In July 1897, in a flourish of publicity, Sir Benjamin Stone - Birmingham industrialist, Member of Parliament and passionate, almost obsessive collector, announced the formation of the National Photographic Record Association. Its prime objective was to make a record of England for future generations, to foster "a national pride in the historical associations of the country, or neighbourhood, in family traditions, or in personal associations." Over the next 13 years, Stone and his amateur supporters deposited their photographs at the British Museum. In 2000, these were moved to the V&A. This book examines Stone's central role in the project and presents over 100 of his photographs, many of which have never been published before. It also charts the history of the NPRA and points to its legacies within photography. What is especially striking is the resonance of these pictures in our own age.

This richly illustrated volume introduces one of America's finest university art museums - one whose directors, curators, donors, and patrons have left a remarkable legacy, a museum collection that encourages us all to "look close, think far." The selection of over 280 highlights is presented with brief commentaries and an essay that traces the growth of the Ackland Art Museum's outstanding collection. The Ackland Art Museum at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of the United States' most distinguished public university art museums. Founded in 1958, it now houses over 20,000 works of art, covering some 5,000 years of cultures from around the globe. Look Close, Think Far is the tagline of the Ackland, informing everything from the dynamic and varied program of special exhibitions to ambitious interpretation, education, and outreach activities. It applies especially strongly to the museum's extensive permanent collection. Although an integral part of the oldest public university in the United States, the Ackland is a relatively young institution. Now approaching its sixty-fifth year, it has become the proud steward of over 20,000 works of art from an impressively broad range of world cultures and time periods. The Museum is known for its special strengths in art of the European tradition, with very strong holdings in prints and drawings; the arts of Asia, and especially China, Japan, and India; a small but fine collection of classical art from Africa; and recent and contemporary art. This publication showcases a cross-section though the diverse collection, with 283 works, giving an impression of the Ackland's permanent collection that is true to its character, representative of its breadth, and indicative of its quality. The essay gives special attention to the early stages and the less obvious, more idiosyncratic moments that have contributed to the Ackland's personality and individuality. The approach taken by the editor Peter Nisbet, deputy director for curatorial affairs at the Ackland, differs from most conventional volumes of museum collection highlights in several refreshing ways. Instead of separating works along the lines of curatorial departments, the arrangement emphasizes the unity of the collection by merging works from different cultures. These are presented in a largely chronological sequence, but one that surprises by starting with the present and extending back in time. Within this order, works of art are deliberately paired across individual page openings, to stimulate visual attention, reflective thinking, and sometimes maybe just a smile.

It is evident that modernity is a popular mountain for analysis and reflection of a largely controversial nature. Numerous theories have also been written about the beginning as well as the end of modernity. The aim of Modernologies is to achieve an account of the state of artistic research and to discuss selected contributions to the subject matter that appears central after two to three decades of an ever intensely blazing conflict over the legacy of modernity and modernism.

The Tomb of the Priests of Amun, also known as Bab el-Gasus, was uncovered in 1891 at Deir el-Bahari (Thebes). The site proved to be the largest undisturbed tomb ever found in Egypt, as there were found the intact burials of 153 individuals that lived under the 21st Dynasty (ca. 1069-945 BC). This outstanding find was subsequently divided in lots of antiquities and dispersed by 17 nations. This volume presents the first comprehensive publication of the Italian Lot, kept in the Egyptian Museum of Florence. Besides the formal description of the objects, a critical assessment of the collection is provided regarding the reconstruction of the burial assemblages, the reuse of the burial equipment and the art historical examination of coffin decoration. "Although aimed primarily at specialists, this is a splendid volume and will be easy to use by anyone having an interest in these objects." -Lester L. Grabbe, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 44.5 (2020)