Arts: A Seasonal Roundup

Seventeen not-to-be-missed coffee-table confections

By Mirela Roncevic -- Library Journal, 2/1/2007

There is no season like the fall season when it comes to the opulent world of illustrated books. Around the time most of LJ's editors return from their hard-earned summer vacations, art books start invading our already overflowing shelves. This invasion lasts well into the holiday season, when we are finally able to take a breather and reflect on what we might have missed. Here we present 17 titles (in four broad categories) that didn't get covered in LJ at the time they were released but are definitely worth a look, both because you purchase such books for your library and because you love perusing them as much as we do.

To many, the horse represents an unparalleled combination of strength and beauty. It is no surprise, then, that throughout the centuries it has remained at the center of artistic expression. This updated and expanded edition of an out-of-print 1980 book from the New York Graphic Society celebrates the horse in all media: watercolor, oil, sculpture, and more.

This wide-ranging survey of the Arts and Crafts movement, which was at its peak between 1880 and 1910, features its impact on fine arts, decorative arts, architecture, and more. International in scope, the heavily illustrated book highlights the work of such notables as William Morris, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Philip Web, and others.

When the now-infamous photographs revealing abuse of prisoners by U.S. military at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad were released in 2003, the world watched in disbelief. Respected Colombian artist Botero didn't just watch; he reacted by creating a series of paintings and drawings that reconstructed what happened. Collected here for the first time, these artworks do everything but leave you indifferent.

Finally, a proper homage to an integral part of American culture! Published in conjuction with the Library of Congress's recent exhibition of original art from the collection of cartoonist J. Arthur Wood Jr., this extraordinary book celebrates 250 years of American comics art. Featuring the work of such greats as Thomas Nast and Winsor McCay and essays by such luminaries as Art Spiegelman and John Updike, it is not just a survey of an American art form but also, as stated in the preface, a chronicle of our collective memory.

German-born artist Albers (1888–1976) is widely perceived as an artist who "blurred distinctions between fine and applied art." But his teaching techniques and fervent desire to open his students' eyes are also legendary. Horowitz, a former student of Albers, and Danilowitz, chief curator of the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, are the first to examine Albers's teaching methods, going well beyond covering the man's work to discussing art in general and how it is made and taught.

In this scholarly exploration of faces in medieval sculpture, Little (curator, dept. of medieval art & the Cloisters, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) provides a captivating survey of 81 masterly works of art, dating as far back as the Roman Empire. Why the fascination with the human head throughout so much our art history? Because the head was understood to be "a center of power, the core of individual identity, and the primary vehicle for human expression, emotion, and character."

Why would we want to view photographs of an impoverished rural town in southeastern Texas? Up-and-coming photographer Anderson shows us that its people are worthy of our attention in this evocative black-and-white collection. The photographs depict a community branded by its long KKK history and the residents who, despite the lingering past, want to look to a more promising future.

Is it possible to capture on film that moment when the sun is below the horizon but still provides us with light? In this arresting collection of images, several photographers—among them Robert Adams, Gregory Crewdson, and Liang Yue—try to do just that. Of the 100 images collected, 80 are in color. Barnes and Best, both curators at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, aptly place the photos in broader contexts.

Black-and-white collections of erotic photography abound. In fact, they are so ubiquitous that it becomes a challenge to single out ones showcasing true art. This book features the work of not-so-known photographers whose eye for detail is nothing short of striking. Perhaps what makes it really special is that many of the images portray the naked body as it really is: beautiful, strange, and imperfect.

The guitar has been and remains the very epitome of eroticism; no other instrument has managed to transcend its pop culture appeal. This collection of French photo and advertising guru Mondino's 139 color and black-and-white images attests to the guitar's enduring popularity among the famous and the completely unknown.

If you do love Bruce Springsteen, you probably know that it's been more than 30 years since his legendary album Born To Run was released. This book reveals 100 unseen photos from that album's photo shoot. Photographed by Meola, the young and energetic Bruce is captured on the verge of becoming the greatest rock musician of his generation. For the die-hard Springsteen fan.

The public's fascination with celebrity may be at an all-time high, but as this collection shamelessly reveals, it has been around for a long time. Top fashion photographer D'Orazio has worked with them all: the Rolling Stones, Johnny Depp, Julia Roberts, Kate Moss, and more. This colorful second edition of a 1998 best seller brings the photographer's work back into the spotlight.

Julien Levy (1906–81) was an influential proponent of photography and surrealism in the mid-20th century. Published to commemorate the centenary of his birth and to celebrate the Philadelphia Museum of Art's acquisition of more than 2500 photographs from his private collection, this book attests to Levy's knack for discovering talent and recognizing greatness. Featured are photos by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Lee Miller, Walker Evans, and many others.

Perusing this oversized book will leave you not only breathless but deeply appreciative of what human hands can accomplish. Goodspeed offers a spectacular survey of 49 of the world's major cities (e.g., Paris, London, New York, Tokyo) and how their skylines have evolved over time. The result? A testament to the world's architectural diversity and the human ambition constantly to outdo what it has created.

Although the Taj Mahal is one of the most famous buildings in the world, until now there has been no full examination of its architecture in book form. Art historian Koch—the first Western scholar since India's independence to take measurements of the complex—leaves no stone unturned as she delivers a thorough analysis of this masterpiece of Mughal art. The book is not only rich with full-color illustrations and architectural drawings but also Koch's own insight.

Call it flamboyant or elegant, kitschy or refined, the rococo style of 18th-century France extends to modern-day contemporary designers and antique collectors. In this sumptuous volume, journalist Lalande and photographer Trillard take us on a tour of 30 European houses that exemplify how the style may be effortlessly incorporated into any contemporary setting.

As this lavish book reveals, the Indian princes of the British Raj lived lives of unimaginable extravagance. Their taste for European luxury reached its peak between 1857 and 1947, when they began traveling abroad to commission architects to design places, designers to pattern couture clothing, and jewelers to reset their family possessions. Jaffer (Luxury Goods from India) here deftly explores this short-lived world of excess.