For decades, aesthetics has been subjected to a variety of critiques, often concerning its treatment of beauty or the autonomy of art. Collectively, these complaints have generated an anti-aesthetic stance prevalent in the contemporary art world. Yet if we examine the motivations for these critiques, Michael Kelly argues, we find theorists and artists hungering for a new kind of aesthetics, one better calibrated to contemporary art and its moral and political demands. Following an analysis of the work of Stanley Cavell, Arthur Danto, Umberto Eco, Susan Sontag, and other philosophers of the 1960s who made aesthetics more responsive to contemporary art, Kelly considers Sontag's aesthetics in greater detail. In On Photography (1977), she argues that a photograph of a person who is suffering only aestheticizes the suffering for the viewer's pleasure, yet she insists in Regarding the Pain of Others (2003) that such a photograph can have a sustainable moral-political effect precisely because of its aesthetics. Kelly considers this dramatic change to be symptomatic of a cultural shift in our understanding of aesthetics, ethics, and politics. He discusses these issues in connection with Gerhard Richter's and Doris Salcedo's art, chosen because it is often identified with the anti-aesthetic, even though it is clearly aesthetic. Focusing first on Richter's Baader-Meinhof series, Kelly concludes with Salcedo's enactments of suffering caused by social injustice. Throughout A Hunger for Aesthetics, he reveals the place of critique in contemporary art, which, if we understand aesthetics as critique, confirms that it is integral to art. Meeting the demand for aesthetics voiced by many who participate in art, Kelly advocates for a critical aesthetics that confirms the power of art.

The collected works of Julius Csotonyi, one of the world's most high profile and talented contemporary paleoartists. Csotonyi has considerable academic expertise that contributes to his stunning dynamic art.
Csotonyi represents the natural world photorealistically and has been influenced by natural history illustrators such as Peter Zallinger, Doug Henderson and Greg Paul. He uses bold patterns and colors to paint the prehistoric world both with traditional media as well as modern digital techniques.

South African-born Belgian artist Kendell Geers changed his date of birth to MAY 1968 as a performance, effectively giving birth to himself as a work of art. His artistic practice weaves together African animism, European mysticism, and socio-political activism with humor, irony, and contradiction. He uses his identity as a White African like a key to unlock and critique our understanding and reading of history, art, and language. This book, which focuses on his works created between 1988 and the present, looks at the influence of avant-garde traditions from Dada and Surrealism to Punk, intertwined with the powerful legacy of traditional African art on his work. Spiritually charged, politically poignant, and socially engaged, the work cannot be categorized as either European or African, but is rather a prolonged metaphysical dialogue between cultures, archetypal signs, and sacred symbols. Included are works in a diversity of media, including painting, sculpture, performance, photography, installation, and conceptual art. Distributed for Mercatorfonds

When it comes to viewing art, living in the information age is not necessarily a benefit. So argues Michael Findlay in this book that encourages a new way of looking at art. Much of this thinking involves stripping away what we have been taught and instead trusting our own instincts, opinions, and reactions. Including reproductions of works by Mark Rothko, Paul Klee, Joan Miro , Jacob Lawrence, and other modern and contemporary masters, this book takes readers on a journey through modern art. Chapters such as "What Is a Work of Art?" "Can We Look and See at the Same Time?" and "Real Connoisseurs Are Not Snobs," not only give readers the confidence to form their own opinions, but also encourages them to make connections that spark curiosity, intellect, and imagination. "The most important thing for us to grasp," writes Findlay, "is that the essence of a great work of art is inert until it is seen. Our engagement with the work of art liberates its essence." After reading this book, even the most intimidated art viewer will enter a museum or gallery feeling more confident and leave it feeling enriched and inspired.

Experience the brilliant artist's lifelong obsession with nature and immersion in gardens, a bedrock of her hugely influential work. Yayoi Kusama's work is the product of an infinite curiosity and obsessive drive to create. Throughout the artist's long and varied career, there is one persistent yet little-studied through line-her deep engagement with nature. From early sketches depicting flowers at her family's plant nursery in Japan, to her most recent monumental sculptures of botanical forms poised to take flight, Kusama consistently calls our attention to the patterns, connections, and cycles of living things that are not always visible. KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature is the accompanying catalogue to the first comprehensive exploration of the artist's enduring fascination with the natural world, exhibited across the 250-acre landscape of The New York Botanical Garden. The exhibition examines her lifelong awareness and attunement to nature, which serves not merely as a source of inspiration, but is an integral source of power for her artistic language. This profound life force pervades all of Kusama's work, from studies of the molecular to contemplations of the universal, resulting in a transcendent, cosmic nature. Exhibition guest curator Mika Yoshitake, an independent scholar specializing in postwar Japanese art, and Joanna L. Groarke, NYBG exhibitions curator, catalogue co-editors, bring together essays by art historians, curators, and a scientist, who each present unique interpretations of Kusama's engagement with the natural world. Featuring more than 120 drawings, paintings, sculptures, and archival photographs, including stunning views of the works displayed in NYBG's gardens and galleries, KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature offers a new perspective on one of the world's most celebrated contemporary artists.

Known for her paper art and collages, Marion Eichmann spent many weeks in the Reichstag building and the enclosed parliamentary buildings. Not only did she visit the plenary chamber, the floor designated to the parliamentary groups and the committee rooms, but she also keenly observed in corridors, canteens, libraries, and connecting tunnels the everyday life of a highly complex machinery that keeps the heart of democracy beating almost invisibly-focussing her interest at once on the iconic facades and settings familiar to the public, and on the rarely visible workspaces, devices, and often-overlooked details essential to the smooth daily operation of Parliament. Created as part of a commissioned project by the German Bundestag, the series of more than 80 papercuts documented in this volume in its entirety, provides a unique insight into the artist's creative process and working method.

The first, intimate visual documentation of artists who have influenced and transformed the Chinese art scene over the last two decades German photographer Thomas Fuesser has been following artists in China since 1993, when he was first invited by renowned Dutch curator Hans van Dijk (1946-2002) to join a group of foreign journalists and photographers to visit the up-and-coming members of the then fledgling Beijing and Shanghai art scenes. Reports on this visit, by New York Times art critic Andrew Solomon and several others, later played a major role in the making of prominent artists, such as Fang Lijun, Wang Guangyi, and Yue Minjun. Over many years, Fusser has developed close and enduring professional relationships with the artistic community in China. His striking portraits tell their stories and depict their work and personalities in an entirely distinct style, documenting a part of contemporary history and an immensely dynamic time in China. Recording the lives and thought processes of leading artists, such as Ai Weiwei, Cai Guo-Qiang, Zeng Fanzhi, Zhang Peili, Feng Mengbo, Wu Shanzhuan, and Zhou Tiehai, `SHORT CUTS', inspired by Robert Altman's concept of multiple parallel destinies that interact, provides a fascinating visual insight into the heart and soul of Chinese society.

Kris Fierens (born 1957) uses the character of a preliminary study or a sketch as an enduring thing. Or, in their possibility they imitate the character of a preliminary study. Reality and emotion reach a virtual zero point. The gestures that he makes simply become the 'objets trouves'. The object 'on his own' is never present. It's the included matter that enables him to save his dream. Traces of something that still needs to happen. Of which a disappearing memory can already behold. Text in English and Dutch.

Contains more than 180 works that celebrate a rich history of entertainment in an assemblage of images never before published as a complete collection. Fernando Botero's distinctive exaggerated forms perfectly complement the exaggerated atmosphere of the circus. The esteemed artist uses bright colours and unexpected movement to artfully manifest the poetry of the circus, inviting the viewer to participate in a circus with Botero as the artful ringmaster. In the tradition of great painters also inspired by circus fantasy - Renoir, Picasso, Chagall, and Calder, among others - Botero explores light, colour, style, and space with a poignancy that highlights through the extravagant disproportion of his figures the exceptional beauty of the human body. Circus, a collection of more than 130 paintings and 50 works on paper, celebrates this rich history of entertainment and astonishment in this assemblage of images never before published as a complete collection.

Tony Conrad has significantly influenced cultural developments from minimalism to underground film, "concept art," postmodern appropriation, and the most sophisticated rock and roll. Creator of the "structural" film, The Flicker, collaborator on Jack Smith's Flaming Creatures and Normal Love, follower of Henry Flynt's radical anti-art, member of the Theatre of Eternal Music and the first incarnation of The Velvet Underground, and early associate of Mike Kelley, Tony Oursler, and Cindy Sherman, Conrad has eluded canonic histories. Yet Beyond the Dream Syndicate does not claim Conrad as a major but under-recognized figure. Neither monograph nor social history, the book takes Conrad's collaborative interactions as a guiding thread by which to investigate the contiguous networks and discursive interconnections in 1960s art. Such an approach simultaneously illuminates and estranges current understandings of the period, redrawing the map across medium and stylistic boundaries to reveal a constitutive hybridization at the base of the decade's artistic development. This exploration of Conrad and his milieu goes beyond the presentation of a relatively overlooked oeuvre to chart multiple, contestatory regimes of power simultaneously in play during the pivotal moment of the 1960s. From the sovereign authority invoked by Young's music, to the "paranoiac" politics of Flynt, to the immanent control modeled by Conrad's films, each avant-garde project examined reveals an investment within a particular structure of power and resistance, providing a glimpse into the diversity of the artistic and political stakes that continue to define our time.Branden W. Joseph is Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University and an editor of the journal Grey Room (MIT Press). He is the author of Random Order: Robert Rauschenberg and the Neo-Avant-Garde (MIT Press, 2003.)

It looks like a thick, juicy romance novel, but it's actually a collection of brushy, ephemeral, fin-de-siecle-esque paintings by the young German artist Sophie von Hellermann. Currently based in London, she recently exhibited at Greene Naftali Gallery in New York and Mark Foxx gallery, Los Angeles.

Hardcover edition! Monster Hunter Illustrations continues with another mammoth-sized, 400-page artwork collection! Monster Hunter Illustrations 2 covers all the third generation Monster Hunter games including Monster Hunter Tri and Monster Hunter Portable 3rd. Featured are creature designs, character designs,armor, weapons, tons of rough sketches, and more!

It has been more than fifty years since John Waters filmed his first short on the roof of his parents' Baltimore home. Over the following decades, Waters has developed a reputation as an uncompromising cultural force not only in cinema, but also in visual art, writing, and performance. This major retrospective examines the artist's influential career through more than 160 photographs, sculptures, soundworks, and videos he has made since the early 1990s. These works deploy Waters's renegade humor to reveal the ways that mass media and celebrity embody cultural attitudes, moral codes, and shared tragedy. Waters has broadened our understanding of American individualism, particularly as it relates to queer identity, racial equality, and freedom of expression. In bringing "bad taste" to the walls of galleries and museums, he tugs at the curtain of exclusivity that can divide art from human experience. Waters freely manipulates an image bank of less-than-sacred, low-brow references-Elizabeth Taylor's hairstyles, his own self-portraits, and pictures of individuals brought into the limelight through his films, including his counterculture muse Divine-to entice viewers to engage with his astute and provocative observations about society. This richly illustrated book explores themes including the artist's childhood and identity; Pop culture and the movie business; Waters's satirical take on the contemporary art world; and the transgressive power of images. The catalogue features essays by BMA Senior Curator of Contemporary Art Kristen Hileman; art historian and activist Jonathan David Katz; critic, curator, and artist Robert Storr; as well as an interview with Waters by photographer Wolfgang Tillmans. Published in association with the Baltimore Museum of Art. Exhibition dates: The Baltimore Museum of Art: October 7, 2018-January 6, 2019 Wexner Center for the Arts: February 2-April 28, 2019

Let Eleven, Jim Hopper, and other beloved residents of Hawkins, Indiana guide your tarot practice with this otherworldly tarot deck and guidebook inspired by the hit Netflix series Stranger Things. Netflix's Emmy Award-winning series Stranger Things has captivated the imaginations of millions of viewers all around the world. Now fans can experience the series like never before, with the first official Stranger Things tarot deck! Featuring original artwork inspired by classic tarot iconography, this 78-card deck comprises both major and minor arcana and depicts fan-favorite characters, imagery, and themes from Stranger Things. Packaged in a collectible gift box, it's a totally tubular gift for Stranger Things fans and tarot enthusiasts alike! 78 TAROT CARDS: Each card depicts fan-favorite characters, imagery, and themes from Stranger Things representing the major and minor arcana. ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS: Each card is a work of art featuring an original, detailed image of iconic characters and scenes from Stranger Things, from the dreaded Demogorgon and the sinister Mind Flayer to dynamic duo Steve Harrington and Robin Buckley! HELPFUL GUIDEBOOK: The included guidebook explains the meanings of each card as well as a few simple spreads for easy readings. BEAUTIFUL GIFT: The tarot deck and guidebook are packaged in a deluxe gift box, perfect for gift giving. COMPLETE YOUR STRANGER THINGS COLLECTION: Discover more striking original artwork from Hawkins, Indiana in Stranger Things: The Ultimate Pop-Up Book, also available!

A celebration of Robert Motherwell's drawings that provides new insight into the thematic continuities and techniques that informed the artist's working methods Throughout his long and prolific career, Robert Motherwell (1915-1991) sustained a fascination with making art on paper. His multifaceted drawing practice was an integral part of his search for a personal, spontaneous language of mark-making. Presenting works spanning from The Mexican Sketchbook of the early 1940s to the Joyce Sketchbook of the 1980s, this overview of Motherwell's work on paper highlights the way the artist embraced the suggestive potential of his materials-blending the accidental and the intentional in the creative gesture. Large-scale reproductions encourage close looking and immerse the reader in details such as a stroke of the brush or a tear of paper, while an essay by Edouard Kopp examines how the artist's practice of "automatic drawing" dovetailed with his love of paper and ink in the creation of these unique and compelling works. The book closes with Motherwell's own "Thoughts on Drawing" (1970). Distributed for the Menil Collection Exhibition Schedule: Menil Drawing Institute, Menil Collection, Houston (November 18, 2022-March 12, 2023)

Out of My Great Sorrows is the story of Philadelphia artist Mary Zakarian, whose life and work were shaped by the experiences of her mother, a survivor of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. Written by Mary Zakarian's niece and nephew, the narrative examines the complexities of the artist's life as they relate to many issues, including ethnicity, gender, immigration, and assimilation. Above all this is a story of trauma - its effects on the survivor, its transmission through the generations, and its role in the artistic experience. Zakarian painted obsessively throughout her life. As she gained recognition for her artwork, she became increasingly haunted by her mother's untold story and was driven to express the tragedy of the Armenian Genocide in her art. Zakarian's attempt to deal openly with the issues of trauma and guilt caused conflicts in her relationship with her mother. These emotions became a driving force behind her art as well as the basis for her personal difficulties. By examining Mary Zakarian's life and art, the authors bring new insights to the study of the Armenian experience. This moving story will inspire all those who have struggled to express themselves in the face of injustice and oppression.

As a painter, filmmaker, and photographer, Ulrike Ottinger has created an entire artistic universe, a Cosmos Ottinger. Her transdisciplinary approach is groundbreaking today but Ottinger is also a pioneer of queer art, post-colonial criticism, and the confrontation with fascism and persecution. These questions are all still urgent today: How can we locate contemporary feminist, queer, and aesthetic debates historically? And how does one situate these debates in a museum setting? The catalogue, edited by the Kunsthalle Baden-Baden, documents this part of her work but also addresses these theoretical and art historical questions raised by Ottinger's searching and investigative approach.

The beautiful companion volume to Lee Ufan's largest site-specific outdoor sculpture project in the U.S. In fall 2019, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden debuted 10 new specially commissioned outdoor sculptures from celebrated Korean artist Lee Ufan. This book accompanies the expansive installation, which features sculptures from the artist's signature and continuing "Relatum" series and marks the first exhibition of Lee's work in the nation's capital. For the first time in the Hirshhorn Museum's 44-year history, its 4.3-acre outdoor plaza will be devoted entirely to the work of a single artist, and this book is a beautiful commemoration or keepsake of that event. Lee is a founder of the late 1960s artistic movement Mono-ha, or "School of Things," so his artwork represents an encounter between the viewer, the materials, and the site. The sculptures in this installation and book reflect this: all of the sculptures respond to the museum's unique architecture and continue Lee's iconic practice of placing contrasting materials, such as stainless steel plates and boulders, in dialogue with one another to heighten awareness of the world. The book features more than 100 color illustrations, including preliminary sketches, photographs of the artist selecting materials for the work, images of the installation process, shots of installed sculptures, details of installed sculptures, and more. Accompanying these powerful images are a foreword, essays, artist interview, and short captions that highlight how the works are rooted in contemplation and sensation rather than static representation. Lee Ufan: Open Dimension offers readers an intimate look at the work, artistic process, and impact of one of the pioneering figures of postwar art.

An inspiring anthology of work by America's favourite illustrator, personally selected by his son, Tom Norman Rockwell, once said he depicted life as I would like it to be, and the iconic visions of American life which he chronicled - the Thanksgiving turkey, ice skating on the pond, boys playing basketball, not to mention the beginning of the civil rights movement - have come to epitomise the golden glow of pre and post WWII Americana. Selected by Rockwell's son, Tom, this stunning retrospective of his father's bounteous body of work is now available in a refreshed, updated edition. With more than 150 images including oil paintings, watercolours and rare black and white sketches, this is an uncommonly faithful anthology which gives a unique, personal perspective on the private as well as the celebrated, public man, and which will be treasured by Rockwell enthusiasts and art lovers.

Sarah Lowndes looks back at the rise of the Glasgow art scene through the decades, from community art to Thatcher, New Wave to Teenage Fanclub. Charting the emergence of performance and conceptual-related art, she looks at the background from which the art of the last 40 years emerged, the social atmosphere which was able to influence artists, musicians and writers who would go on to be known worldwide.

Shedding fresh light on modern art beyond the West, this text introduces readers to artists, art movements, debates and theoretical positions of the modern era that continue to shape contemporary art worldwide. Area histories of modern art are repositioned and interconnected towards a global art historiography. * Provides a much-needed corrective to the Eurocentric historiography of modern art, offering a more worldly and expanded view than any existing modern art survey * Brings together a selection of major essays and historical documents from a wide range of sources * Section introductions, critical essays, and documents provide the relevant contextual and historiographical material, link the selections together, and guide the reader through the key theoretical positions and debates * Offers a useful tool for students and scholars with little or no prior knowledge of non-Western modernisms * Includes many contrasting voices in its documents and essays, encouraging reader response and lively classroom discussion * Includes a selection of major essays and historical documents addressing not only painting and sculpture but photography, film and architecture as well.

This catalogue was published for the inaugural START art fair, held at the Saatchi Gallery in London in June 2014. It offers information on over forty exhibiting galleries and their artists, as well as twenty artists appearing in "Eye Zone," an exhibition held within the fair. START is a focused art fair, limited to young galleries showing new artists from around the world, in well proportioned museum standard exhibition spaces rather than standard art fair booths. The aim of START is to provide young galleries with a high-profile platform to showcase their artists' work at an important stage in their careers development, bringing them to the attention of a culturally engaged, international audience in a world- renowned location.