Книги по истории искусства

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

Symbols of a deeper reality

"A book like the rooms of an imaginary museum." - La Libre Belgique, Brussels

"To clothe the idea in perceptible form," proposed the poet Jean Moréas in his 1886 Manifesto of Symbolism.

It was in France and Belgium, the cradles of literary Symbolism, that Symbolist painting was born. It plunged headlong into the cultural space opened up by the poetry of Baudelaire and Mallarmé and by the operas of Wagner. Symbolist painters sought not to represent appearances but to express "the Idea," and the imaginary therefore plays an important part in their work. "Dream" was their credo; they execrated, with a fanatical hatred, impressionism, realism, naturalism, and the scientistic. The main principle of Symbolism, that of "correspondences," was to attain harmony between all the different arts, or even to realise the total work of art (Gesamtkunstwerk) that Wagner had dreamt of creating.

What we rediscover today, after a period of neglect, is this: Symbolist painting is essential to our understanding of modern art, not only because it spread across the world like wildfire, creating disciples from Russia to the United States, from Northern Europe to the Mediterranean, but because it was the source of a series of mutations without which modern art would not be what it is.

The author:

Michael Gibson is an art critic, art historian, anthropologist, writer, independent scholar and philosopher (currently editor in chief of UNESCO's World Heritage Review) who has been writing on art over the past forty years for numerous publications, including the International Herald Tribune. He has published numerous books, including studies of Bruegel, Gauguin, Duchamp and Calder.

The editor:

Gilles Néret (1933–2005) was an art historian, journalist, writer and museum correspondent. He organized several art retrospectives in Japan and founded the SEIBU museum and the Wildenstein Gallery in Tokyo. He directed art reviews such as L'Œil and Connaissance des Arts and received the Elie Faure Prize in 1981 for his publications. His TASCHEN titles include Salvador Dalí: The Paintings, Matisse, and Erotica Universalis.

Influenced by Futurism, Fauvism, and Cubism, printmaker, set designer, and designer Vladimir Tatlin (1885–1953) made painting his artistic basis. Referencing Pablo Picasso’s assemblages, Tatlin developed his Counter Reliefs, three-dimensional sculptural constructions out of wood, cardboard, metal, and wire. With these, he unhinged the laws of painting, creating his own genre of art as well as a new understanding of the materials he used. His visionary, unrealized project of building a tower to propagate the ideals and aims of the Russian Revolution left its mark on generations of architects, artists, and authors. Tatlin exploded the boundaries of artistic activity and brought rhythm and motion to sculpture. This publication provides systematic insight into his oeuvre and reflects the most current research, starting with the young artist’s revolutionary élan.

Textiles explores the cultural meaning and exquisite workmanship found in the Museum of International Folk Art’s vast collection that spans centuries and includes pieces from seventy countries around the world. Handcrafted work in beautiful, vivid colors typifies the clothing, hats, robes, bedding, and shoes that represent the lives and passions of the people who created and used them.

Bobbie Sumberg is curator of Textiles and Costume at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is the coauthor of Sleeping Around: The Bed from Antiquity to Now. For more than fifty years, the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, has been documenting, collecting, preserving, and interpreting the creative works of traditional artists from cultures throughout the world.

An accessible A-Z guide to the art of the 20th-century

The 20th Century Art Book was hailed upon its release as an exciting celebration of the myriad forms assumed by art over the last century.

Complementing the phenomenally successful Art Book, and most recently The American Art Book, it presents a new and original way of bringing art alive. Covering the truly international nature of the modern art scene, it encompasses established, iconic works of art and the classics of the future. 500 artists are showcased in alphabetical order, each represented by a full-page colour plate of a definitive work and an incisive text which sheds light on both image and creator.

This book is above all easy to use: cross-references help the reader make connections between artists; there is a jargon-free glossary of artistic terms and movements; and an international directory of museums and galleries lists the works on public view.
Ideal for those approaching the subject for the first time, it is a fun and unintimidating look at the ever-expanding boundaries of art.

Under the rule of Henry VII (r. 1485-1509) England became a powerful nation. The Tudor court sought to express its worldliness and political clout through major artistic commissions, employing Florentine sculptors and painters to create lavish new interiors, suitable for entertaining foreign dignitaries, for its royal palaces. These were exemplified by Henry VIII's palace of Nonsuch, so named because no other palace could match its magnificence. Italian sculpture, painting, and tapestries of the day reflected an interest in portraiture and dynastic monuments, epitomized in England by the royal tomb projects created by Baccio Bandinelli, Benedetto da Rovezzano, and Pietro Torrigiani.

Generously illustrated throughout, The Anglo-Florentine Renaissance traces the artistic links between Medicean Florence and Tudor England through essays by an international team of scholars and explores how the language of Florentine art effectively expressed England's political aspirations and rose to prominence as a new international courtly style.

An accessible, informative and fun A–Z guide to artists from medieval times to the present day

Winner of the Illustrated Book of the Year award in 1994, The Art Book has been an outstanding success and has become a well-known landmark in the art book world. Now published in over 20 different languages and in mini, midi and hardback formats, it has received rave reviews from numerous newspapers and magazines and has made many appearances on the bestseller lists.

Complemented by The 20th Century Art Book and The American Art Book, its unique approach brings art alive. An A-Z guide to the greatest painters and sculptors from medieval to modern times, it debunks art-historical classifications by throwing together brilliant examples of all periods, schools, visions and techniques. Each artist is represented by a full-page colour plate of a definitive work, accompanied by explanatory and illuminating information on the image and its creator.

Glossaries of artistic movements and technical terms are included, making this a valuable work of reference as well as a feast for the eyes.

By breaking with traditional classifications, The Art Book represents a fresh and original approach to art: an unparalleled visual sourcebook and a celebration of our rich and multi-faceted culture.

This compilation draws together the research and works of a broad selection of curators, critics, artists, and academics.

Winner of the Illustrated Book of the Year award in 1994, the first edition of The Art Book has been an outstanding success and has become a well-known landmark in the art book world.

Now published in over 20 different languages and in mini, midi, and hardback formats, The Art Book has received rave reviews from numerous newspapers and magazines and has made many appearances on the bestseller lists.

The Art Book: New Edition presents 100 new artists, including for the first time Photographers and Performance Artists. Following the successful format of the original, the new edition is an A-Z guide to 600 great artists from medieval to modern times, it debunks art-historical classifications by throwing together brilliant examples of all periods, schools, visions and techniques.

Each artist is represented by a full-page colour plate of a definitive work, accompanied by explanatory and illuminating information on the image and its creator. Glossaries of artistic movements and technical terms are included, making this a valuable work of reference as well as a feast for the eyes.

By breaking with traditional classifications, The Art Book represents a fresh and original approach to art: an unparalleled visual sourcebook and a celebration of our rich and multi-faceted culture.

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Альбом The Art Book после своего первого выхода в свет познакомил с искусством миллионы людей по всему миру. Это - справочник от А до Я по художникам от Средневековья до наших дней, написанный не без иронии и общедоступным языком. Обновленный и дополненный 100 новыми работами, включая живопись, фотографию, скульптуру, видео, инсталляцию и перформанс. На каждой странице представляется один художник и одна его работа с информацией о них.

Альбом издавался на более чем 20 языках, давно завоевал авторитет и получил множество наград. Развенчивает исторически сложившуюся классификацию, сопоставляя яркие примеры всех периодов, школ, видений и техник. Под задней обложкой читатель найдет словарь художественных движений и специальных терминов. Это роскошная, незаменимая  и вводящая  в мир искусства книга для всей семьи.

In a new compact and portable format – the accessible, award-winning A-Z guide to the world’s great painters and sculptors

The Art Book is a landmark in the world of publishing. Available in a range of different formats and in over 20 different languages, it has received rave reviews since its first publication and can be frequently found on bestseller lists around the world.

Now available for the first time in a highly covetable and portable midi format, this second edition is an updated and substantially expanded version of the hugely successful original book.

An A-Z guide to 600 great artists from medieval to modern times, it debunks art-historical classifications and pairs brilliant examples of all periods, schools, visions, and techniques. By breaking with traditional classifications, The Art Book represents a fresh and original approach to art: an unparalleled visual sourcebook and a celebration of our rich and multifaceted culture.

468 examples from L'Art International d'Aujourd'hui capture geometric, prismatic Art Deco of 20's and 30's. Gardens, dwellings, interiors, furniture, fabrics, stained glass, sculpture, jewelry, graphics by Brandt, Chareau, Fouquet, Vuitton — 171 other artists, architects, and designers.

Over 400 photographs.

A revolutionary 'virtual' museum with easy-to-navigate, colour-coded galleries and rooms

Housing the finest art collection ever assembled, this revised, reformatted edition offers the museum experience without the boundaries of space and time, taking the reader on a tour around the world and through the ages. Its rooms and galleries display some 1,600 artworks, selected from the original collection, including paintings, sculpture, photographs, textiles, installations, performances, videos, prints, ceramics, manuscripts, metalwork, and jewel-work.

Visit the world's most comprehensive and compelling museum in a book – from pre-historic times to the present, – over 1,600 artworks created with the expertise of 28 art world curators and historians.

"Unprecedented, unique, and vast in scope... a visually spectacular survey of world art. Destined to delight, inspire, and educate, as well as to become an invaluable, classic art-reference resource, it is very highly recommended." ―Library Journal

About the Authors:

Twenty-eight curators, critics, art historians, and artists contributed their expertise to create this art-lover's ideal museum. They come from such institutions as: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the British Museum, London; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu; the University of California, Berkeley; La Trobe University, Melbourne; the School of African and Oriental Studies, University of London; and The Courtauld Institute of Art, London.

For centuries, the art and culture of China and Japan have exerted a particular fascination on the West. Items from Imperial China once filled the porcelain cabinets of European courts, and Japanese painting and woodcarving made their way to Europe in the nineteenth century. The impressive illustrations in this volume present the reader with the unique wealth of art forms in China and Japan, forms which have also exerted tremendous influence on Western art: artful ceramics, woodcarvings, small sculptures and bronzes, porcelains and ink drawings from China; and from Japan, temple districts, imperial villas and Zen gardens, ukiyo paintings of the Edo period, the famed No masques, as well as precious textiles and costumes. These are only a few of the many aspects selected by the authors to convey the wealth and unbelievable variety of artistic forms of East Asia. An illustrated glossary and extensive bibliography complete the book.

A rich celebration of Hanukkah, featuring centuries of extraordinary art and artefacts.

One of the most joyous weeks in the Jewish year is when families gather for eight evenings to celebrate the festival of Hanukkah. Jews the world over mark this holiday of freedom with the lighting of the Hanukkah menorah, while children spin a dreidel and eat sufganiyot and potato latkes. Presents are exchanged, and the story of Hanukkah is retold through songs and prayers. The Art of Hanukkah, through its selection of forty-eight masterpieces of holiday ceremonial and fine art, tells the story of the desecration of the holy Temple, its subsequent reclaiming and rededication, and the miracle of the single, tiny cruse of oil that continued to provide light for eight days.

From individual oil lamps to medieval creations, through the sumptuous flourishes of Baroque decorations to contemporary times, these Hanukkah menorahs reflect the adaptability of Jewish culture throughout the Diaspora. Menorahs, paintings, dreidels — all the wonderful elements of the celebration of Hanukkah from around the world and throughout the centuries have been brought together in this one marvellous book. Clear, insightful, and thought-provoking commentaries make this book a perfect complement to the holiday.

About the Author

Nancy M. Berman was the curator of the Hebrew Union College Skirball Museum from 1972 to 1977. She subsequently became director of the museum in 1977. Her career in Jewish art and culture began at the Jewish Museum in New York, where she was assistant curator of the Judaica Department.

This oversized collector’s edition showcases antique paintings and drawings of birds and animals from the most important natural history collection in France.

An unparalleled collection of the most beautiful—yet scientific—depictions of flora and fauna ever produced, these artworks document three centuries of exploration of the far reaches of the world—a rich visual record harking back to a time when science relied upon painstaking human illustration as the only way to record exotic plants and unknown animals observed during voyages of discovery.

All the artworks included here were depicted on vellum, a high-quality, long-lasting parchment that fell out of use around 1900 when it was supplanted by photography. France’s national collection consists of over 7,000 such artworks and is among the world’s finest. Flora and fauna from every corner of the globe are represented in precisely rendered color and detail.

Sadly, many of the species depicted in these masterful yet hauntingly accurate portraits are now endangered, threatened—or in many cases, already extinct. This volume is both a celebration of the human quest for knowledge and an epitaph for a fast disappearing world—as well as a feast for the eyes for anyone who loves birds or vintage natural history art. This exquisite and timeless book is beautifully presented in a jacketed volume within a slipcase and luxuriously packaged within an illustrated mailer with a handle for portability.

About the Author:

Pascale Heurtel is chief curator and director of libraries and Michelle Lenoir is honorary director of the Muséum national d’histoire naturelle in Paris.

One big slice of cheesecake. Pin-up travels the long road from barracks wall to high art

In the 15 years since TASCHEN released The Great American Pin-up, international interest in this distinctly American art form has increased exponentially. Paintings by leading artists such as Alberto Vargas, George Petty, and Gil Elvgren that sold for $ 2,000 in 1996 are going for $ 200,000 and more today. Pin-up: drawings, paintings and pastels of an idealized female face and figure intended for public display, was produced between 1920 and 1970, for use on calendars, and magazine covers and centerfolds. The majority of original paintings were discarded by publishers and calendar companies after printing, making the surviving art that much more precious. Today it’s popularity is huge, and ripe for an equally huge and truly comprehensive collector’s edition.

Formidably sized, The Art of Pin-up is an impressive book that will be coveted by casual fans as well as hardcore pin-up collectors. The top 10 artists are profiled in depth. Each chapter opens with a tipped-in reproduction of an original calendar or magazine cover by that artist. The reproduction quality of the paintings, pastels, and preparatory sketches that follow — largely sourced from the original art — invites the viewer to trace the brush strokes, while the exquisite period calendars, vintage prints, and original model photos document the artists’ creative process. Much of these ephemera were photographed on-site at the historic Brown & Bigelow Company, home to the world’s largest archive of vintage pin-up calendars.

In addition to the chapters on the 10 featured artists, the book includes thumbnail bios and representative art of 85 additional artists, the most complete compendium of pin-up artists ever compiled. All this adds up to a hard-to-beat book on this popular subject.