Искусство

Hailed as the first American-born art movement to have worldwide influence, Abstract Expressionism denotes the non-representational use of paint as a means of personal expression. It emerged in America in the 1940s, with lead protagonists including Jackson Pollock, Philip Guston, Robert Motherwell, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning. 

Abstract Expressionism spawned many different stylistic tendencies but two particularly prominent sub-categories: action painting, exemplified by de Kooning and Pollock, and colour field painting, made most famous by Rothko. Throughout, Abstract Expressionists strove to convey emotions and ideas through the making of marks, through forms, textures, shades, and the particular quality of brushstrokes. 

The movement favoured large-scale canvases and embraced the role of accident or chance. With featured works from 20 key Abstract Expressionist artists, this book introduces the movement which shifted the center of art gravity from Paris to New York and remains for many the golden moment of American art.

About the series:

Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Genre series features:

- a detailed illustrated introduction plus a timeline of the most important political, cultural and social events that took place during that period
- a selection of the most important works of the epoch, each of which is presented on a 2-page spread with a full-page image and with an interpretation of
the respective work, plus a portrait and brief biography of the artist
- approximately 100 colour illustrations with explanatory captions

Formed in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young, AC/DC has become one of the most popular rock ’n’ roll bands in history. This massive new title follows the band from its roots in Sydney, Australia, to its most recent releases and sold-out world tours. No stone is left unturned, from the AC/DC’s formation and early club gigs to its astounding worldwide success. A special cover incorporating Angus on a spinning disc gives way to more than 400 illustrations include handbills, posters, backstage passes, and vinyl from around the globe, as well as rare candid and performance photography. Sidebars from top rock scribes examine all studio releases and delve into the guitar gear of the Young brothers. The result is an awesome tribute to the band renowned for a live-wire stage show and a sonic attack that have attracted fans from all rock camps.

Adolf Born je obdivovatel rakousko-uherské monarchie i tureckých sultánů, milovník vína, umění, kejklířů, alchymistů, faunů a kentaurů, přítel zvířat i sběratel klobouků a čepic, jehož vášní je cestování, ale především je Adolf Born karikaturista, grafik a malíř světového formátu. Jeho obrazy plné humoru, ironie, nadsázky, fantastických představ a překvapivých metafor milují děti i dospělí. Reprezentativní výběr dávných, novějších, ale hlavně nejnovějších ukázek z Bornovy volné tvorby vás zve slovy Miloše Macourka „do světa, v němž je přítomen nejen humor, ale i nostalgie, tajemství a také kapka hrůzy, ale především závratný pocit svobody, neboť v tomto beztížném prostoru je možné všechno, o čem dokážete snít“. Knihu doplňuje obsáhlé, bohatě ilustrované Kalendárium, které rok po roce zachycuje život i všechny aktivity umělce – a že jich není málo, jak konstatoval Ivan Kraus: „Soudě podle toho, kolik Adolf Born ilustroval knih, na kolika filmech a seriálech se podílel, kolik vytvořil litografií, kdy a kde všude vystavoval, řekl bych, že za posledních třicet let nejedl ani nespal.“ A přidejme, za posledních šedesát let. Publikace vychází k Mistrovým osmdesátinám.

460 illustrations

This showcase of new jewellery offers a global view of exciting work from nearly 200 cutting-edge jewellery designers. It highlights the diverse forms that contemporary jewellery takes, from simple wedding or commitment rings, to elaborate body jewellery that blurs the boundaries between art and adornment, to catwalk jewellery specially commissioned for couture collections. Adorn includes pieces made using the latest industrial technologies and processes, as well as more traditional methods and materials. Because most jewellers’ work crosses themes, categories and styles, and is produced using a variety of techniques, the chapters are arranged by type of jewellery and each designer might feature in several chapters. In this way, from headpiece to toe ring, the book takes the reader on a visual journey around the body and provides a rich source of inspiration for anyone looking to design, commission or buy their own jewellery.

Amanda Mansell graduated from the Royal College of Art, London with an MA in Goldsmithing, Silversmithing, Metalwork and Jewellery. She has been a designer–maker for 10 years, working from her workshop in Hatton Garden, London’s famous jewellery quarter. She manages the jewellery archives at the Royal College of Art and is the owner and director of a contemporary jewellery gallery in London.

The very best TV commercials are masterpieces of the art, 30- or 60-second films that make us think, and rethink our attitudes towards a certain brand, product or service. Whether it’s selling the latest Nike sneaker or raising awareness about the danger of speeding, a commercial must communicate its message in under a minute, and only the sharpest creative minds achieve the perfect balance of novelty, entertainment, information and emotional impact. This book-and-DVD package gathers many of the world's best commercials of recent years, in chapters are organized by subject, such as food & beverage, health & beauty, social & political, technology, and transport. Also included are screenshots, descriptions of each spot, and a credit list.

Over 80 commercials featured in the book are included on the accompanying DVD

Aerosmith is one of the greatest rock 'n' roll bands of all-time. After their 1970s success was derailed by band strife and Dionysian excess, Boston’s Bad Boys received a career jump-start in 1986 via their collaboration with hip-hop legends Run-DMC and producer Rick Rubin. This first complete illustrated history of one of the world’s most successful and popular bands features a band history by music journalist Richard Bienstock and sidebar album reviews from a host of well-known music journalists, including Greg Kot, Jaan Uhelszki, Chuck Eddy, Bill Holdship, Martin Popoff, Daniel Bukszpan, and more. Illustrated throughout with hundreds of stunning performance and backstage photographs, as well as rare memorabilia, including gig posters, backstage passes, 7-inch picture sleeves, ticket stubs, and more.

Do you ever find yourself wondering, "Has she had work done?" Do you flip through supermarket tabloids to see who's the latest star to have gone under the knife? Do you secretly adore before and after photos? Well, let's face it, who doesn't? Aesthetic surgery has become a global phenomenon.

In places like Hollywood, the mystery isn't who's had work done, but who hasn't. Those who have been to the world's best surgeons can get away with lying about it, while others have the evidence written all over their faces. From liposuction to lip implants, this book explores all the ins and outs of body sculpting via photos, illustrations, essays, and interviews.

Topics include:
- Beauty and Beauty Surgery
- Beauty in Art
- The Astonishing History of Aesthetic Surgery
- Ethnicity and Aesthetic Surgery
- Plastic Surgery in the Movies
- The Michelangelo of the Scalpel: Ivo Pitanguy
- The World`s most famous aesthetic surgeo
- Methods and Techniques
- Jokes and Caricatures

Handmade in Africa. Shedding light on the art of the 'Dark Continent'

Art from the African continent occupies an unusual place in the concert of world cultures. Once considered "primitive" by colonial invaders, it has long since been recognized and acknowledged for its highly developed sense of design and aesthetics. Similarly, African art is often concerned with vital moral and spiritual concerns of the human condition, and frequently has a ritual or religious function—whether in masks, ancestral figures, ceramics, basketry, metalwork, or weapons. The items in this volume, mostly datable only with difficulty, start with a sculptured head from Nigeria, possibly dating from the 12th century, and extend from a 15th/16th-century salt container from Sierra Leone to the 19th and 20th centuries, to which most of the artworks belong.

With examples from every region of the continent — including Mali, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Madagascar, South Africa and a dozen other countries — this book demonstrates the profundity and astonishing variety of African arts, describing the social and religious contexts without which these artworks cannot be fully understood.

About the Series:
Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Genre Series features:

• a detailed illustrated introduction plus a timeline of the most important political, cultural and social events that took place during that period
• a selection of the most important works of the epoch, each of which is presented on a 2-page spread with a full-page image and with an interpretation of the respective work, plus a portrait and brief biography of the artist
• approximately 100 colour illustrations with explanatory captions

The author:
Ethnologist and historian Stefan Eisenhofer has been head of the African department of the Museum für Völkerkunde in Munich since 2001. He co-founded the museum's Munich EthnoFilm Days and Urban African Sounds concert series. He also teaches at the Institute for Ethnology at the University of Munich, and has curated various exhibitions including Genocide Monument (2004). His book Painted People (2005) explores body art on all five continents.

The Visual Encyclopaedia series provide up to 300 beautiful photographic and artwork images, illustrating subjects of perennial cultural interest. Images are accompanied by narrative providing background, brief criticism, and details on relevant museums, brief biographies and time lines

The art of sub-Saharan Africa has a long history, although it is a difficult to reconstruct precosely because many works, being made from wood and earth, have disappeared without trace and archeological excavations, which could enrich our knowledge of the region are still rare.

Nonetheless, what has been preserved - largely works from the past 150 years, although there are some which date back even thousands of years - is already substantial and provides evidence of a great variety of artistic traditions, which can be traced back to broad historic and geographical areas and to ethnic or tribal groups.

This beautiful book was born out of the passion and artistic insight of Marnix Neerman and Hugo Martens. One hundred and twenty-eight masks have been photographed in such a unique style that their artistic nature is revealed to the utmost. Each mask has been shot from the front and from the rear, and detail shots reveal each mask as an almost autonomous work of art. And yet, these masks are not considered works of art in their countries of origin, but rather tools that have a function and a meaning in socio-religious life.

Many of these masks have never been displayed or published before and come from reference collections such as the Museum for Middle Africa in Tervuren, Belgium; the Etnographic Museum in Antwerp and private collections in Belgium, France, UK and USA.

African Faces was produced in cooperation with the archive of the Yale university, Tribal Art magazine, Parcours des Mondes in Paris and many other experts and will become a future reference work when it comes to the African mask; the powerful photographs accentuate the artistic value of the masks like never before

The book includes one hundred color plates accompanied by in-depth descriptions, as well as numerous black-and-white photographs of the masks as they are used in religious and secular ceremonies.

An introductory text by renowned scholars describes how the masks are constructed, examines their significance in African culture, and offers insight into the universal practice of masquerading. A unique contribution to the literature on African art, this book is also a wonderful introduction to countless fascinating, age-old spiritual traditions still practiced today.

Focusing on some of the most interesting conceptual technical trends in wood working today, Against the Grain includes approximately 65 vessels, sculptures, furniture, and installations, created since 2000, which provocatively defy categories and celebrate the visual dynamics of wood. The book demonstrates how contemporary creators have engaged the medium of wood in strategies that might be described as “postmodern,” employing mimicry, assemblage, virtuosity, and whimsy (with a serious purpose). Environmental issues also are prominently addressed. Artists represented include Derek Bencomo, Gary Carsley, Hunt Clark, Piet Hein Eek, David Ellsworth, Sebastian Errazuriz, Bud Latven, Mark Lindquist, Thomas Loeser, Sarah Oppenheimer, William Pope.L, Martin Puryear, Marc Andre Robinson, Laurel Roth, Betye Saar, Courtney Smith, Elisa Strozyk, Alison Elizabeth Taylor, and Ursula von Rydingsvard. Focusing on some of the most interesting conceptual technical trends in wood working today, Against the Grain includes approximately 65 vessels, sculptures, furniture, and installations, created since 2000, which provocatively defy categories and celebrate the visual dynamics of wood. The book demonstrates how contemporary creators have engaged the medium of wood in strategies that might be described as “postmodern,” employing mimicry, assemblage, virtuosity, and whimsy (with a serious purpose). Environmental issues also are prominently addressed. Artists represented include Derek Bencomo, Gary Carsley, Hunt Clark, Piet Hein Eek, David Ellsworth, Sebastian Errazuriz, Bud Latven, Mark Lindquist, Thomas Loeser, Sarah Oppenheimer, William Pope.L, Martin Puryear, Marc Andre Robinson, Laurel Roth, Betye Saar, Courtney Smith, Elisa Strozyk, Alison Elizabeth Taylor, and Ursula von Rydingsvard.

From its fascinating historical origins to its contemporary symbolic significance, every aspect of Ai Weiwei's beautiful and monumental work of art is explored in this illustrated volume that also guides readers through the highlights of the artist's career.

Ai Weiwei's "Circle of Animals / Zodiac Heads" features twelve large-scale bronze animal heads, each depicting a segment of the ancient Chinese zodiac. As a major work of public art, it is an extraordinary accomplishment in its own right. But as this book explains, the origins and motivation behind the piece are as compelling as the work itself.

Ai Weiwei based the sculpture on a complex zodiac fountain that was built for an imperial retreat in eighteenth-century China. When the retreat was looted by European soldiers, the fountain's bronze animal heads were stolen - only seven of the tewlve are known to survive. By reimagining the work Ai Weiwei confronts uncomfortable truths within Chinese and Western history.

This book compares Ai Weiwei's work to the original zodiac heads; features interviews with Ai Weiwei conducted at various periods during the sculpture's development; offers a historical overview of the events surrounding the fountain's looting; and follows the trail of the original heads as they are sold and resold amidst political furor.

The book tells the riveting story behind a highly acclaimed piece of modern art, while providing an introduction to one of our generation's most important artists.

The most lavishly produced and profusely illustrated volume on Akira Kurosawa ever published, timed for the centennial of his birth. Akira Kurosawa is arguably the greatest of all Japanese film directors and is respected around the world as one of the masters of the art form. This is the first illustrated book to pay tribute to his unmistakable style—with more than two hundred images, many never before published.

The filmmaker is also famous for his attention to detail, and fans will delight in seeing annotated script pages, sketches, and storyboards that reveal the meticulous craft behind Kurosawa’s genius. Peter Cowie examines how Kurosawa took the samurai genre to its apogee in such films as Yojimbo and Seven Samurai; his literary influences in such films as Throne of Blood [Macbeth] and Ran [King Lear]; and in his take on our relationship to the modern world in such films as High and Low and Dreams. "Akira Kurosawa is one of the greatest directors ever to work in the cinema.

His films meant an enormous amount to me when I was starting my own career, and it’s fitting that in the year of his centennial this book by Peter Cowie should pay tribute to him."—Francis Ford Coppola