GENERAL ART BOOKS
But is It Art?: An Introduction to Art Theory
In today's art world many strange, even shocking, things qualify as art. In this book, Cynthia Freeland explains why innovation and controversy are valued in the arts, weaving together philosophy and art theory with many fascinating examples. She discusses blood, beauty, culture, money, museums, sex, and politics, clarifying contemporary and historical accounts of the nature, function, and interpretation of the arts. Freeland also propels us into the future by surveying cutting-edge web sites, along with the latest research on the brain's role in perceiving art. This clear, provocative book engages with the big debates surrounding our responses to art and is an invaluable introduction to anyone interested in thinking about art.
Night of the Tiki: The Art of Shag, Schmaltz and Selected Primitive Oceanic Carvings
Finally a book about tiki that is both entertaining, informative, and visually stunning. It approaches tiki from several different viewpoints, putting them all into perspective: the lounge-hipster scene, Art, Anthropology, etc. The author is able to pull this off becuase he is a Cultural Anthropologist and a major player in the "New Brow" art scene as an owner of one of the most important LA area galleries in this catagory.
Fantastic Art
This book brings together a colorful mixture of various works focusing on themes of the fantastic and surreal, starting with Bocklin's "Toteninsel" and including Dorothea Tanning, Max Ernst, Hans Bellmer's dolls, the Australian painter Sidney Nolan, Giger's monsters, Cattelan's pope, and the Chapman brothers' hybrids, as well as surreal painting from Magritte and Delvaux, the mystical and sensual work of Gustav Klimt, and Frida Kahlo's dreamlike self-portraits. Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Art movement and genre series includes a detailed introduction with approximately 30 photographs, plus a timeline of the most important events (political, cultural, scientific, sporting, etc.) that took place during the time period. The body of the book contains 35 of the most important works of the epoch; each is presented on a 2-page spread with a full page image and, on the facing page, a description/interpretation of the work, portrait of the artist, and biographical information.
The 20th-Century Art Book
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. This new mini edition has all the visual energy and compelling insights of the original but in a light and highly portable format, making it ideal both for dipping into and for using as a serious sourcebook. 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 placed 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 view to the public. Ideal for those approaching the subject for the first time, it is a fun and unintimidating look at the ever-expanding boundaries of art.
The American Art Book
This text presents an overview of the most influential and best-loved American artists and their works. It covers three centuries, ranging from Puritan portraits and the American Impressionists through to the videos and digital works of today's conceptual artists. The book is shown in an A-Z format, and seeks to encourage readers to contemplate the connections between art, American history and popular culture. Each artist is represented by a colour plate of a significant work, accompanied by text placing the artist in the context of contemporary movements and preceding traditions. The book also includes a glossary of artistic terms and movements, and a directory of museums and public collections across the United States and abroad with holdings of American art.
Minimal Art
Each book in Taschen's Basic Art movement and genre series includes a detailed introduction with approximately 30 photographs, plus a timeline of the most important events (political, cultural, scientific, sporting, etc.) that took place during the time period. The body of the book contains a selection of the most important works of the epoch; each is presented on a 2-page spread with a full page image and, on the facing page, a description/interpretation of the work, portrait of the artist, and biographical information.
Aboriginal Art
Aboriginal artists today practise in one of the world's longest continuous tradition of art - and perhaps the last to be generally recognised. Widely sought after, aboriginal art has now taken its place in the cozlections of leading museums and galleries. This concise survey looks at the work of Australia's indigenous visual artists from all parts of the continent. Building on traditions that stretch back at least 50,000 years, many of the artists have worked in a variety of contexts, from the sacred and secret realm of ceremony to more public spheres, and in media including painting, sculpture, engraving, constructions, weaving and - most recently - photography, printmaking and textile design.
500 Figures in Clay: Ceramic Artists Celebrate the Human Form
Presents some of the best figurative studies created by more than 250 contemporary ceramists from around the world, spanning a multitude of artistic styles, from realistic to abstract, representational to surreal, and starkly minimalist to flamboyantly narrative.
Pop Art
Pop artists of the 1960s, heralded by the Great Andy Warhol, commented on everything from mainstream media to consumer society to advertising to product packaging with colorful and often comical works. Pop Art's profound influence on contemporary art and culture remains prominent today. Nowhere else can you find so much Pop Art in such a compact, stylish book!
Conceptual Art: Brilliant Concepts
This guide to conceptual art traces the issues and concerns of the first generation of artists involved in the foundation of the movement, with an essay exploring the historical basis of conceptual art, its relationship to the dominant aesthetics of the 1960s, namely the modernist theory of Clement Greenberg and his disciples, and the influence of conceptual art on today's art and cultural climate. Artists featured is presented on a 2-page spread with a full-page image and, on the facing page, a description/interpretation of the work, a reference work, portrait of the artist, quotes, and biographical information.
Video Art
The immediacy and accessibility of video makes it an ideal medium for artists who want to work with sound and moving image; no sooner than video cameras were available to the public in the 1970s were artists already beginning to experiment with the possibilities of video. Though it took decades for it to be widely embraced by mainstream art, video is now firmly accepted as an important medium, thanks to the work of artists such as Matthew Barney, Bruce Nauman, Bill Viola, and Gillian Wearing. In TASCHEN's "Basic Art" movement and genre series, each book includes a detailed introduction with approximately 30 photographs, plus a timeline of the most important events (political, cultural, scientific, sporting, etc.) that took place during the time period. The body of the book contains a selection of the most important works of the epoch; each is presented on a 2-page spread with a full-page image and, on the facing page, a description/interpretation of the work, a reference work, portrait of the artist, quotes, and biographical information.
Art Now
Packed into a pocket-sized book is a concise selection of art from the last two decades of the 20th century, culled from the Taschen title "Art at the Turn of the Millennium." Two pages, with illustrations and biographical/bibliographical information, are devoted to each artist.