Abbeville Press – serie

The essential guide for the collector of mechanical wristwatches, with complete information on over 1,400 models from 130 international brands.Wristwatch Annual provides an expertly curated overview of the global watch industry, from Swiss mainstays like Rolex and Patek Philippe to the independent producers emerging across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. The book is arranged alphabetically by brand, and the movement, functions, case, band, price, and variations of each pictured watch are fully described.Designed with the collector in mind, Wristwatch Annual features an easy-to-browse layout, as well as QR codes that provide an instant connection to each brand. And, as always, it includes exclusive articles on the most important trends in watchmaking—plus an illustrated glossary and a guide to watch care. Trusted by watch enthusiasts for more than 25 years, Wristwatch Annual remains a unique resource and a true pleasure to browse.

The true story of a secret romance that changed the course of modern art—told in full for the first time.“Tell me who your enemies are, so that I can help you to hate them.” This was a favourite line of the Brazilian sculptor Maria Martins (1894–1973), and likely how she greeted Marcel Duchamp (1887–1968) at their first meeting, at the opening of an exhibition of her work in 1943.The clandestine love affair that burned between these two artists for the remainder of the decade was fuelled not only by romantic passion but also by a deep appreciation of each other’s work. Some of the greatest of Martins’s Surrealist sculptures were inspired by her relationship with Duchamp—including Impossible, whose title perhaps refers to their situation. (Martins was married to the Brazilian ambassador to the United States.) And it was during their affair that Duchamp—widely believed to have “retired” from art—secretly began his astonishing final work, which would be revealed only after his death. This work, the sculptural tableau Étant donnés, was heavily influenced by Martins: it takes formal cues from her work, and it was she who modelled for the startlingly realistic nude at its centre. This surprising story—highly readable yet meticulously researched, and abundantly illustrated with artworks and archival images—will affirm the importance of Maria Martins’s tropically inflected Surrealism and challenge the perception of Duchamp as a purely cool and cerebral artist.

“Fascinating and lucid . . . a stunningly illustrated and illuminating life of a singular painter.” — Sue Roe, Wall Street Journal“Not just another art history book, no title in recent memory recalls with such exactitude the style of an era that, in retrospect, has become increasingly golden. . . . The book and its prose shimmer.” — New York Times“Never before have Sargent’s talents been so gloriously displayed as they are here. Quite simply, this Abbeville edition is a stunner, a book as satisfyingly extravagant as a Sargent portrait.” — Christian Science Monitor“The spontaneity, elegance, and grace that characterize Sargent’s work are everywhere evident on these large, luminous pages. . . . A visual delight, well written.” — Art and AntiquesThe classic monograph on a much-loved artist—reissued in a spectacular oversize formatIn the early work of John Singer Sargent (1856–1925), Henry James saw “the slightly ‘uncanny’ spectacle of a talent which on the threshold of its career has nothing more to learn.” Sargent’s talent, nay, genius was indeed uncanny, sustained with equal intensity through his famed society portraits, like the scandalous Madame X; his full-size showpieces, like The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit; his thousands of watercolours executed en plein air from Venice to Corfu to Maine to Montana; and his ambitious mural decorations for the public monuments of Boston. In Carter Ratcliff, Sargent has found a biographer and critic nearly his match in style and subtlety. Ratcliff expertly evokes the expatriate American milieu into which the artist was born, and offers penetrating insights into every phase of his career, every aspect of his work. Now, for the first time, this landmark monograph is offered in a special oversize format, with all of its 310 illustrations reproduced in stunning full colour, many at full-page size, allowing the reader to appreciate the master’s every brushstroke. This new edition of John Singer Sargent will be a treasured reference for artists and an unalloyed delight for art lovers.

Savour the changing seasons with this beautifully illustrated collection of classic haiku.Perhaps no poetic form evokes nature so effectively as the haiku. Made up of just 17 syllables, it conveys an impression with almost the same immediacy as our own senses—it can be as ephemeral as a breath and as powerful as lightning.This delightful volume presents some 140 haiku by masters of every period—including Basho, Buson, Issa, and Shiki—arranged according to the kigo (or word linked to a particular season) that each haiku traditionally contains. Each poem is presented three ways, for the fullest possible enjoyment: in its original Japanese characters, in Japanese transliterated to Latin characters, and in an English translation. Original artwork by the contemporary Japanese illustrator Kaori Yamaguchi adorns this contemplative journey from the first buds of spring to the falling snow of winter.Bound in the traditional Japanese style and housed in a handsome slipcase, Haiku: Japanese Poems for the Four Seasons will be the perfect gift for anyone who loves poetry, Japanese culture, or the natural world.Text in English and Japanese.

Tea, in all its varieties, offers just as much subtlety and complexity as fine wine, and in many countries around the globe, the tea service is one of the highest expressions of culture. Tea Sommelier will provide the knowledge and practical tips you need to feel at home in the world of tea, in 160 easy lessons. No matter how much time you have - ten minutes or an hour - this book will always teach you something new and interesting about tea. Topics include the varieties of tea and where they are grown, how to select and prepare tea, how to taste and serve it, how to pair tea with food, and how to cook with tea. Stylish illustrations on every page add extra enjoyment to the process of becoming a true tea sommelier.

The Light's Way is artist Judy Pelikan's wonderful companion to The Heart's Journey. In twelve original illustrations, Pelikan reveals the life-giving force of light by relating sunlight to color: without sunlight, our natural world is gray, consisting only of patterns, shapes, shadows, and at times, shadows. At the same time, The Light's Way shows how the nurturing inner light of the spirit has the power to make our lives colourful and blessed with happiness. The Light's Way is an inspirational lesson that urges us, or someone we care about, to choose light and bring colour, physically or emotionally, into the world.

Antonio Gaudí (1852-1926) is one of the most admired architects of the 20th century. Even today, some 75 years after Gaudí's death, his fanciful, exuberant buildings define Barcelona's cityscape and continue to influence architects, sculptors, and designers. Perhaps best known for the dynamic, sculptural facades, found on such buildings as the church of the Sagrada Familia and Casa Milà, Gaudí is as much respected as a technological innovator as a daring stylist.In this enlightening volume, a concise, knowledgeable text by the director of the Royal Gaudí Chair at the Polytechnical University of Catalonia (Barcelona) combines with striking images by a well-known architectural photographer to provide a new perspective on Gaudí's remarkable career. The text covers the full range of his oeuvre, describing early assignments in the 1870s as a draftsman for leading architects in Barcelona, the innovative buildings he created for the Güell Palace and Estate, daring new structural solutions at Bellesguard, architecture inspired by nature at the Casa Calvet and in the Park Güell, and the construction of his unfinished masterpiece, the Church of the Sagrada Familia, which occupied him until his death. The author traces all the influences that led to his definitive style, from his fascination with the Orient and neogothicism to his affinity for naturalism and specific geometric forms.Brilliantly illustrated, this incisive overview of Gaudí's visionary work is ideal for those who delight in his architecture as well as those who look forward to travelling to Spain to see his monumental legacy.

In this refreshing new study, Wright scholar Kathryn Smith does just that, exploring the grace and beauty found in all facets of Frank Lloyd Wright's work: from office desks and chairs to his first residential commissions, from magazine cover designs to major public buildings. The concise text and brilliant colour photographs chart Wright's entire career, beginning with his apprenticeship to Adler and Sullivan before the turn of the century. Readers witness the Prairie period, Wright's years in Japan and California, his major designs of the late 1920s and 1930s, his Usonian houses, and the monumental late works of his last decades. Smith shows examples of Wright's drawings, furniture, and decorative arts, too, supplementing our understanding of Wright's aesthetic. The book concludes with a glimpse at the architect's seldom-seen collection of Asian art, which once comprised tens of thousands of pieces - a source of much inspiration and edification for the architect and his students, and a key to understanding Wright's views on art and nature.Here is a broad portrait of the master builder who sought the title "greatest architect of all time." Although it may never be possible to fully assess Wright's legacy, Kathryn Smith's authoritative book is a fitting testament to his lasting genius.

In Moscow at the height of the 1936 Stalinist purges, Grisha Shwartzman discovers on Rosh Hashanah—the Jewish New Year and Day of Judgment—that he is in danger of liquidation by the secret police he serves. In 1942, Yechiel Katzman finds himself on a train of imprisoned Jews as it leaves the Warsaw ghetto on Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement—for "resettlement in the East." Stalin and Hitler decree certain death, but in the course of their experiences Grisha and Yechiel discover Jewish fates. Through memory, both men gain community, dignity, and the awareness of sanctity, Grisha's "Soviet" Rosh Hashanah and Yechiel's "Nazi" Yom Kippur are truly "Days of Awe."

With unprecedented access to personal letters, private family diaries, and the Frick archives at the Frick Collection in New York City and at family residences in Pittsburgh, Martha Frick Symington Sanger has written a unique and penetrating account of the life and times of Henry Clay Frick and his family. In addition, the author explains in this meticulously researched book the reason why Frick and his daughter Helen selected the paintings, sculpture, and other items that are included in the collection. Since 1935 the magnificent art treasures of the Frick Collections have been open to the public in the New York City mansion that the family occupied. This book will enrich any visitor's experience of the Frick Collection in a way that had not been possible in previous books. The intriguing topics covered here include Frick's complex relationship with Andrew Carnegie and with other well-known business magnates; his harsh personal life darkened by the deaths of a younger daughter and infant son; and a sensitive portrayal of his daughter Helen, who was a Frick Collection trustee and chairman of the Art Acquisitions Committee after her father's death. Illustrating this book are 370 pictures ranging from paintings and sculpture in the Frick Collection to family portraits and historical images. This biography of a key figure in the development of American industry will appeal to both art history lovers and to historians, offering a singular and compelling reading and visual experience.

The first volume in Allen Hoffman's critically acclaimed series, Small Worlds takes place in 1903 and introduces the wondrous rebbe of Krimsk—a small Hasidic settlement in Eastern Europe. Secluded in his study for the past five years, the beloved rebbe suddenly emerges on the eve of Tisha B'Av, the holiday for commemorating the destruction of the holy temple in Jerusalem. His congregants are overjoyed to see him, but their joy is to be short-lived, for this holiday at the dawn of the twentieth century will be marked by strange and momentous events that will change their lives forever.Small Worlds is the first in a series of novels concerning the people of Krimsk and their descendants in America, Poland, Russia, and Israel. In each volume Allen Hoffman draws on his deep knowledge of Jewish religion and history to evoke the "small worlds" his characters inhabit.Echoes of Jewish literary tradition can be heard in Small Worlds, especially the mystical realism of Isaac Bashevis Singer and the poignant humor of Sholom Aleichem, on whose tales Fiddler on the Roof is based.

In Saint Louis, it is the summer of 1920 and the day is the Sabbath, but there is little rest for the Jews from Krimsk and less reverence for the wondrous Krimsker Rebbe, who led them to the New World seventeen years before. The rebbe's former hasidim have embraced America to discover that the vision of "gold in the streets" evokes larceny in the heart. Matti Sternweiss, the ungainly, studious child wonder in Krimsk, now the cerebral catcher for the St. Louis Browns, is scheming to fix Saturday's game against the pennant-contending Detroit Tigers.It is an American Sabbath: Prohibition, bookies, the criminal syndicate, the Hiberian fellowship of the police brass, hometown blondes, a bootlegging rabbi, and big league baseball. It is also Krimsk in America: Boruch Levi, the successful junkman, confiscates his zany, crippled brother-in-law Barasch's sizable bets; Barasch's lusty wife, Malka, has her own connubial reasons for wanting to stop the gambling; the chief of police fatefully inspires his loyal disciple, Boruch Levi, to bring Matti before the Krimsker Rebbe on the Sabbath in order to preserve the purity of the national pastime.Recluse and wonder-worker, messianist and pragmatist, the Krimsker Rebbe navigates the muddy Mississippi River, haunted by a recurring prophetic vision of Pharaoh's blood-red Nile. In the final, decisive innings, with Matti crouched behind home plate, it will come down to Ty Cobb versus the kabbalah.Richly imagined, populated with robust, complex characters, Big League Dreams is a profoundly original, inspiring, and comic creation. It is the second volume in the series Small Worlds, which follows the people of Krimsk and their descendants in America, Russia, Poland, and Israel. In each volume Allen Hoffman draws on his deep knowledge of Jewish religion and history to evoke the finite yet infinite "small worlds" his characters inhabit.

It is Rosh Hashanah — the Jewish New Year and Day of Judgment — in Moscow during the Stalinist purges of 1936. In the Lubyanka secret police prison, senior investigator Grisha Shwartzman masterfully pursues the rigorous logic and obsessive legalism of the Soviet witch-hunt. Facing an extraordinary prisoner, Grisha realizes that the Soviet system he has faithfully served is murderously corrupt and that he himself will be the next victim — but not an innocent one. In despair, he flees to his home, where his deranged wife and an unexpected Rosh Hashanah letter from his father-in-law, the enigmatic Krimsker Rebbe in America, await him. The Day of Judgment proves to be a startling experience as Grisha, the once idealistic radical, judges himself, accepts his responsibilities, and is guided to sublime passion and possible redemption by his mad wife, who for twenty years has been patiently awaiting him in a closed wardrobe.In 1942 a train of imprisoned Jews leaves the Warsaw ghetto for "resettlement in the East." It is Yom Kippur — the Day of Atonement and the holiest day of the Jewish year. In a crowded cattle car stands a lonely, defeated individual who is ashamed that he cannot even remember his own name. During the tortuous journey Yechiel Katzman will overhear a talmudic debate and meet a dull-witted giant who turns out to be none other than Itzik Dribble, also from Krimsk. As they arrive in the death camp of Treblinka, Yechiel remembers not only his name but also the Krimsker Rebbe's prophetic curse that exiled him from Krimsk forty years earlier. Yet as death approaches, that curse will prove a blessing.Stalin and Hitler decree certain death, but Grisha and Yechiel discover Jewish fates. The devil incites loneliness, degradation, despair, and even complicity; through memory, the victims elicit community, dignity, and the awareness of sanctity. Grisha's "Soviet" Rosh Hashanah and Yechiel's "Nazi" Yom Kippur are truly "Days of Awe." Even when death is certain, life can be lived.

This captivating collection of stories by Allen Hoffman, award winning author of the critically acclaimed Small Worlds series are deeply felt explorations into the Jewish mind and world—stories in the tradition of Isaac Bashevis Singer. At the same time, illuminated by compassion and humour, they transcend cultural boundaries and provide fascinating studies in the universal human experience. Kagan the compulsive gambler, Bluma the old beggar woman, Hymie the well-to-do arsonist, and Maxie the juggling uncle are but a few of the comic and sympathetic characters of Hoffman's title novella and four short stories that celebrate the human experience. Hoffman loves and integrates two worlds, the modern secular and the timeless traditional. Kagan's Superfecta is a dazzling, inspirational performance.

Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me - I'm the Gingerbread Man! is the infectious refrain that this legendary character taunts at his hungry pursuers through this classic, playful romp. In the end it is the sly fox who knows a better way to get a bite of this runaway afternoon snack.

As the basic building block of the human environment, the house has served as an inexhaustible playground where architects experiment with theories, styles, forms, and materials. Arguably, the best and most innovative residential architecture has been conceived and realised over the past 100 years — from the cantileveral serenity of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater to the spectacular Chemosphere, which resembles a UFO that has planted its landing gear in the Hollywood Hills. This book, the first to chronicle the development of the modern house, examines major shifts in international domestic design over the past century as it highlights a superb selection of extraordinary homes.Author Richard Weston engagingly tells the story of the twentieth-century house through eight semi-chronological design themes. From the Arts and Crafts period to the present, he covers a wide range of homes exemplifying each period and presents more than 100 benchmark dwellings with detailed architectural drawings. Weston also addresses the fascinating ways in which domestic design has both reflected and influenced the changing social climates and lifestyles of the past century, making this a book that will appeal to anthropologists, as well as architects, designers, and homeowners.

The 72 images of the World Trade Center presented in this book depict a New York we once knew, one we are now working to rebuild. For more than two decades, practically since the Twin Towers were erected, Sonja Bullaty and Angelo Lomeo have been photographing these awesome buildings. The pictures featured here portray the WTC from all directions, starting with views from the east at dawn, and ending with evening views from the west. There are captivating panoramas from Brooklyn, Lower Manhattan, New Jersey, and uptown, taken in all seasons, as well as a section showing the grand Plaza at the centre of the buildings. Together, they create an unforgettable portrait of the Twin Towers.Introducing this extraordinary collection of photographs, Paul Goldberger's text evokes the Towers and the city they came to symbolize. He recalls how they evolved in the public mind, targets of criticism to beloved American icons. He explains their architectural significance and explores their visceral meaning to New Yorkers. In contrast to books depicting the disaster and the days following it, this photographic memoir will be welcomed by all of us - New Yorkers and visitors alike - who yearn to remember the way the city was.A portion of the book's proceeds are donated to the Twin Towers Scholarship Program care of Scholarship America.

In this new book by the authors of Pacific Legacy: Image and Memory of World War II in the Pacific, the history of the War in the Pacific comes vividly to life in the words of those who witnessed it first-hand. The editors create for the reader, as the veterans themselves recall it, what that war was like - how it looked, felt, smelled, and sounded. The stories collected here are a unique portrayal of the mundane, exotic, boring, terrifying, life-altering events that made up their wartime experiences in World War II in the Pacific, a war fought on countless far-flung islands over an area that constitutes about one-third of the globe. What the veterans saw and lived through has stayed with them their entire lives, and much of it comes to the surface again through their vivid memories. This is an important book for military buffs as well as for the survivors of World War II and their families. The narratives, grouped into 15 thematic, chronologically arranged chapters, are stirring, first-hand accounts, from front-line combat at the epicentre of violence and death to restless, weary boredom on rear area islands thousands of miles from the fighting. While their experiences differed, all were changed by what happened to them in the Pacific. These are not the stories of sweeping strategies or bold moves by generals and admirals. Instead, we hear from men and women on the lower rungs, including ordinary seamen on vessels that encountered Japanese warships and planes and sometimes came out second best, rank-and-file Marines who were in amtracs churning toward bullet-swept tropical beaches and saw their buddies killed beside them, and astounded eyewitnesses to the war's sudden start on December 7, 1941.

This unsurpassed survey offers a fresh chronicle of a largely overlooked subject and hundreds of marvellous images, many of them newly photographed, of more than 150 of the most interesting and best preserved monasteries in Spain, Portugal, France, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Italy - all of which are accessible to visitors. Here are unique views of the art and architecture of such treasured places as Mont St. Michel, a wondrous Benedictine sanctuary off the coast of Brittany, and the fabled pilgrimage site in Assisi founded by St. Francis.In an insightful text the author describes the cultural heritage of each of the monasteries portrayed and provides an introduction to monasticism and to the various orders dating from the early Christian era to the present. In addition, the volume offers plans of the sites, a glossary, and a bibliography. Historians and collectors of great books of art history will be intrigued by this unsurpassed collection of photographs and fascinating account of the artistic glory of European monasteries.

For more than three decades, Wang Wusheng has been captivated by the beauty of Mount Huangshan, also known as the Yellow Mountains. Located in the southern part of the Anhui province in northern China, Mount Huangshan has often been described as the world's most beautiful and enchanting mountain. Over the centuries this mountain with its 72 peaks has been the subject of Chinese landscape painters, whose singular works are so haunting it seems impossible that these mountains exist in nature. Inspired by the legacy of these paintings, Wang Wusheng has sought to portray this scenic wonder. As shown in the collection of 90 photographs in this extraordinary volume, here are mist-shrouded, granite peaks emerging from an ever-changing veil of clouds, sculptural craggy rocks on lofty cliffs, and weathered, oddly-shaped pine trees, depicted in all seasons and at various times of day. Wang Wusheng's images are so exceptional that they look like paintings.Accompanying the photographs are two fascinating essays about the art history and natural history of the Yellow Mountains. Art historian Wu Hung provides an eloquent, comprehensive survey of the region's artistic, literary, and photographic tradition, relating how Wang Wusheng's work is an important part of this notable legacy.In a second essay, Damian Harper presents an authoritative account of the geology, geography, and natural history of this legendary place. In addition, there is an introduction by the Japanese critic Seigo Matsuoka, who contributes an insightful appraisal of Wang Wusheng's work.

Written Chinese can call upon about 40,000 characters, many of which originated some 6,000 years ago as little pictures of everyday objects used by the ancients to communicate with one another. To convey more abstract ideas or concepts, the Chinese stylised and combined their pictographs. For instance, the character for'man" - a straight back above two strong legs - becomes, with the addition of a head and shoulders and arms held sternly akimbo, the character for "official".This book, modelled after a classic compilation of the Chinese language done in the 18th century, introduces readers to the 214 root pictographs or symbols upon which this writing system, whose rich complexities hold a wealth of cultural meaning, is based. These key characters, called radicals, are all delightfully presented in this volume, with their graphic development traced stage-by-stage to the present representation, where even now (in many of them) one can easily make out what was originally pictured-with the author's guidance. Centuries ago, when the Japanese took up writing, they also adopted these symbols, though they gave them different names in their own spoken language.Each of the 214 classic radicals is charmingly explored by the author, both for its etymology and for what it reveals about Chinese history and culture. Chinese characters are marvels of graphic design, and this book even shows the proper way to write each radical, stroke by stroke. Finally, there are also samples of each radical combined with other radicals and character elements to demonstrate how new characters are formed-some 8,000 have been added to the language since the 18th century. With all its expertly executed calligraphic illustrations and fascinating commentary, this book serves as an excellent introduction to Chinese writing and its milieu.

In his fascinating survey, art historian Omar Calabrese reveals that self-portraits through the ages are both a reflection of the artist and of the period in which the artist lived. Organised thematically, the author first presents a basic definition of the genre of the self-portrait, interpreting the picture to be a manifestation of self-identity, and including examples from an Egyptian tomb painting and pictures on stained glass during the Middle Ages and continuing to modern times. The next chapter focuses on the turning point for the establishment of the genre during the Renaissance when the status of the painter or sculptor was raised from artisan to artist and, as a result, portraits of the artist were considered worthwhile pictures. At first a self-portrait was hidden in a narrative painting: an artist would paint his image as part of a crowd scene, for example, or as a mythological figure. On the other extreme, once the genre was accepted, it was practiced by some artists-Rembrandt, van Gogh, Munch, and Dali, for instance-as almost an obsession. In contemporary art the self-portrait can become a deconstructed genre with the artist hiding or satirising himself until he nearly disappears on the canvas. Among the 300 pictures featured here are examples by such artists as Albrecht Dürer, Velázquez, Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, Ingres, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Gainsborough, Matisse, James Ensor, Egon Schiele, Frida Kahlo, Man Ray, Henry Moore, Robert Rauschenberg, Norman Rockwell, and Roy Lichtenstein. This intriguing book is a fresh way to appreciate the history of art and to understand that a self-portrait is far more complex and meaningful than merely a portrait of the artist.

Both Cuba and the United States have strict rules governing photographic activity in Cuba. The U.S. carefully delineates what kinds of photographic undertakings are forbidden, while Cuba has, in the past, imprisoned photographers for giving a "distorted image of Cuban reality." Nevertheless, photographer Robert A. McCabe managed to satisfy the many regulations, and spent four eventful days in Havana, taking pictures of a people rarely seen by the rest of the world.Weekend in Havana celebrates Havana’s citizens in a compilation of moving and thought-provoking photographs, 97 in total and all in full colour. From images of buildings which combine classical influences with splashes of vibrant colour to intimate portraits of the people, the book’s presentation of Havana is fresh and realistic. The reader will meet a range of closely observed personalities, such as a policeman patrolling in a shabby police car, an expression of boredom and frustration flitting across his face; women young and old labelling bottles of rum in a factory; and children in both the red school uniforms of the Communist regime and in everyday American clothing. Introductions by Robert A. McCabe and Andrew Szegedy-Maszak, who has published widely on the history of photography, cover such topics as the difficulties facing photographers in Cuba, the differences between popular conceptions of Cuba and its reality, and the poverty, politics, and flux between old and new which mark Havana today. Weekend in Havana is a trilingual edition featuring English, Spanish, and Greek, making the book uniquely accessible.

Both Cuba and the United States have strict rules governing photographic activity in Cuba. The U.S. carefully delineates what kinds of photographic undertakings are forbidden, while Cuba has, in the past, imprisoned photographers for giving a "distorted image of Cuban reality." Nevertheless, photographer Robert A. McCabe managed to satisfy the many regulations, and spent four eventful days in Havana, taking pictures of a people rarely seen by the rest of the world.Weekend in Havana celebrates Havana’s citizens in a compilation of moving and thought-provoking photographs, 97 in total and all in full colour. From images of buildings which combine classical influences with splashes of vibrant color to intimate portraits of the people, the book’s presentation of Havana is fresh and realistic. The reader will meet a range of closely observed personalities, such as a policeman patrolling in a shabby police car, an expression of boredom and frustration flitting across his face; women young and old labeling bottles of rum in a factory; and children in both the red school uniforms of the Communist regime and in everyday American clothing. Introductions by Robert A. McCabe and Andrew Szegedy-Maszak, who has published widely on the history of photography, cover such topics as the difficulties facing photographers in Cuba, the differences between popular conceptions of Cuba and its reality, and the poverty, politics, and flux between old and new which mark Havana today. Weekend in Havana is a trilingual edition featuring English, Spanish, and Greek, making the book uniquely accessible.

In one unique volume, Arison ushers readers from Auvers to Arles, Giverny to Mont Sainte- Victoire, in her quest to rediscover the lives, dwellings, and paintings of the Impressionists.In 2000, deeply shaken by her husband's recent death, author and world traveller Lin Arison took a trip through France with her granddaughter Sarah. Though Arison was in mourning, and Sarah was initially sceptical about art, the two surprised themselves by discovering renewed joy in the work of the Impressionists and the settings that inspired them. In the years that followed, Arison's personal odyssey became an extraordinary collaboration with photographer Neil Folberg, a collaboration culminating in "Travels with Van Gogh and the Impressionists: Discovering the Connections." In one unique volume, Arison ushers readers from Auvers to Arles, Giverny to Mont Sainte- Victoire, in her quest to rediscover the lives, dwellings, and paintings of the Impressionists. En route, she debunks long-held myths about Van Gogh and Berthe Morisot, befriends twenty-first-century descendants of some of the masters, and finds inspiration in the Impressionists' mutually supportive relationships. Gracefully blending memoir, travelogue, art history, and biography, Arison's intimate narrative brings new insight to our understanding of these artists and their legacy. Interspersed with Arison's text, and with handsome reproductions of the original masterpieces, Neil Folberg's photographs capture the central spirit of the Impressionists' work and reapply that spirit to contemporary subjects and settings. Following an intuitive sensibility that never misses its mark, Folberg deploys each artist's individual vision to new and striking ends, undergoing an artistic transformation of his own in the process. Together, Arison's words and Folberg's images explore the enduring impact of France's great late nineteenth-century painters, and the ways in which their revolutionary visions of their own world still impart great meaning and beauty to ours.

A dedicated collector and advocate of contemporary art since the late 1940s, Giuseppe Panza has played a fundamental role in the artistic culture of his time, introducing American phenomena such as Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, Pop Art, Environmental Art, and Conceptualism to the museums of Europe. Now, in a brilliant response to everyone's primary question about Modern Art - 'What does it mean?' Panza shares philosophical insights and personal reflections that bridge a half-century of discovering new artists and movements.Panza was among the first to buy the works of Rothko, Kline, Lichtenstein, and many of the other major figures of post-WWII art, watching as their works skyrocketed in monetary value as well as historic importance. He pursued collecting with undiminished enthusiasm through the 1980s and 1990s, all the while searching for the best venues in which to display his latest acquisitions. Sections of his private collection were exhibited by and acquired into major collections, particularly the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and the Guggenheim in New York. Among his signature innovations was the juxtaposition of contemporary art with historic settings - Baroque palaces, ancient European public buildings, his own eighteenth-century villa - in order to create unexpected and stimulating dialogues between the architectural context and the work of art.Complete with 110 full-colour illustrations, spanning decades of transformation in art and world culture, Giuseppe Panza: Memories of a Collector provides a unique glimpse into the movements and trends that have defined modern art. It is also the fascinating life story of a man who helped define the trends themselves, through passion, insight, and prophetic taste.

The Indian subcontinent, home to one-sixth of the global population, is a vastly diverse, naturally vibrant, and culturally rich region of the world. Award-winning author-photographer Clive Limpkin travelled extensively thoughout India to capture this vast and populous nation, and the photographic legacy of his journeys is impressively far-reaching, both in geographic scope and subject. His thematic approach to photography is complemented by thoughtful essays on alphabetically arranged subjects. From "Army" and "Astrology" to "Yoga" and "Zebu", India Exposed: The Subcontinent A-Z brilliantly illuminates the culture, natural life, and regional variety of India. Limpkin's photographs and essays invite his reader to learn about the issues and trends facing India today. Limpkin's photo of a woman bent over, sweeping her front yard while her husband looks on, addresses the issue of gender roles, while the haunting faces of India's untouchables remind readers of the legacy of the caste system. As diverse as the country it portrays India Exposed is a comprehensive photograph tribute to the second-largest nation in the world. India Exposed is more than just a photography book. Through poignant essays full of exciting personal anecdotes, the author takes readers along on his numerous Indian adventures. This photograph voyage exposes India, home to overcrowded cities and luscious wildlife reserves, in the 21st century.

Over the centuries, until quite recently, the work of great women artists had been ignored, forgotten, or denied; they had been largely left out of museums and histories of art. Along came Wilhelmina Cole Holliday, who boldly decided it was time to rectify this oversight by founding a museum in 1987 in a landmark building near the White House. A critic for the Washington Postwrote, “Wilhelmina Cole Holladay, the museum’s founding president, has accomplished something radical. No player in the art scene here has a deeper understanding of power and money and of how our system works. Despite her white-glove graciousness, hard-working Billie Holladay is a warrior and a winner…”This thrilling story of the birth and early years of the NMWA is a lively, anecdotal, behind-the-scenes, eyewitness glimpse of the efforts of dedicated individuals who shared Mrs. Holladay’s vision and, under her leadership, helped her expand the permanent collection, organise outstanding exhibitions, renovate the Museum, and fund a robust endowment. Moreover, NMWA now boasts a growing membership—among the top ten museums in the world—with active, vocal committees all across the nation and in many countries. Illustrating the text are 130 colour pictures, which include works from the collection and from exhibitions, as well as 40 archival photographs of landmark events that led to the Museum’s impressive growth.

For four decades film historian Ira M. Resnick has been amassing a superb collection of 2,000 vintage movie posters and 1,500 stills, which has never before been published. Starstruck: Vintage Movie Posters from Classic Hollywood features the best of Resnick’s collection, with vivid reproductions of 250 posters and forty stills from the golden age of Hollywood, 1912 to 1962. In a moving introduction, Resnick relates how his love of vintage movie art translated into a career as a collector and the founder of the Motion Picture Arts Gallery, the first gallery devoted exclusively to the art of the movies. Resnick’s first-hand account offers entertaining anecdotes about how he managed to acquire such stellar film artwork, as well as historical information about the stars and films shown on the pieces he collected.Guiding the reader through the best posters and stills of his collection, Resnick provides a tour of cinematic history, starting in the silent film era and continuing up to Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). By showcasing several posters for each performer—such as Lillian Gish, the Marx Brothers, Marilyn Monroe, John Barrymore, and Audrey Hepburn—Resnick offers a unique method of charting the evolution of each movie star’s career. Organising his account both chronologically and thematically, in later chapters Resnick discusses some of Hollywood’s legendary directors and films, and critiques fantastic graphic art from little-known films. Bonus material includes a list of Resnick’s fifty favourite one-sheets, helpful tips for the collector, and a glossary of terms and poster sizes.A must-have book for every collector and film buff, Starstruck offers a beautifully illustrated, personal tour of a bygone age of the motion picture advertising industry.