Amazon.com

Writing about one of the most important and complex artists of our times requires the erudition, clarity, and broad view of a Daniel Arasse, author of the gorgeously illustrated Anselm Kiefer. Avoiding a straightforward chronological survey, Arasse plunges directly into Kiefer's major themes and the ways they reflect the artist's subtly evolving perspectives on German history, the role of the artist, and the meaning of life. Arasse illuminates Kiefer's use of Jewish kabbalistic symbolism, his relationship to philosophers and writers from Nietzsche to Celan, and the rich trove of metaphor to be found in his use of lead, straw, books, and images of railroad tracks and artists' palettes. Never succumbing to art-speak, Arasse--whose French text has been deftly translated into English--marshals his arguments with lucid elegance. The approximately 400 full-color plates, including full views and close-ups, are magnificent. This is surely one of the major art books of our time. --Cathy Curtis ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The pictures do the talking
This is a beautiful book which covers some of Kiefer's best work in painting as well as his photo-montage and book making activities. A small and eloquent tribute and forward leave adequate room for many full color reproductions (some double-paged) of paintings, large black and white photos taken by the artist, photos of installations and performances and reproductions of selections from his book makings. The reproductions are bright and clear and attempt to give you an adequate view of the texture and matter that Kiefer paints with. Kiefer is one of the most prodigious and poetic artists of our time. He stands out individually in our present, sometimes cynical art atmosphere in the age of post-modern theory. These are magical paintings that contain deep myth and meaning. A truly beautiful book on beautiful and revealing art that can change your view of the world. ... Read more

Book Description

moving works: The Weavers, Peasant War, War, Death, and others. "To see the beautiful examples of her work reproduced in this well-printed, reasonably priced volume is to sit at the feet of a great modern master..."—School Arts.
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Pictures of Reality
Kathe Kollwitz shows real people dealing with the real problem of the Second World War. Her drawings are poignant reminders of the love and humanity that can exist in the midst of madness. She is also not afraid to show the horror of the war and the tolls it takes on its victims. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Complete Jacob Lawrence, a large, two-volume set on the late African American artist who died in June 2000, is so thoughtfully conceived that in addition to admiration, a reader feels gratitude for it. Over the Line, a book of biographical and critical essays, and its companion, a catalogue raisonné, are exactly what Lawrence deserves. A successful artist both in and out of the mainstream throughout most of the 20th century, he was also handily pigeonholed. A social realist, a modernist, and a storyteller, he was described as "self-taught," "primitive," "jazz-age," "narrative," and, above all, "African American." But the eight richly detailed essays in Over the Line show his complex work--in which the threads of abstraction and narrative are tightly woven--in all its magnitude. The books possess unusual authority, as all of the writers knew Lawrence to some extent, and Lawrence's wife, the artist Gwendolyn Knight, was instrumental in the project's fruition.

When Lawrence was a professor of painting, a graduate teaching assistant complained to him that her students resisted her instructions. His response was, "Tell them they're absolutely right. And then tell them to do it your way." This confidence in the validity of different points of view allowed him to express everything he knew about the hardships of African American life while remaining open and interested in everything the world had to offer. His last great series, "The Builders," is a moving metaphor for harmony, showing carpenters of all skin shades working together with hammers, nails, saws, and other tools to construct--what? A better life? A better country? A better world? Lawrence's point was never so reductive. It was enough that they were working side by side. As a Washington Post critic once wrote, "An aura of affection, goodwill and respect, both given and received, shines around the man, and like armor around his art." --Peggy Moorman ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Complete Jacob Lawrence
Jacob Lawrence spent his fascinating, fruitful life building
an enormous contribution to the world of art and this two-volume
set captures nearly every aspect of it in an absolutely beautiful
fashion... owning this set is an honor. Open either volume ANYWHERE
and it becomes immediately clear that the authors and publisher have
done their work well. To have us understand at the outset that
the artist operated far beyond the scope of the ordinary and into a
full grasp of all sorts of levels of abstraction is quite an
accomplishment in and of itself. These books do it. To be able to see
all the known paintings, drawings and sketches is great. To also read
about the life of such a brilliant person, the background for his
works, his long and
"without-whom-it-wouldn't-have-been-possible"marriage to his
equally-talented and beautiful wife Gwen, along with the history of the
styles and media pushes the palette into the soul of the reader!
... Read more

Book Description

From 1926 until her death in 1954, Mexican painter Frida Kahlo created striking, often shocking, images that reflected her turbulent life. One of four daughters born to a Hungarian-Jewish father and a mother of Spanish and Mexican Indian descent, in the Mexico City suburb of Coyoacán, Kahlo did not originally plan to become an artist. During her convalescence from a bus accident in her late teens, Kahlo began to paint with oils. Her pictures, mostly self-portraits and still-lifes, were deliberately naive, filled with the bright colors and flattened forms of the Mexican folk art she loved. At 21, Kahlo fell in love with the Mexican muralist Diego Rivera; their stormy, passionate relationship survived infidelities, the pressures of Rivera's career, a divorce and remarriage, and Kahlo's poor health. The couple traveled to the United States and France, where Kahlo met luminaries from the worlds of art and politics. She had her first solo exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York City in 1938 and enjoyed considerable success during the 40s, but her reputation soared posthumously, beginning in the 80s with the publication of numerous books about her work by feminist art historians and others. In the last two decades an explosion of Kahlo-inspired films, plays, calendars, and jewelry has transformed the artist into a veritable cult figure.
Portraits of an Icon is not another book featuring Kahlo's beloved, tortured self-portraits. Rather, it offers another kind of portrait of the artist, a means of seeing her through the eyes of those who surrounded her: modern masters of the camera such as Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, and Martin Munkacsi; leading photojournalists such as Giselle Freund, Bernard Silberstein, and Fritz Henle; and Kahlo's relatives, lovers, and friends, among them Guillermo Kahlo, Nicolas Muray, and Lola Alvarez Bravo. The images span Kahlo's life, beginning with a photograph of a self-possessed chubby four-year-old, her fists full of wilting roses, and ending with the image of an emaciated, wasted figure laying on her deathbed, dressed in pre-Columbian finery. They follow the artist's trajectory from precocious child to famous artist, bringing into focus the painter, the paintings, the patient, the wife, the daughter, the lover, the friend. They permit a look into her bedroom, a seat at her table, a visit to her hospital room, a stroll through her garden, a view into her collections, and some play with her pets. While many of these images provide us with a unique opportunity to glimpse the woman behind the facade, others, though less revealing, are equally fascinating in allowing us to view one of the most intriguing of the artist's creations--the construction of a self-image as carefully crafted and conceived as any of her works of art. Frida through the lens of: Lola Alvarez Bravo, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Imogen Cunningham, Giselle Freund, Fritz Henle, Guillermo Kahlo, Martin Munkacsi, Nicolas Muray, Bernard Silberstein, and Edward Weston

Essay by Margaret Hooks.

Hardcover, 9.75 x 13 in., 152 pages, 59 Tritones illustrations ... Read more

Reviews (9)

One of the best on Leonardo.
This excellent book focuses on Leonardo's drawings in the Royal Library at Windsor. Everyone has seen the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper, but Leonardo's greatest achievments are found in his drawings. Vivid HIGH QUALITY color reproductions are accompanied by insightful commentary and historical/biographical information. The book covers the whole breadth of Leonardo's intellectual development. 100 color drawings by history's greatest draftsman, and indeed one of most powerful minds the world has ever seen. As the book says "...[Leonardo's] drawings [are] the pure expression of his genius, boundless and magnificent."
What more could one want in a book? 5/5

The eternal genius
Kenneth Clark gives an unpropogating look at Da Vinci. All too often Leonardo's name has been attached to support a variety of causes of this or that nature. Being, seemingly, irreligious and unphilosophic while being the quintessential Renassaince Man. His name is often used as a mascot to justify the ideals of this or that group of whatever. He was clearly an animal rights lover, possibly a closet Franciscan, in all probability a homosexual (although not much of an activist). Leonardo was into his thoughts and had little patience for something that was already complete in his mind. He left scores of unfinished works, and minons of angry patrons - contrary to Bornstin's book that Leonardo was in constant search of patrons - Clark says he had many unhappy patrons. Leonardo was an animal lover who hated violence (although he designed armaments of various sorts). His depth of religious devotion could be argued, but he was not irreverant, as some have claimed. Leonardo was rather Franciscan and had a fondness for animals and individuality. He was free and valued his own individualism. Other than Da Vinci's notebooks nothing much authentic comes down to us. Every other work of Leonardo has been severally retouched or destroyed, what there is left of Leonardo's work is highly speculative - what bit is in his hand ect. Clark gives a healthy, vibrant, nonproselytizing look at a genius - something anyone might find interesting.

The best introduction to Leonardo & a compelling read
Kenneth Clark's book is probably the best available introduction to Leonardo da Vinci. It is both a good biography and an insightful analysis of Leonardo's art and artistic career. The text is appropriate for both laymen and students of art history. Clark's writing is concise and extremely engaging (to the point where I would recommend reading this book for fun), but it is also intelligent and very informative, with a clear thesis that ties the vast body of matieral covered together into an easily comprehensible package. This book is slightly out of date now, but Martin Kemp's introduction and revision help to ammend for that. I particularly recommend this most recent edition as it is well-illustrated.

"CHILD'S BOOK"?
This is the best book available in English on Leonardo da Vinci. True, the book was first published several decades ago, but the art historian Martin Kemp has added footnotes that bring the text up to date. Kenneth Clark made a tremendous contribution to the study of Leonardo da Vinci with this book - Science and Technology Museum notwithstanding!!!!

The Renaissance Man
Leonardo da Vinci. Probably the greatest painter, scientist, inventor, and philosopher of the High Renaissance, he changed the way we look at art and science. This book unravels all of the secrets of Leonardo, and the dark corners of his life. He considered himself a failure during his lifetime, but today, he is one of the greatest people in history. His inventions, theories, paintings, sketches, all shown in this book, and this book, there are some of his 4,500 pages of notes. This book reveals all that is known about his life today, and I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know about Leonardo. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great Pics and info
Though I thought it could be thicker the pictures are well viewed and some like "Flaming June" take the whole page, awesome! ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Don't buy it, you'll become an addict.
I didn't feel like spending lotta bucks in "full" New York Girls, so I ordered this "pocket edition".

Well this is so damn good, that the next day I bought the complete edition ;-)

So, if you don't want to expend extra bucks, just buy the full one...

An excellent pocket book

Wonderful work
There are very few that can pull off flash photography like Richard Kern. Although some of the models were a little too bland to pull off the subject matter, he shows us some gems that make buying the book worthwhile. What you get from his flash work in this book is the starkness of the themes, and the sense that these could easily be home photo's taken by you or me.

Duh...
Richard Kern's work explores sexual interests of a different stripe-- these images are not for the unimaginative or easily placated viewer. If you're interested in erotic photographs of intense, interesting (and possibly insane) women in a variety of unusual situations, this book is for you. If you're looking for "the girl next door" (whatever that is), go get a Playboy.

Fetish As a State of Mind
At first glance it is tempting to see Richard Kern as an imitator of Eric Kroll. This is hardly the case, but the comparison is inevitable. Both are New York photographers who specialize in fetish work, primarily photographing women. Both have a good sense of graphic imagery. In truth, though, the similarities end at the surface. Their intent and approach are radically different.

Kroll has a strong background in commercial and fashion photography which gives his images a more glitzy, mainstream look. Kern came to New York and immediately fell in with the extreme sex crowd. He spent his early years publishing little, Xeroxed magazines and making short films with such dark stars as Lydia Lunch, Nick Zedd and Cassandra Stark. In a sense, "New York Girls," marks a shift closer to mainstream fetish work.

These are harsh, revealing images. His color work reminds me a bit of Nan Goldin, but his black and white images are uniquely his own. The sexuality is blatant, sometimes erotic and sometimes not. There is a profound alienation in his images. These are people being sexual to and for themselves. They rarely meet the viewer's eyes. When they do face the camera it is to issue a challenge, to dare the viewer to cross the line into a solipsistic universe of tension and release.

Many of the photographs are haunting. There seem to be layers of content that keep the viewer's attention for hours. If you haven't encountered Kern's work before or a looking for the right collection of fetish work you will find this and excellent introduction to photography's more challenging visions.

High Expectations
The concept was excellent, but the execution is disappointing. Maybe the format is just too big, as the size itself drew my attention to the mediocre photography, rather than the otherwise interesting commentary on pop fetish culture. If the intent was to lend immediacy to the subjects though casual photography, it failed, because the models were clearly posed. The style of photography may have work with unposed models (as in Kroll's photography) but it didn't work here. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Irreplaceable
I own about a thousand books,and I have been asked which one I value most,or would snatch up in a fire, on my way to safety. I would give up every book I own, if necessary, but would not relinquish this book under any imaginable circumstances.I traveled from Indiana to the Whitney for the Retrospective, and stayed all day. I purchased my copy before leaving.
In our current climate,the Kienholz' work ("Portable War Memorial" comes immediately to mind)speaks with ferocity and immediacy and is a stark critic of hypocrisy and cultural gluttony.
This book is an eternal flame.

An Extraordinary Book
Published at the time of the Kienholz Retrospective Show at the Whitney Museum in 1996, this book not only documents that show with over 400 illustrations (many in color), it is also a tribute to Ed Kienholz, who died in 1994. Contributions by art historians, artists, friends and most importantly, Nancy Reddin Kienholz, make up a history that spans 4 decades. It begins with Ed's solo work in the Beat Era of the 1950s and continues with the collaborative work done by Ed and wife Nancy from 1972 to 1994. Even those who are not artists cannot help but be moved by this book. The stories are interesting, often funny and always personal. From collages to life-size environments, the work is not afraid to confront issues of cruelty or to embrace the forgotten in society. Unique vision, artistry and the materials of everyday life (collected at flea markets and junk shops) combine to make art that can be quiet with despair, cry out in anguish, or even make us laugh. Considered by some as ugly, this work is never dull or without compassion. As art historian and curator Walter Hopps says on the book jacket, "The work of Edward and Nancy Reddin Kienholz has had an enormous impact on the development of contemporary sculpture." I recommend this book to anyone interested in contemporary art or social science -- or who just appreciates a beautiful book and fascinating story. ... Read more

Book Description

Drawings are conventionally thought of as handmade objects, on a flat surface, that can be hung on a wall. The works that Edward Kienholz termed drawings are, like his freestanding sculptures, assemblages of things found ready-made. They appeared as early as 1961, the year in which Kienholz produced the first of the room-sized sculptural tableaux that became synonymous with his name. The evolution of the drawings runs precisely parallel with that of the tableaux, stretching across the whole of his career, first as a sculptor working alone, and from 1972 in collaboration with his wife, Nancy Reddin Kienholz.

Until now the drawings have been shown and reproduced only in relation to the large sculptures. This handsome book examines this central and major body of work and explores the concept of "drawings" as a studio process for the Kienholzes ... Read more

Book Description

The Paris of Ilja Ehrenburg knows no Louvre or Notre Dame and shows the Eiffel Tower crouching behind shabby facades and building timber. The Paris in which the Russian revolutionary lived from 1908 to 1940 was a place in which completely normal people with little money and hope struggled through life. Ehrenburg photographed them at their doors and in cafés, at work and at rest, in their poverty and dignity, and wrote brief texts that describe them. My Paris is an impressive work of photographic social reporting, presenting portraits of the elderly and the young, workers and outcasts, standing in stark contrast to the glamorous Paris of so many idealized representations and memories. Originally published in Moscow in 1933 with an exceptionally clear typographic treatment by El Lissitzky that lends a gentle rhythm to the book, Moi Parizh / My Paris is an extremely rare object, presented here anew as a reprint. Now back in print after 70 years, Paris as seen through the eyes of a Russian revolutionary artist Hardcover, 7.25 x 6.25 in./240 pgs / 0 color 125 BW0 duotone 0 ~ Item D20429 ... Read more

Reviews (1)

L.S Lowry a fascinating insight.
L.S Lowry by Michael Leber & Judith Sadling is a fantastic book on the artist. Its 144 pages are full of interesting detail, giving a full insight to the life of Lowry. Plus there are interviews with Lowry by Edwin Mullins a former critic of the Sunday Telegraph. The book is packed full of pictures of Lowrys work, some in colour, postcard and A4 size. Plus a catalogue of works in public collections, giving title, date, size, and type of painting(oil, pencil etc), over 440 listed works, most with a black and white picture. For the Lowry beginner to the specialist this book is a must. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

This book is SO BEAUTIFUL!
The pictures are gorgeous and I liked Elena Ponitowskas essay in the book so much that I translated it into Swedish (my mother tongue), and now I'm illustrating it!

great pictures
ok, it's such a cliché, but frida kahlo herself is as fascinating as her art, and here are the pics to prove it. if it's out of pirnt, well, it's a good chance to take the trip to mexico and buy it, really worth it. ... Read more