Monet's famous painting "Impression: Sunrise, Le Havre" represented the most innovative - and later most popular - art movement the world had ever seen, and its appeal endures today. Monet's experiments with light and colour are described in depth in this latest addition to our best-selling series, "The World's Greatest Art".

Organized into five sections on life, society, places, influences and techniques, the book enables the reader to consider Monet from different angles and contexts, providing a broader understanding of this great artist.

This generously illustrated volume on the work of Monet makes the world’s greatest art accessible to readers of every level of appreciation.

Monet’s dazzling depictions of flowers, sunsets, fields, and oceans, in which line and shape are suggested through pure color, changed the way we perceive our natural surroundings. His numerous series, in which he depicts the same object at varying times of the day and in different seasons, pushed the limits of representational art. His final series of water lilies are considered to have ushered in the abstract movement of the twentieth century. Overflowing with images, this book offers full-page spreads of masterpieces as well as highlights of smaller details, allowing every aspect of the artist’s technique and oeuvre to be appreciated. Chronologically arranged, the book covers important biographical and historic events that reflect the latest scholarship. Additional information includes a list of works, timeline, and suggestions for further reading.

Discover the evolution of Modigliani’s art, through the prism of his relationship with his art dealer, Paul Guillaume.

This beautifully illustrated catalogue and its accompanying exhibition at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris demonstrate how Modigliani’s partnership with his gallerist Paul Guillaume influenced his painting. When Amedeo Modigliani arrived in Paris in 1906, the Jewish-Italian artist was a painter. His meeting with sculptor Constantin Brancusi in 1909 was a revelation, and inspired Modigliani to sculpt ― almost exclusively ― until 1914, when he met art dealer Paul Guillaume. The effects of this meeting were sudden and total. Modigliani would return to painting and never look back. This volume unveils the relationship that prompted this change through analysis of Modigliani’s paintings and Guillaume’s writings. With these resources at hand, the reader gains an intimate insight into this intriguing duo whose combined talents as artist and promotor left an indelible mark on the history of twentieth-century art. The book highlights their complicity and shared interests in African art, literature, and poetry.

About the Author:

Cécile Girardeau is a curator at the Musée de l’Orangerie. Simonetta Fraquelli is an independent curator and art historian. Yaëlle Biro is assistant curator of African Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Marie-Amélie Senot is a curator of modern and contemporary art.

Dreaming and relaxing, with Claude Monet's Impressionist designs, this beautiful new book will give you many hours of pleasure, and calm. Printed on high quality paper, there are 45 classic illustrations for you to colour, with suggestions too on how to start the colouring. This book will give you many hours of pleasure and calm, taking you on an enjoyable journey where the satisfaction of creating stunning artworks is mixed with rediscovering the joy of colouring. You can use a wide variety of pens: from gel and pencil, to pigment and crayons, from ballpoint and rollerball to highlighters, although it’s best to avoid the heavy felt pens. Each page is perforated near the spine of the book, so you can tear out and frame or simply place your wonderful creation on the walls of your home, perhaps even send them as a gift to your loved ones. Bring the Ink to life!

About the Author:

Daisy Seal is a talented, thoughtful writer of gift, celebration and puzzle books. She has long observed the intimate connections between the natural world around us and our search for the enduring spirit of humankind. Previous publications include "Inspirations", "Reflections", "Be Calm," and "Friendship".

This magnificent boxed-set features stunning, accordion-fold, color reproductions of Monet’s essential works, accompanied by a separate booklet with a background and descriptions of each painting.

Fans of Impressionism will delight in seeing some of their favorite works presented in generously sized accordion fold pages, which bring Monet’s representations of nature to exquisite life. Arranged chronologically, this volume helps readers appreciate the achievements of a long and fruitful career. Natural beauty, color and light were the object of Monet’s incessant research, and he never lost sight of what was essential to him — the truth of his sensations. From the faithful transcription of the landscape in his early days to the gestural drawing of the final water lilies at Giverny, this book allows us to follow and understand the evolution of his creativity. The themes of Monet’s work (the seashore, the Seine, gardens, the seasons) are discussed, as well as the techniques he used, such as the decomposition of light and color through the brushstroke; the use of repetition and series to better reflect atmospheric variations; and the progressive dissolution of forms, which led to him being considered the precursor of abstraction.

Packaged in an elegant slipcase, this volume reflects the beautiful artistry and timeless traditions that are embodied in the artworks themselves.

About the Author:

Anne Sefrioui is the author of numerous art books, including Hiroshige: Famous Views of the Sixty-odd Provinces (2017), Kingfisher with Lotus Flower: Birds of Japan (2022), and Van Gogh: The Bigger Picture (2024), all published by Prestel.

A gorgeous new edition with the cover printed on silver. Towards the end of his life and much inspired by Japanese water gardens, Monet spent a great deal of time in his beloved Giverny. Adorned with poppies, blue sage, dahlias and irises, the waters were disturbed only by bamboos and water lilies. His water garden was originally created to satisfy a need to be near water, and to provide a visual feast that could be enjoyed from his house. 

The pond was fed by the river Ru, and weeping willow and silver birch hung over its edges, caressing the fronds of the greenery and blossoms below. Its famous green wooden footbridge was built across the water and it became the central focus of many of his works. He said, ‘It took me some time to understand my water lilies. I planted them for pleasure.’ and so he began to work on what is probably the most famous series of paintings the world has ever seen.

An exuberant self-portrait of Christian Louboutin and his myriad inspirations, this volume is an exclusive glimpse into the mind and soul of the man behind the shoes.

Perhaps one of the most influential luxury shoe designers of our time, Christian Louboutin's signature high stilettos and lacquer-red soles have become true cultural staples and fashion must-haves.

In this new volume the inimitable designer reveals the influences behind his shoes, drawing on his encyclopedic knowledge of objects and artworks. A journey into nearly thirty years of footwear design and excellence, readers uncover Louboutin's vivid creative universe -- filled with Amazonian bird feathers, Kachina dolls, crosses, masks, crowns, and the shoes they inspired. A true look into the master's references, exquisite drawings and sketches of footwear juxtapose against artworks from international museum collections and some of the designer's cherished objects, which Louboutin personally selected in tandem with Olivier Gabet, the director of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. Surrealist photographs of Louboutin's dazzling creations by Jean-Vincent Simonet bring electric, sensual style to the pages while a visceral dialogue between the designer and writer Éric Reinhardt runs through this veritable Wunderkammer of a book. Published on the occasion of the Christian Louboutin Exhibition show at the Palais de la Porte Dorée in Paris (February 20- July 28, 2020), this exquisite piece of bookmaking offers a highly personal, vivid glimpse into the designer's life and genius.

About the Authors:

Christian Louboutin is a French fashion and footwear designer who founded his namesake brand in 1991. Éric Reinhardt is a French writer and editor. He is the author of The Victoria System (Penguin Random House, 2014). Jean-Vincent Simonet is a French photographer whose work has been featured at the Festival de Mode et de Photographie of Hyères and exhibited at the Tate Modern in London.

Part of a new series of beautiful gift art books, Claude Monet: Masterpieces of Art features all of the popular works of this insightful and experimental artist, from his first inklings as an Impressionist to his later flirtations with Abstract Expressionism. With a fresh and thoughtful introduction to the life and art of one of the most famous artists in the world, the book goes on to showcase his key works in all their glory.

No other artist, apart from J.M.W. Turner, tried as hard as Claude Monet (1840–1926) to capture light itself on canvas. Of all the Impressionists, it was the man Cézanne called “only an eye, but my God what an eye!” who stayed true to the principle of absolute fidelity to the visual sensation, painting directly from the object.

Prince of the Impressionists. Capturing the ever-changing face of reality

Hailed the Prince of the Impressionists, Claude Monet (1840 - 1926) transformed expectations for the purpose of paint on canvas. Defying the precedent of centuries, Monet did not seek to render only reality, but the act of perception itself. Working en plein air with rapid, impetuous brush strokes, he interrogated the play of light on the hues, patterns, and contours and the way in which these visual impressions fall upon the eye.

Monet's interest in this space between the motif and the artist encompassed too the ephemeral nature of each image we see. In his beloved water lily series, as well as in paintings of poplars, grain stacks, and the Rouen cathedral, he returned to the same motif in different seasons, different weather conditions, and at different times of the day, to explore the constant mutability of our visual environment.

This book offers the essential introduction to an artist whose works simultaneously reflected upon the purpose of a picture and the passage of time, and in so doing transformed irrevocably the story of art. 

About the series:

Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Art series features:

- a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance
- a concise biography
- approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions

Towards the end of his life and much inspired by Japanese water gardens, Monet spent a great deal of time in his beloved Giverny. Adorned with poppies, blue sage, dahlias and irises, the waters were disturbed only by bamboos and water lilies. His water garden was originally created to satisfy a need to be near water, and to provide a visual feast that could be enjoyed from his house. The pond was fed by the river Ru, and weeping willow and silver birch hung over its edges, caressing the fronds of the greenery and blossoms below. Its famous green wooden footbridge was built across the water and it became the central focus of many of his works. He said, ‘It took me some time to understand my water lilies. I planted them for pleasure.’ and so he began to work on what is probably the most famous series of paintings the world has ever seen.

Master of the sublime. The essential Impressionist

No other artist, apart from J.M.W. Turner, tried as hard as Claude Monet (1840–1926) to capture light itself on canvas. Of all the Impressionists, it was the man Cézanne called “only an eye, but my God what an eye!” who stayed true to the principle of absolute fidelity to the visual sensation, painting directly from the object.

It could be said that Monet reinvented the possibilities of colour. Whether it was through his early interest in Japanese prints, his time as a conscript in the dazzling light of Algeria, or his personal acquaintance with the major painters of the late 19th century, the work Monet produced throughout his long life would change forever the way we perceive both the natural world and its attendant phenomena. The high point of his explorations was the late series of waterlilies, painted in his own garden at Giverny, which, in their approach toward almost total formlessness, are really the origin of abstract art.

This biography does full justice to this most remarkable and profoundly influential artist and offers numerous reproductions and archive photos alongside a detailed and insightful commentary.

The author:

Daniel Wildenstein (1917-2001) was an art historian and member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts (Paris). From 1939 onwards, he was Director of the Wildenstein Galleries of New York, London and Tokyo. He edited several international journals, e.g. the magazine Arts from 1956-1962 and the Gazette des Beaux-Arts after 1963. He co-founded the Foundation Wildenstein in 1970 (it was renamed the Wildenstein Institute in 1984), and was a prime mover in many exhibitions of international repute. Daniel Wildenstein also edited the catalogues raisonnés of various 18th, 19th and 20th-century artists. He was a world authority on Impressionism and published catalogues of the works of Gauguin, Manet and Monet.

About the series:

Bibliotheca Universalis — Compact cultural companions celebrating the eclectic TASCHEN universe at an unbeatable, democratic price!

Since we started our work as cultural archaeologists in 1980, TASCHEN has become synonymous with accessible, open-minded publishing. Bibliotheca Universalis brings together more than 100 of our all-time favourite titles in a neat new format so you can curate your own affordable library of art, anthropology, and aphrodisia.

Bookworm’s delight — never bore, always excite!

Lasting impressions of nature. The most typical and the most individual Impressionist painter

Claude Monet (1840-1926) was the most typical and the most individual Impressionist painter. His long life he dedicated to a pictorial exploration of the sensations which reality, and in particular landscape, offers the human eye.

But while Monet the painter was faithful and persevering in the pursuit of his motifs, his personal life followed a more restless course. Parisian by birth, he discovered plein-air painting as a youth in the provinces, where one of his homes, Argenteuil, has come to represent the artistic flowering and official establishment of Impressionism as a movement, with Monet as its creative leader.

In his endeavor to capture the ever-changing face of reality, Monet went beyond Impressionism and thereby beyond the confines of self-contained panel painting: in Giverny he painted the Poplars, Grain Stacks and Rouen Cathedral series in which he addressed one motif in constantly new variations. Here, too, Monet laid out the famous garden with its water-lily pond which he was to paint on huge canvases well into the 1920s. He thereby sought to render not reality as objectively experienced, but rather that which takes place "between the motif and the artist." In their open, merely tenuously representational structure and impressive scale, Monet’s water lily paintings — created long before the currents of the contemporary avant-garde — point the way to the developments of the future.

About the Series:
Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art Series features:

- a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance
- a concise biography
- approximately 100 colour illustrations with explanatory captions

The author:

Christoph Heinrich studied art history, theater, and German in Vienna and Munich, receiving his doctorate for his work on the changing concept of the monument in contemporary art. Since 1994, he has been employed at the Hamburger Kunsthalle, where he was appointed curator of the Galerie der Gegenwart in 1997. He is the author of numerous writings, and has organzied many exhibits on 20th-century and contemporary art.

Манящая прелесть небольших и тихих провинциальных городков, окутанная величавым духом Франции. Чарующие ароматы цветов и переплетающиеся лабиринты узких переулков. Отправьтесь в увлекательное путешествие по французским провинциям!

A sequel to the highly successful One Hundred and One Beautiful Small Towns in Italy, this book expands the series to include the most enchanting hamlets of France. Gorgeously illustrated as well as informative, One Hundred and One Beautiful Small Towns of France is a journey through the French countryside, a place where the pace slows, locals engage strangers in conversation, and every town has a unique story to tell. Travel between the hilltop towns of the Central Massif and the Pyrenees to rockbound coastal fishing villages in Normandy and Brittany. Breathtaking full-colour photographs create the perfect atmosphere as you discover these unexplored places, and descriptive sidebars offer invaluable information on local curiosities to indulge, unique artisanal products to buy, and age-old culinary specialties to sample. A detailed appendix is the perfect source on where to shop, sightsee, and dine - avec plaisir!

Whether you are an armchair traveler or a Francophile planning another trip, this volume is the guide to the hidden treasures of France that proves once and for all that the heart of this popular travel destination lies in the countryside far from the grandeur and pomp of Paris.

About the Author

Simonetta Greggio was born in Italy, but her passion was always for France. She studied literature in Paris under Milan Kundera and has coauthored numerous lifestyle books, including Provence, Luberon, and La Cote d'Azur.

Клод Моне — художник ясного дня, живописец неба, снега, отраженных в воде облаков, он первый живописец, который написал белым цветом монохромные картины. До самой старости, до поздних изображений пруда с белыми кувшинками он примешивал эту белую краску к чистым тонам, тем самым изгоняя из своей живописи глухой тон сумеречного интерьера.

Turner, Whistler and Monet were all fascinated by the transience of light and how that alone could affect the atmostphere of a painting. They were also highly experimental for their time, rejecting the use of realism in favour of creating the impression of place instead. This is a perfect gift book for any lover of art and co-incides with the Tate exhibition of the same name.