his canvas. Pyne was a multi-faceted artist, always honing his skill in standardized art practice as well as adapting technology for his personal idiom. He dabbled in animation and print media, not just to make a living but also to widen his horizon of the visual study of art.

This illustrated volume presents a rich, expansive study of Pyne’s creative career, including previously unseen work made while the artist was a young man. Through sensitive essays, the author also brings to fore the shy reticence of the artist himself, who nevertheless took a great interest in Calcutta’s artistic milieu, becoming a member of the Society of Contemporary Artists. This volume hopes to reveal the intensity of Pyne’s engagement with the world around him and his urgent voice capturing the apprehensions and ideals of a country on the brink of both disaster and freedom. Published in association with Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, and Akar Prakar, Kolkata.

After the success of Learning from Mumbai (Mapin 2013) the authors of the Learning from India series continue their journey to unravel the lessons that can be learned from practising architecture and urban planning India’s bustling cities. This time, their focus is the country’s capital: New Delhi. Boasting numerous essays and maps, Learning from Delhi lays the groundwork for a series of interviews with architects and planners based in the city. Fresh talent finds a place in this volume, and is showcased alongside the work of established institutions. Abstract theoretical explorations are placed within the local framework through the perspectives of scholars such as Pradip Krishen and Mohammed Shaheer, who are familiar with the city and its buildings. These Indian narratives on Delhi and its developmental life are balanced by the take of foreigners such as Joeri Aulman. A special place in this volume has been reversed for Bas Losekoot’s remarkable photo essays, which bring the city to life in a way never-before seen. Learning from Delhi will be of significance to both students and practitioners of architecture and planning, as well as people interested in Delhi and its built environment. This book is supported by the creative industries fund, NL.

This publication emanates from an exhibition by the same title, displayed for the first time at the Alliance Française de Delhi. It is an attempt to trace the development of photography and the other allied visual arts in Pondicherry spanning the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Drawn exclusively from The Alkazi Collection of Photography, at the core of this initiative is the unpublished album by renowned photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, co-founder of Magnum Photos, who visited the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in April 1950. He took the last pictures of Sri Aurobindo Ghose in the company of his spiritual companion, the Mother. In addition, he meticulously penned his observations almost daily, creating a meta-text around the images, which presents a biographical and anecdotal supplement for his photographic endeavour. The visual material is further enhanced by some extraordinary images of Indian photographers from the same period such as Tara Jauhar and Venkatesh Shirodkar at Aurobindo Ashram, published here for the first time.

In this catalogue a conscious effort has been made to bring out a non-linear, yet credible history of how Pondicherry has been witness to the development of a unique visual trajectory. The use of images as evidence and document create a subtle interplay between cultural context and artistic intent, a conceptual linking of mannerisms and tropes those of landscape, architectural and portrait photography.