A revelatory study exploring wood’s many material, ecological, and symbolic meanings in the religious art of medieval Germany In late medieval Germany, wood was a material laden with significance. It was an important part of the local environment and economy, as well as an object of religious devotion in and of itself.  Gregory C. Bryda examines the multiple meanings of wood and greenery within religious art—as a material, as a feature of agrarian life, and as a symbol of the cross, whose wood has resonances with other iconographies in the liturgy. Bryda discusses how influential artists such as Matthias Grünewald, known for the Isenheim Altarpiece, and the renowned sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider exploited wood’s multivalent nature to connect spiritual themes to the lived environment outside church walls. Exploring the complex visual and material culture of the period, this lavishly illustrated volume features works ranging from monumental altarpieces to portable pictures and offers a fresh understanding of how wood in art functioned to unlock the mysteries of faith and the natural world in both liturgy and everyday life.

Drawing on the knowledge of a lifetime of study, and the understanding of one who himself participated in the creative adventure of modern art, the late Sir Herbert Read traces the development of modern sculpture from Rodin to the present day and brings order into the apparently chaotic proliferation of styles and techniques during this period.

"Sculpture in Wood "was first published in 1950. Minnesota Archive Editions uses digital technology to make long-unavailable books once again accessible, and are published unaltered from the original University of Minnesota Press editions.

In simple every-day language and with lavish use of photographs, a noted sculptor takes you, step-by-step, through the process of wood sculpture and explains how to appreciate and use this kind of art in your own home. The how-to-do-it section contains information on the tools needed, the various woods and their qualities, and finishes. Photographs showing examples of the author's work and that of other contemporary sculptors illustrate his points clearly. The beginner will find this book opens the way to a rewarding hobby; the serious artist will be challenged by Mr. Rood's forceful ideas on art.

For the first time a single volume assembles a work complex from the oeuvre of Gabriela von Habsburg which has not been shown before: the sculptures, some of them made of metal or stone in different formats and some of them immovable, introduce the artist's works in the public space that are scattered across the United States and throughout Europe. Together with lithographs, photos of the artist working on her artworks and of her studio round out this exquisite volume. Since earliest times the performing arts have always been one of the most important forms of expression for mankind. With her sculptures Gabriela von Habsburg goes new ways in the politicisation of aesthetics, uniting her work as ambassador, politician and creative artist. Her many years as an ambassador for the Republic of Georgia in Berlin are reflected in the choice of the fall of the Iron Curtain as a subject in the execution of her unusual sculpture monument at Sopron and the Rose Monument of Tbilisi, an act of homage to the bloodless revolution there. A profound and exclusive glimpse into the committed work of a sculptor.

Louise Nevelson (1899-1988) was, with Calder, Noguchi and David Smith, one of the great American sculptors of the 20th century. She created extraordinary work, from room-size installations composed of boxes to gnarled and majestic steel structures. Her life story is no less interesting. She was born in czarist Russia, but her family emigrated to the States and she grew up in Maine. Nevelson endured a repressive marriage to a New York millionaire, whom she escaped to pursue the life of an artist. She gained recognition as an abstract sculptor at the age of 59, and spent the next 30 years taking the art world by storm, becoming a colourful New York personality and minor celebrity. Laurie Wilson, who knew Nevelson personally, draws extensively on her own research in this crisp new biography. She conducted interviews not just with Nevelson but with her siblings, son, and gallery owner Arne Glimcher. Wilson has also had complete access to Glimcher's archives, Nevelson's personal assistant, Diana Mackown, and Lippincott studios, where much of Nevelson's work was cast, among others

A compelling examination of French sculptor Auguste Rodin from the perspective of his enthusiastic American audience This exhibition catalogue explores the American reception of French artist Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), from 1893, when his first work entered a US museum, to the present. Its trajectory reaches from the collecting frenzy of the early twentieth century-promoted by philanthropist Katherine Seney Simpson and performer Loie Fuller-to important museum acquisitions of the 1920s and 1930s. From there, it traverses the 1950s, when Rodin's reputation flagged, through to the artist's revival and recognition in the 1980s. Rodin's promoters include a dynamic cast of characters, each of whom played a crucial role in cementing his status. The book traces this story through approximately 50 sculptures and 20 drawings that cover Rodin's most iconic subjects and themes. They demonstrate his dexterity across media-his virtuosity in plaster, terracotta, bronze, and marble-as well as his expressive, colorful drawings, some of them relatively unknown, sparking new appreciation for his work and delight for readers. Distributed for the Clark Art Institute Exhibition Schedule: Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA (June 18-September 18, 2022) High Museum of Art, Atlanta (October 21, 2022-January 15, 2023)

Alexander Archipenko has been called the "Picasso of Sculpture," at the experimental forefront for bringing elements of cubism to bear on the sculptural form. But, in My Life with Alexander Archipenko, Frances Archipenko Gray, with whom the innovative Ukrainian artist shared the last eight years of his life, paints a rounded and deeply personal picture of the artist throughout these late years--some of his most productive despite relative critical neglect. Gray came to know Archipenko at the Archipenko School in Woodstock, New York. Despite a nearly fifty-year age difference, teacher and student developed a deep and lasting companionship that led to marriage in 1957. In the years that followed, as the art world shifted its interest away from modernism toward abstract expressionism, Archipenko's work fell from critical favor. Yet nothing could stop the self-confident and vodka-drinking iconoclast, and Archipenko not only continued to exhibit, but published a comprehensive survey of his work, Fifty Creative Years, in 1960. Throughout the early 1960s, the couple traveled extensively in Europe to promote the artist's work. Beginning in the 1960s, Archipenko was also increasingly plagued by problems with forgeries and fraudulent authentications of his work, and the book casts new light on his resulting volatile relationship with many dealers, museums, and collectors. Archipenko's work has been the subject of major solo exhibitions worldwide, but My Life with Alexander Archipenko presents for the first time the fascinating man behind the works and puts forward a compelling case for his continued importance.

A comprehensive overview of renowned Belgian artist Berlinde De Bruyckere's work since 2014, inspired by the figure of the angel Belgian artist Berlinde De Bruyckere has long been a leading light in the international contemporary art world whose sculptures, installations and drawings endeavor to find the meaning of humanity, physicality, suffering and vitality. Conceived in the loneliness and isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, this book explores De Bruyckere's recent, never-before-seen work inspired by the figure of the angel as portrayed in myths, stories, literature and art history. According to De Bruyckere, an angel-with its warm, dark wings-provides protection, a refuge from fear. The angel guards against a lonely existence and, even more importantly, against a lonely death. It symbolizes the fragile line De Bruyckere treads between artistic poeticism and engagement with current affairs. This volume will serve as an essential resource on an artist whose works constitute a provocative and influential addition to the contemporary art canon. Distributed for Mercatorfonds Exhibition Schedule: Bonnefantenmuseum Maastrich, The Netherlands (March 29-September 26, 2021)

Fourteen sculptures of the distinguished Central Asian artist Erkin Mergenov constitute the subject matter of this book. The creative force of the sculptor produced the artifacts, which then inspired historians, theologians, philosophers, and literary scholars to produce "verbal" responses and meditations on original themes. The texts, which exemplify different cross-disciplinary approaches to art and sculpture, cover the 30-year span of the artist's career - from Self-Portrait (1971) to Premonition (2001).

The publication Beneath the Skin provides an overview of the last ten years of work by the Swiss artist Corina Staubli (b. 1959). It shows the altercation in the tension between exterior and interior worlds and the ambivalence of beauty, the beguiling, the sinister and even the unfathomable. With diverse media - be it porcelain, latex, painting or digital collage - the artist directs a dialogue of opposing sides. The question she always poses is 'how does the clandestine and the unconscious reveal itself in something that is manifest' - and, vice versa, 'how does the external view reveal the internal view'? The book itself is sure to arouse intrigue, as it features a nylon sculpture on the cover! Text in English and German.

Alfred Haberpointner (*1966 in Salzburg) is a sculptor of international repute. He became famous with his wooden sculptures, and he has subsequently expanded his work to include the use of materials like steel, lead and paper. This volume documents Haberpointner's artistic development through all phases up to and including his large - scale works in the public space. Alfred Haberpointner's deep - seated association with wood as a material has its roots in his biography. He grew up in the region around Salzburg and began at an early age to collect wood and to examine and shape it. After abandoning his originally naturalistic approach, in the 1990s he began to produce studies and first works series on the subjects of proportion and weight. His textural approach increasingly began to assume priority in his technique. The result was large spatial objects and wall sculptures with expressive surface structures and colours. In a major exclusive interview the artist speaks about all aspects and the background of his work.

One of the earliest portrait photographs -- a daguerreotype -- represents the Danish artist Bertel Thorvaldsen. In spite of the fact that the photograph is signed and dated there has been doubts about the dating and the location of the taking of the picture. Starting from the photography itself as well as the historical facts the author sets the photography in its proper context. Written sources material and other pictures are presented to throw light on the photographer, the French businessman A C T Neubourg's work in Scandinavia. Furthermore, the reader gains an insight into the exposure as it is being reflected in the picture where an older conception of art meets the new age of photography. The book also contains an appendix by Jens Frederiksen (The Royal Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture, Copenhagen) on A C T Neubourg's camera, lens and daguerreotypes.

Comprehensive monograph on this internationally-renowned metal artist, featuring work from across nearly 50 years. Explore the most precisely and stringently crafted metal art of Pal Vigeland. Photography by Guri Dahl offers many close-ups to zoom in on the production process. Pal Vigeland has worked as a metal artist for nearly 50 years. Everything he has ever made, from jewellery and plates to public commissions and sculptures, has always been characterised by precision and stringency. This book shows the continuities between Vigeland's earliest years and the present, while also exploring many of the surprising changes that have taken place along the way. The intricate production methods that underlie Pal Vigeland's latest works in tin are difficult to comprehend when standing in front of the finished pieces. Consequently, one major contribution to this book are Guri Dahl's photographs of the artist at work. Her many close-ups allow us to zoom in on the constructive processes and appreciate how exacting and time-consuming they really are. Text in English and Norwegian.

The sculptural history of the long 1980s has been dominated by New British Sculpture and Young British Artists. Arguing for a more expansive history of British sculpture and its supporting infrastructures, these twenty-three vivid and enthralling interviews with artists, curators, dealers and facilitators working then demonstrate the interconnected networks, diversity of ideas and practices, energy, imagination and determination that transformed British art from being marginal to internationally celebrated. With a substantial introduction, this timely volume provides valuable new insights into the education, work, careers, studios, infrastructures and exhibitions of the artists and facilitators, substantially enlarging our understanding of the era.

Austin artist David Everett was born and raised in Texas, and his work reflects an organic and wholly original Lone Star State ethos. His stunning vision and exquisite craftsmanship evoke nature's essential grace and harmony in beautiful sculptures, bas-relief carvings, woodcuts, and drawings. Steve Davis, former president of the Texas Institute of Letters, writes of Everett, "David has never been one of those artists-as-marketers who relentlessly hype themselves. Instead, he has let the quality of his work speak for itself. And it does more than speak-it sings." Everett's creations inspire a passionate devotion among his many fans and collectors. He appears in high-profile exhibitions across Texas and the Southwest and his work is found in many public, corporate, and private collections.An introduction by prominent novelist Stephen Harrigan sets the perfect tone for an absorbing consideration of Everett's oeuvre in The Art of David Everett: Another World. Author and editor Becky Duval Reese, respected art curator, writer, and retired director of the El Paso Museum of Art, contributes an insightful essay on Everett and his place in Texas art, followed by an absorbing interview with curator, author, and teacher Richard Holland, both offering revealing and satisfying insights into the shaping and development of the artist's unique viewpoint and methods. The heart of the book is the abundant collection of breathtaking, full-color reproductions of Everett's work. Here, the reader gains a vivid view of how Everett's artistic instincts have been nurtured by life experiences and a maturing aesthetic rooted in tradition.

Barbara Hepworth: The Sculptor in the Studio is the first study devoted to Hepworth's St Ives studio in which the centrality of Trewyn Studio and garden to her art and life is brought to the fore. 'It affects my whole life & work most profoundly', she wrote to a friend in 1949 shortly before acquiring it. A history and a portrait of a unique place, the book illuminates the ways in which the place and the work are bound together. It explores Hepworth's working environment and the development of her practice over a period of 25 years. The studio, and especially the garden that Hepworth shaped, was the primary and ideal context in which her sculptures were viewed. Following Hepworth's death in 1975, Trewyn Studio was opened as the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, fulfilling the hopes she had expressed at the end of her life. The adaptation of Hepworth's studio-home to create the Museum is examined in detail. The Museum was given to the Tate Gallery in 1980, becoming the first of Tate's outstations and helping to lay the foundations for Tate St Ives. It contains the largest group of Hepworth's works, permanently on display in the place in which they were created. Here the visitor is closest to Hepworth's work and to the sources of her inspiration.

The extraordinary sculptures of Belgian artist Jean-Michel Folon The first half of Belgian artist Jean-Michel Folon's (1934-2005) career was devoted to posters, illustrations, and television animations that brought him international acclaim for their diversity and virtuosity; his illustrations appeared in magazines including The New Yorker, Fortune, and Esquire. In the 1990s, he pivoted to sculpture, focusing on statuary and working with both direct carving and modeling, which he then translated to bronze or stone. This is the first publication to explore the entirety of Folon's sculptural work. Drawing inspiration from the Cyclades, the Etruscans, from African masks and Indian totems, Folon's sculptures are characterized by their frontality and corporality. Distributed for Mercatorfonds Exhibition Schedule: Villers-la-Ville, Brussels (October 24, 2020-February 21, 2021)