An" Economist" Book of the Year

Costa Book Award Winner for Biography

Galaxy National Book Award Winner (New Writer of the Year Award)

Edmund de Waal is a world-famous ceramicist. Having spent thirty years making beautiful pots--which are then sold, collected, and handed on--he has a particular sense of the secret lives of objects. When he inherited a collection of 264 tiny Japanese wood and ivory carvings, called netsuke, he wanted to know who had touched and held them, and how the collection had managed to survive.

And so begins this extraordinarily moving memoir and detective story as de Waal discovers both the story of the netsuke and of his family, the Ephrussis, over five generations. A nineteenth-century banking dynasty in Paris and Vienna, the Ephrussis were as rich and respected as the Rothchilds. Yet by the end of the World War II, when the netsuke were hidden from the Nazis in Vienna, this collection of very small carvings was all that remained of their vast empire.

Once crafters experience the ease with which intricate designs can be created on pewter, they are hooked in no time. Both Easy pewter projects and Pewter it were so popular that it was only a matter of time before Sandy Griffiths succumbed to the pressure of her fans to write another book. Pewter impressions is a collection of more than 30 original pewter projects with easy to follow step-by-step instructions and clear photographs. It starts at the beginning so that there is no need for novices to go back to earlier books to enjoy this rapidly growing craft. Beginners' exercises explain the basics, teaching crafters how to apply the art of embossing and then add lustre, radiance and dimension to their design. These are followed by a wide range of stunning projects that will appeal to every crafter out there. The projects combine pewter with mosaics, canvas, glass paint, gold and silver leaf foil, crystals and more, offering a variety of looks and finishes. The projects vary from fabulous frames and beautiful boxes to gorgeous gifts and delightful decor items. For beginners there are clear instructions, while experienced crafters will find inspiration for personalized projects. In addition to the projects, Pewter impressions covers: Essential tools and how to use them; Tracing and transferring patterns; Low and high relief embossing; Moulding; Texturing; Adding colour and patina; Cutting out and adhering designs to various surfaces. There are exquisite photographs of all finished projects as well as templates for all designs used in the book.

An inspirational practical guide with bold and colourful designs, Polymer clay is a popular medium suitable for and loved by crafters of all ages and skill levels.

It is available in every imaginable colour and easily cured in a home oven, making clay art accessible to everyone. Clay surfaces can be enhanced in many ways and borrowing techniques from other crafts, such as stamping, punching, mosaicing and embossing adds tremendously to the versatility of this craft, making it fun and rewarding. This book shows you how to use it to create exquisite jewellery, stylish gifts, decorative boxes, buttons, faux finishes, attractive home accessories and much more.

Lots of step by step photographs ensure that not even a rank beginner can go wrong, and full page pictures of the finished items will inspire clay crafters to try the terrific projects. Many techniques, from basic conditioning to creative canework and millefiori-finishes, are clearly explained and illustrated, then contextualised in the various projects. Use these techniques to create your own unique pieces and custom designs. Owing to the nature of the medium, no two pieces will ever look exactly the same.

So go get your clay and start playing!

Jean Doyle, A Portrait is a glorious tribute to one of South Africa’s quietest artists. This part-biography, part critique explores how Jean has formed, shaped, forged and polished her career. Frequently told through her private sculpture notes, it goes beneath the layers of bronze and clay to the inspirational heart of her work, tracing her artistic journey. It celebrates the freshness, simplicity, intelligence, unmistakable sense of humour and, strikingly, the modest humility with which Jean Doyle has emerged as one of the greatest story-telling South African artists of our time.

This second volume opens with a description of the Half-Track's incarnation as a weapons carrier, with all variants and versions presented on 75 pages of drawings along with a collection of photographs. The next chapter discusses further development of the vehicle's versions, which were not mass produced, illustrated with photographs and fabric drafts. Also included is a description of the usage of the Half-Track during World War II, when it was utilised by the US Army and the USMC mainly for supplies of land-lease. Polish Armed Forces also used these vehicles both in the West and in the East, even after the war had ended. This monograph contains a chapter about camouflage and the different markings of the Half-Trak's versions, in 12 superb colour plates. For modellers, there is a list of models and accessories, and the book comes complete with 34 pages of 3D colour graphics, colour photographs of museum exhibits and current running restored vehicles. This book is bilingual, with Polish and English text and captions. About Gun Power This series focuses on the armour, armoured vehicles and artillery. Every book contains a chapter about the design's history, drawings in modelling scales, colour plates presenting camouflaging schemes and a modelling chapter. The part covering the design's development history is illustrated by a large number of photographs. The plans show different variants, all non-standard versions and modifications of the vehicles or guns in several views, and depict the details in the highest possible quality. Specifically for the modellers, the included colour profiles are printed in the same scale. A separate, comprehensive modelling chapter goes through the models and accessories sets available.

Following the success of their debut show in New York last year, UK dealer Tomasso Brothers is returning to stage a second Scultura exhibition at the Williams Moretti Irving Gallery, New York. The 2008 exhibition met with critical acclaim and sales were made to several international collectors and institutions including the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Accompanying the exhibition, this beautifully illustrated catalogue presents European sculpture from the 14th to the early 19th centuries. --Works include a rediscovered masterpiece by Giambologna (1529-1608), the superb gilt bronze Prometheus bringing Fire to Mankind, once in the collection of the Comtesse de Chabannes at Ch teau de La Br de; a bronze figure of a River God by Hubert Gerhard (c. 1550-1620), the most important example of his oeuvre to come to light in recent years; a charming pair of terracotta figures of Air and Fire, depicted as putti, by the versatile Flemish sculptor Jan Claudius de Cock (1668-1735); and the earliest piece in the exhibition, a majestic pair of Italian marble recumbent lions dating from the late 14th century.--Accompanies an exhibition at Williams Moretti Irving Gallery, New York 15-24 October 2009-

Claudette Schreuders, who lives and works in South Africa, is known for her distinctive carved and painted wooden sculptures which, as Okwui Enwezor has observed, 'propose a new language resulting from a synthesis of African and European figural forms'. This major monograph brings together Schreuders' works of the last 17 years, tracing her investigations into self-identity, isolation and belonging through the rich narratives of her various groups of figures. The title includes beautiful reproductions of more than 70 sculptures alongside prints, drawings and pages from the artist's sketchbooks that provide insight into her references and working process. In accompanying essays, Rory Bester examines the interplay of autobiography and fiction in Schreuders' oeuvre, Faye Hirsch finds the presence of the sacred amidst the domesticity of her sculptures and prints, and Antjie Krog addresses the powerful emotions that resonate beneath the still surface of Schreuders' latest series of works.

This calendar is a stunning display of 12 drawings by Barbara Hepworth, one of the most important artists of the 20th century. The artworks are taken from the collections of The Hepworth Wakefield, an award-winning art gallery in the heart of Yorkshire, who offer an impressive compendium of modern British art. Informative text accompanies each work and the datepad features previous and next month's views.

A catalogue of 108 portrait bronzes of great masters of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions. It presents a history of these teaching lineages. The sculptures span the most productive period in the history of Tibetan Buddhist art, illustrating Tibetan portraiture's long and varied history. This is a catalogue of 108 portrait bronzes of great masters of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions, it presents a history of these teaching lineages based on and illustrated by the collection. Ranging in date from the 12th to 18th century, the sculptures span the most productive period in the

A beautifully presented, practical gift guide to the age-old art of whittling. There are 50 projects featured in the book, ranging from quick makes to more elaborate projects, and even a chapter on creating things from cork. The 8 main themes are: Quick Things - including a doorstop, a bookmark and a gift-box book; Into The Woods - including a willow whistle, walking stick, fish hook and slingshot; Around The House - including chopsticks, coat and crochet hooks; Cork Creations - including a succulent pot, stamp, and earphones spool; Ornamental Carving - including a boat, a deer and a spinning top; Kitchen Carving - including a carrot flute, apple candle and onion flower; The Natural World - including a bird feeder and instructions to prepare a fish for cooking, a graft an apple tree. The projects cater for a range of skill levels and the instructions are complemented by smart step-by-step illustrations, which highlight the tactile quality of the material in hand. The book also includes an introduction with advice on selecting a penknife, maintaining your blade, choosing your caving material, and carving techniques. Featuring the ultimate crossover of cool craftsmanship and savvy survival-skill projects, this book is the perfect gift for creative adventurers.

This comprehensive survey of sculpture in Britain from the Reformation to the accession of Queen Victoria aims to shed light on English taste in the period. It examines the family tomb and the portrait bust, the forms of sculpture most favoured in Britain at that time.

'n Praktiese gids met sterk, kleurryke ontwerpe vol inspirasie Polimeerklei is 'n gewilde medium, geskik vir en gewild onder handwerkers van alle ouderdomme en vaardigheidsvlakke. Dit is in elke moontlike kleur te kry, en omdat dit maklik in 'n kombuisoond gebak word, is dit toeganklik vir alle handwerkers. Klei-oppervlakke kan op soveel verskillende maniere versier word dat tegnieke van ander handwerksoorte soos stempelwerk, ponswerk, bosselering en mosaiekwerk mildelik gebruik word. Dit maak kleiwerk soveel veelsydiger en dra by tot die toenemende gewildheid daarvan. Hierdie boek wys jou hoe om manjifieke juwele, styfvolle geskenke, versierde houers, knope, nagemaakte afwerkings, aantreklike huistoebehore en veel meer te skep - prettig en lonend. Hope stap-vir-stap foto's en duidelike aanwysings verseker dat selfs die groenste groentjie sukses sal behaal, en die volbladfoto's sal handwerkers inspireer om die voortreflike projekte aan te pak. Verskeie tegnieke, van basiese kondisionering tot kreatiewe staafwerk en millefiori-afwerkings, word verstaanbaar verduidelik en dan in die onderskeie projekte gekontekstualiseer. Gebruik hierdie tegnieke om oorspronklike items te skep en projekte volgens jou eie smaak aan te pas. Weens die aard van die medium is dit bykans onmoontlik om ontwerpe en afwerkings presies te herhaal - elke item bly uniek. Waarvoor wag jy dan? Gryp jou klei en begin speel!

"The Hoerengracht" is a strikingly controversial installation piece by Ed Kienholz and Nancy Reddin Kienholz. It is a walk-through evocation of Amsterdam's red light district, complete with alleys and brothels. Within the traditional, elegant walls of the National Gallery, such a gritty, unglamorous tableau may seem an incongruous sight, but this film shows surprising parallels with the Gallery's collection of Dutch paintings of the seventeenth century. Footage includes the Kienholz studio in Idaho, where The Hoerengracht is unpacked in preparation for the National Gallery exhibition. Nancy also returns to Amsterdam and discusses the changes she sees in the city's notorious red light district and how art has been a part of this. The exhibition Kienholz: The Hoerengracht opens at the National Gallery, London, on 18 November 2009 and runs until 21 February 2010. The exhibition then travels to the Amsterdam Historisch Museum (Museum Willet-Holthuysen) in Spring 2010. Parents and teachers should be aware that this film discusses adult themes.

Wild New Territories showcases new visual art, media, and performance works that explore the interplay between the urban and the wild. The book features work by a broad cross-section of award-winning contemporary artists exploring the relationship between the urban and the wild, and challenging the rural/ urban binary. Bringing diverse perspectives to the multifaceted and unresolved relationship between urban growth and the environment with all its ecological and social implications, the book brings new insight into an evolving urban and 'wild' relationship.Featured artists include Julie Henry/Debbie Bragg, Gordon Cheung, Dana Claxton, Ron den Daas, Jamie Griffiths, Edgar Heap of Birds, Foreign Investment, Mars Kaliszewski, Kathy Kenny, Max Kimber, Michael Landy, Glenn Lewis, Michael Morris, Bo Myers, Diego Samper, Rob Scharein, Vincent Trasov, Gillian Wearing, Alma Tischler Wood and Cornelia Wyngaarden.

What has been loosely termed installation Art dominates the exhibition programmes of galleries worldwide. However, while it is much discussed it has rarely been clearly defined. In this book author Claire Bishop provides both a history and a full critical examination of installation art, in a survey of the form that is both thorough and accessible. Installation Art will provide, for the first time, a clear account of the rise of this now prevalent strand of contemporary art. While revising and, in some cases, re-assessing many well-known names in post-1960 art, it will also introduce the audience to a wider spectrum of younger artists yet to receive serious critical attention.

A selection of Michael Craig-Martin's paintings, prints and sculptures, with an interview. This book is the result of a collaboration between The Gallery at Windsor, Florida, and the Royal Academy of Arts, London. Born in Ireland, the artist Michael Craig-Martin studied in America. On returning to the UK, he became a key figure in British conceptual art and an influential educator, linked in particular to the YBAs including Damien Hirst and Gary Hume. Craig-Martin's works transform recognisable objects - such as sneakers, headphones, watches and, most recently, Modernist buildings - with bold colour and simplified lines. He cites his 'rationalism' as the root of his practice. Craig-Martin is the latest subject of a three-year curatorial partnership between The Gallery at Windsor, Florida, and the Royal Academy of Arts, London, initiated to celebrate the Academy's 250th anniversary. This lively book reproduces a selection of his paintings, prints and sculptures, with an insightful essay by the art critic Ben Luke and an interview between Tim Marlow and the artist. Published to accompany an exhibition at the Gallery at Windsor, Florida, 26 January - 26 April 2019. Ben Luke is the art critic at the London Evening Standard. Tim Marlow is artistic director at the Royal Academy of Arts, London. Below images, left to right: Sir Michael Craig-Martin CBE RA, Untitled (watch fragment yellow), 2017. Acrylic on aluminium, 90 x 90 cm. Sir Michael Craig-Martin CBE RA, Double Take (iPhone), 2017. Acrylic on aluminium in two panels, 2018, 90 x 180 cm. Sir Michael Craig-Martin CBE RA, Untitled (trainer fragment), 2017. Acrylic on aluminium, 60 x 60 cm. Sir Michael Craig-Martin CBE RA, Untitled (lightbulb blue), 2017. Acrylic on aluminium, 90 x 90 cm. All images courtesy Gagosian. Photos Mike Bruce.

A beautifully written study of three pioneering artists, entwining their work and our understanding of creativity Bringing the creative process of three contemporary artists into conversation, Architectures of the Unforeseen stages an encounter between philosophy and art and design. Its gorgeous prose invites the reader to think along with Brian Massumi as he thoroughly embodies the work of these artists, walking the line that separates theory from art and providing equally nurturing sustenance for practicing artists and working philosophers.Based on Massumi\u2019s lengthy-and in two cases decades-long-relationships with digital architect Greg Lynn, interactive media artist Rafael-Lozano Hemmer, and mixed-media installation creator Simryn Gill, Architectures of the Unforeseen delves into their processes of creating art. The book\u2019s primary interest is in what motivates each artist\u2019s practice-the generative knots that inspire creativity-and in how their pieces work to give off their unique effects. More than a series of profiles or critical pieces, Massumi\u2019s essays are creative, developing new philosophical concepts and offering rigorous sentiments about art and creativity.Asking fundamental questions about nature, culture, and the emergence of the new, Architectures of the Unforeseen is important original research on artists that are pioneers in their field. Equally valuable to the everyday reader and those engaged in scholarly work, it is destined to become an important book not only for the fields of digital architecture, interactive media, and installation art, but also more basically for our knowledge of art and creativity.

An illustrated reader on the fascinating subject of video sculpture, The Paradoxical Object opens up a new genre of artmaking. Digital artist Joan Truckenbrod explores the idea that video sculpture creates unique time-based objects with their own behaviours, stories and sound. The process of video sculpture is co-linear with contemporary cultural studies that illuminate the resonance of objects, and the agency that they perform. In activating objects or sculptural forms, this collaboration of video and object creates an innovative portal for connection with other realms. Memories embedded in objects are also released by the viewer's interaction with the artwork.The artists featured in this book include: Susan Collins, Tim Head, Tony Oursler, Bill Viola, Ann Hamilton, Joan Truckenbrod, Shigeko Kubota, Alan Rath, Jaume Plensa, amongst others. The text throughout the book provides a complex narrative on the subject, as the social and cultural references found in the object are juxtaposed with video imagery and sound.