Book Description

Three major trends currently dominate international fashion: the invasion of Paris couture houses by hip British designers; the creation of highly conceptual collections by austere European minimalists; and the near-architectural construction of contemporary Japanese clothes. Spearheading these movements are members of what could be called the old-school avant-garde-uncompromising yet established designers like Alexander McQueen and Hussein Chalayan, Martin Margiela and Helmut Lang, Rei Kawakubo and Issey Miyake.

The official publication of the exhibition of the same name at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Radical Fashion spotlights the work of 11 such mavericks. Stunning photo-essays, created by the individual designers specially for the book, paired with stimulating commentary by curators and fashion historians, make this look book the ultimate accessory for anyone addicted to style. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Futurism, invented in 1909 by the Italian writer and cultural impresario, F.T. Marinetti, was the defining avant-garde movement of the early twentieth century. Inspired by the cities, technology, speed, and latent violence of the world around them, the Futurists created an art and ideology for their heroic and highly politicized version of modernity.This book examines the impact of Futurism in Italy, England, Russia, and elsewhere, as well as its significance for twentieth-century art as a whole. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Too short but well written.
A good, entertaining primer on the Futurist movement. A follow up is needed to really dig in depth the various contributors to this exciting art. There are some good reproductions in color and black and white. I'm looking for a book that is more in depth and has a generous sampling of the artwork. Does anyone have any suggestions? Futurism is really an artistic state I think is still with us today. The difference today is it manifests intself within digital media. Artistic celebration of technology is very much with us in today's culture. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to get an initial grasp of Futurism. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Comical, obsessive, paranoid, ironic, and brilliant.
In the first section, this book is the best set of personal memoirs I have ever read, surpassing even Robert Graves' "Goodbye to All That". De Chirico could have been a great novelist, had he chosen that path. His descriptions of a childhood in Greece are unforgettable.

But his novel "Hebdomeros" was also a beautiful piece of writing. It's interesting that three major painters associated with surrealism, De Chirico, Dali and Magritte, were also great writers. (De Chirico would hate to be associated with surrealism, but like it or not - he's their Daddy.)

I'm disappointed in part II of the memoirs. I'm also disappointed in what de Chirico does not tell us in part I. He barely touches on his relationship with Apollinaire, wherein the poet would give titles to some of de Chirico's paintings. He doesn't mention his thoughts on learning of Apollinaire's death. He doesn't tell us which paintings he titled, and which were given names by Apollinaire.

On one page, Paul Eluard had good enough taste to purchase his paintings, and thus was not beyond redemption. Yet on the very next page, Eluard was an onanist and a mystical cretin. What happened in a few paragraphs to change his opinion of the man? De Chirico doesn't tell us, except to blame the corruption of Eluard on Andre Breton.

Many details important to students of the era were not even mentioned. Isabella Far is written about at length. Yet de Chirico does not even mention his wedding to her. They are companions for decades and suddenly, he refers to her as his wife. Duh? When did you get married? Where were you? What was the wedding like? Somebody correct me if I overlooked something.

He outlived almost all of his enemies, (and according to de Chirico, his enemies were more numerous than the stars in the sky). He outlived almost all of the surrealists. What did he think when learning of the deaths of Eluard or Breton? What was his opinion of Magritte, to whom he had once written a friendly thank you note? What was it Magritte had written to him?

Unfortunately, details like this are not to be found. Instead, we get an enemies list of Italian critics and modernist painters, whose names most readers in the English-speaking world will not recognize.

Even so, the character revealed in these memoirs is unique. He's obsessive, paranoid, romantic, imperious to the modern world, and at times comical. But he is always guided by a stubborn integrity and a search for what he called "mystery and poetry".

Yet, he is involved in such comical episodes. He's been accused of forging his early paintings and selling them. He's accused of denouncing some of his genuine early paintings as forgeries because he was jealous of the high prices they were drawing. His later work could not command such high prices. Even stranger and more ironic, he's accused of forging his own paintings and then denouncing his forgeries as forgeries!

Despite these absurd adventures, no painter ever left a body of work that was more replete with mystery. No painter was ever more poetic. Rene Magritte credits de Chirico with teaching him that the supreme art was poetry, and that a painter at his best, could be a poet with his brush and canvas.

More than any 20th Century painter, de Chirico's greatest paintings were like that. They were poems, songs of love. And they will haunt generations to come, long after Picasso, Matisse, and Monet have been forgotten. At their best, these memoirs are a haunting, unforgettable poem.

Autobiography of genius (in both senses)
De Chirico, historically the first (small s) surrealist (even the Surrealists admit this) was exalted as a visionary for his earliest paintings, then conveniently vilified by his followers (led by the despicable Andre Breton) when he radically changed his style. The bitterness and frustration of this situation (and it was a long frustration -- De Chirco lived well into his nineties) is very much to the fore in this remarkable book. The mysterious qualities of his painting, too, are much in evidence, and great care is lavished on seemingly trivial incidents whose significance is left very much to the reader's own cogitations. Unforgettable are such passages as his defense of "maisons closes" (whorehouses) as decent workplaces, his memories of the Dalcroze-inspired Braun sisters, and the strange juxtaposition of his being required as a boy to kiss a priest's hand with the frustration of having always to refuse his barbers' offers of a rubdown. Not a book for everyone, surely, but for those seeking to unravel one of the great enigmas of 20th century art, essential. Footnote: De Chirico's status as a painter is currently going through a fascinating process of re-evaluation, and the "new" case for De Chirico is perhaps most eloquently put forth in a beautifully produced catalogue from Hunter College and the Fondazione Giorgio e Isa DeChirico in Rome, titled "Giorgio De Chirico and America," filled with superb reproductions, documentary photographs and stimulating essays. ... Read more

Book Description

Catalog for the exhibition "La Futurista: Benedetta Cappa Marinetti," the first major exploration of the work of Benedetta, wife of Futurist founder Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. Curators of the exhibition had the full cooperation of the Marinetti heirs. 64 pages. Includes 12 color pls; 15 b&w illustrations, as well as a selection of first-time translations into English. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

This publication presents an interdisciplinary and comparative perspective on Futurism in a variety of countries and artistic media. Nineteen internationally renowned scholars discuss up-to-date information on how the Futurist movement, founded by the Italian poet F.T. Marinetti in 1909, shaped the concept of a cultural avant-garde and how it influenced the development of a modernist art and literature around the world. Thereby the volume is expected to serve as a handbook of Futurism in the arts and literature.

Each essay contains a general introduction to the medium or country under discussion and reviews recent research undertaken by the author and other specialists in the field. The final section contains a comprehensive reference bibliography of primary and secondary sources related to Futurism in all countries and media covered by the volume. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

review of wonderful book
excellent book, portrays life of the artist in easy and understnadable concepts! ... Read more