The life and times of Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c. 1526/30-1569) were marked by stark cultural conflict. He witnessed religious wars, the Duke of Alba's brutal rule as governor of the Netherlands, and the palpable effects of the Inquisition. To this day, the Flemish artist remains shrouded in mystery. We know neither where nor exactly when he was born. But while early scholarship emphasized the vernacular character of his painting and graphic work, modern research has attached greater importance to its humanistic content. Starting out as a print designer for publisher Hieronymus Cock, Bruegel produced numerous print series that were distributed throughout Europe. These depicted vices and virtues alongside jolly peasant festivals and sweeping landscape panoramas. He would eventually increasingly turn to painting, working for the cultural elite of Antwerp and Brussels. This monograph is a testament to Bruegel's evolution as an artist, one who bravely confronted the issues of his day all the while proposing new inventions and solutions. Rather than idealizing reality, he addressed the horrors of religious warfare and took a critical stand against the institution of the Church. To this end, he developed his own pictorial language of dissidence, lacing innocuous everyday scenes with subliminal statements in order to escape repercussions. To produce this XXL-sized collection, TASCHEN undertook a comprehensive photographic campaign, capturing all the breadth and splendid detail of Bruegel's oeuvre like never before. The result gathers all 40 paintings, 65 drawings, and 89 engravings in pristine reproductions-each piece a unique witness to both the religious mores and the close-knit folk culture of Bruegel's time.Marking the 450th anniversary of his death and his first ever monographic exhibition at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, this volume is the most immersive journey into Bruegel's unique visual universe.

Big endowments + small package: major savings
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Done The "Little Book of Big Penis" features over 150 massively endowed models from the 1940s through the 90s, including photos by Bob Mizer of AMG, David Hurles of Old Reliable, Rip Colt of Colt Studio, Craig Calvin Anderson of Sierra Domino, Hal Roth of Filmco, Jim Jaeger of Third World Studios, Falcon Studios, Mike Arlen, Fred Bisonnes, Carlos Quiroz, and Charles Hovland in a compact and inexpensive soft-cover format. Photos come not just from the original over-stuffed 384-page edition, but from subsequent "Big Penis Calendars," meaning that 30% of the content is unique to this edition. Add a reduced text to make more room for the stunning black-and-white and color photos and how could anyone--big, small, or just right--ask for a better deal?
About the Series:

More bang for your buck ..".a fast-food, high-energy fix on the topic at hand.""The New York Times Book Review "

on the pocket series"
"

From Snow White to Cinderella, Rapunzel to Rumpelstiltskin, the Brothers Grimm bequeathed a canon of stories which have become literary and childhood classics. The most widely read story collection after the Bible, their magical tales are stalwarts of early learning and imagination, listed in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register as a vital part of our history and culture. This new edition of The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm brings to life 14 of the most beloved Grimm stories, including classics such as Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Hansel and Gretel. In a unique design format, each featured tale is paired with a different illustrator, bringing special pictorial splendor to each story. Featured artists include such masters of pictorial invention as Kay Nielsen, Walter Crane, and Viktor Paul Mohn, as well as many new discoveries. Historic and contemporary silhouettes-many commissioned especially for this anthology-further animate the tales, dancing across the page like delicate black lace. The book also contains a foreword on the Grimms' legacy and brief introductions to each fairy tale. For adults and children alike, this beautiful compilation brings the eternal magic of the Grimms' stories to the heart of every home.The following fairy tales are featured in the book:The Frog Prince, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, The Brave Little Tailor, Cinderella, Mother Holle, Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Rumpelstiltskin, The Star Coins, Puss 'n Boots, The Golden Goose, The Twelve Dancing Princesses.

This title includes topics such as: Luxury Sailing - Astondoa: Astondoa 102 glx, Astondoa 122 glx, Wally (motorboat): 70 Wallypower, 47 Walypower, Wally Tender; Lurssen: Linda Lou, Oasis, Capri; Aicon: Aicon 85 Fly; Riva: 115 Athena, 68 Ego, 85 Opera Super; Sea Independence (Ocean Independence): My Avella (Azimut), Wally (sailboat): 43 Meter Esense, 24 Meter Shaka, 24 Meter Tango, Wally B; Nawtor's Swan: Swan 82S, Swan 131, Club Swan 42; Hanse: 630e, 540e; Ferreti: Ferretti 880; Benetti: Amnesia; Holland Jachtbouw: Whisper; Royal Huisman: Maria Cattiva; Sunseeker: Sunseeker 105, Luxury Flying; Gulfstream: G450, Gulfstream V; Dassault Falcon: Falcon 7X; Hawker - Beechcraft: Hawker 750, Hawker 4000; Cessna: Citation X, Mustang, Luxury Driving; Corvette: Z06; Maserati: Quattro Porte; Hummer: Hummer H2 Special Edition; Rolls Royce: Phantom Drophead Coupe; Bentley: Brooklands, Continental GTC; BMW: HP2 Megamoto (motocycle); K 1200 R Sport (motocycle); Z4 Coupe; and M6 Convertible.It also covers: Mercedes-Benz: S65 AMG L; SLR McLaren; Lamborghini: Murcielago LP640 Coupe, Gallardo Superleggera; Jaguar: XKR; Harley Davidson: Screamin' Eagle Ultra Classic Electra; Yahama: FJR 1300 AS, MV Agusta: F4 CC; Maybach: Maybach 62; Porsche: Carrera GT; Ferrari: Enzo; Luxury Destinations; W Retreat and Spa Maldives (Fesdu Island, North Ari Atoll, Maldives); Casa Triton (Careyes, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico); Dolce & Gabanna Beauty Farm and Bar Martini (Milan, Italy); Bulgari Resort (Bali); Almyra (Pafos, Cyprus); Villa Amista (Verona, Italy); Steamworks (Toronto, Canada); Burj Al Arab (Dubai); Uma Paro (Paro, Bhutan); Gramercy Park Hotel (New York, USA); Luxury Moments; Delafee: Chocolate with gold; Whisky Dalmore: Whisky aged 62 years; Whisky The Isla of Jura 40 years; Dunhill: Dunhill d-Eight Black (luggage); Sidecar writing instruments; Wally: Skis; Yamaha: FX Cruiser HO (waverunner); Hublot: 1 M $ watch; and Iced Out Emz: World's most expensive Shift knob. It discusses: Altadis: Cohiba Behike (Most expensive cigar of the world); Girard-Perregaux: Laureato Regatta Tourbillon Chronograph; The Tourbillon Fountain Pen; Cartier: Pasha 42 mm; Tortue XL Cronometro Pulsador; Montblanc: Mystery Masterpiece (fountain pen, limited edition); Alexander Von Humboldt (fountain pen, limited edition Patron of Art); Timewalker Gold (watch); Callaway Golf: Big Bertha Heavenwood Hybrids-X-20 Irons; HR Diamonds: Royal Chess Charles Hollander Collection; Diamond Backgammon; Diamond Lighter; Diamond Golf Ball; Chanel: (not confirmed yet); Skis; Football; Henk Luggage Collection; Bang & Olufsen: Beovision 7-40; Home Theatre-BeoVision 4; Beosound 4 Music System; Pat Says Now: Scattered Diamond Mouse; Greenwood Golf Clubs; Globbe Trotter Collection; Wines: Krug Vintage, 1985, Champagne; Grand Cru Montrachet, 2002, Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Borgona; PETRUS, 1990, DOC Pomerol, Borgona; and Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, 1945, Medoc, Burdeos.It deals with: Screaming Eagle 1999, Napa Valley, California; Tokaji Eszencia 1947, Tokaji, Hungria; Pingus, xxxx, Dominio de Pingus, Ribera del Duero; Vinho de Porto, 1934, Bodegas Niepoort, Valle do Douro; Luxuriator Sunglasses; GoldVish Illusion: Mobile phone with diamonds; White Lake USB stick: USB with diamonds; MeiVici by Serotta: Bicycle; CM/by Bowers and Wilkins: Loudspeakers; CD lector 1621 A, by MBL; and Reference Line System: Sound system.

Talk of the town

A landmark in urban mapping

More than four centuries on from its first publication, discover one of the jewels of urban cartography and civic studies. This quality reprint includes the most enchanting color plates from the Civitates orbis terrarum, a magnificent collection of town map engravings, produced between 1572 and 1617.

Featuring plans, bird's-eye views, and maps for all major cities in Europe, plus important urban centers in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, this masterwork in urban mapping gives us a comprehensive view of city life at the turn of the 17th century. It was edited and annotated by theologian and publisher Georg Braun and largely engraved by Franz Hogenberg, but also involved over a hundred different artists and cartographers who contributed not only town views, but additional elements, such as figures in local dress, courtroom scenes, and topographical details, to help convey the situation, commercial power, and political influence of each city.

TASCHEN's reprint contextualizes the plates with selected extracts from Braun's original texts on the history and significance of each urban center as well as detailed commentaries to place each city map in its cartographical and cultural context.

The legend of Jean-Michel Basquiat is as strong as ever. Synonymous with New York in the 1980s, the artist first appeared in the late 1970s under the tag SAMO, spraying caustic comments and fragmented poems on the walls of the city. He appeared as part of a thriving underground scene of visual arts and graffiti, hip hop, post-punk, and DIY filmmaking, which met in a booming art world. As a painter with a strong personal voice, Basquiat soon broke into the established milieu, exhibiting in galleries around the world. Basquiat's expressive style was based on raw figures and integrated words and phrases. His work is inspired by a pantheon of luminaries from jazz, boxing, and basketball, with references to arcane history and the politics of street life-so when asked about his subject matter, Basquiat answered "royalty, heroism and the streets." In 1983 he started collaborating with the most famous of art stars, Andy Warhol, and in 1985 was on the cover of The New York Times Magazine. When Basquiat died at the age of 27, he had become one of the most successful artists of his time. This book allows an unprecedented insight into Basquiat's art, with pristine reproductions of his most seminal paintings, drawings, and notebook sketches. In large-scale format, the book offers vivid proximity to Basquiat's intricate marks and scribbled words, further illuminated by an introduction to the artist from editor Hans Werner Holzwarth, as well as an essay on his themes and artistic development from curator and art historian Eleanor Nairne. Richly illustrated year-by-year chapter breaks follow the artist's life and quote from his own statements and contemporary reviews to provide both personal background and historical context.

It's Clobberin' Time!

The family super-team

They debuted in Fantastic Four No. 1 in November 1961, and have gone on to be iconic not only as a team, but as individuals. Reed "Mister Fantastic" Richards, Sue "Invisible Girl" Storm, Johnny "Human Torch" Storm, and Ben "The Thing" Grimm are all iconic heroes, who love and fight with each other as only families can ... and they take down otherworldly bad guys like Dr. Doom and Galactus in the process. More than 50 years, thousands of comics, four animated and four feature films later, they remain one of the most enduring and exciting super-teams in pop culture. With 192 pages of images, and text by Roy Thomas, The Little Book of Fantastic Four is your comprehensive guide to this famous foursome!

Through ancient wonders, world capitals, and tiny places with infectious personalities, Europe packs some serious travel punches. The world's second-smallest continent makes up for size with its intricate cultures and abundant charms, boasting artistic masterpieces and architectural marvels as much as natural splendor. With 130 expert itineraries from The New York Times's popular 36 Hours column, this updated and revised third edition of the best-selling 36 Hours Europe reveals the continent's brightest gems and best-kept secrets, including 20 new stories. From wine tastings in Burgundy to Flamenco in Seville, from historical Cyprus to easygoing Copenhagen, you'll find the antique and the cutting-edge, the renowned and the unexpected, and all distilled into neat 36-hour schedules, so you can transform your weekends into European adventures. More than 4,500 hours' worth of insightful itineraries to make the most of your stay Practical recommendations for nearly 500 restaurants and over 400 hotels Comprehensive revisions to all 130 itineraries New destinations including Belgrade, the Amalfi Coast, Galway, and more Color-coded tabs for each region Nearly 750 photos 20 new stories Detailed city-by-city maps that pinpoint every stop on your itinerary From Antwerp to Zurich, trust TASCHEN's New York Times 36 Hours series with your next travel adventure.

It was 1830 when an English scientist named Henry De la Beche painted the first piece of paleoart, a dazzling, deliciously macabre vision of prehistoric reptiles battling underwater. Since then, artists the world over have conjured up visions of dinosaurs, woolly mammoths, cavemen, and other creatures, shaping our understanding of the primeval past through their exhilarating images. In this unprecedented new book, writer Zoe Lescaze and artist Walton Ford present the astonishing history of paleoart from 1830 to 1990. These are not cave paintings produced thousands of years ago, but modern visions of prehistory: stunning paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures, mosaics, and murals that mingle scientific fact with unbridled fantasy. The collection provides an in-depth look at this neglected niche of art history and shows how the artists charged with imagining extinct creatures often projected their own aesthetic whims onto prehistory, rendering the primordial past with dashes of Romanticism, Impressionism, Japonisme, Fauvism, and Art Nouveau, among other influences. With an incisive essay from Lescaze, a preface by Ford, four fold-outs, and dozens of details, the book showcases a stunning collection of artworks culled from major natural history museums, obscure archives, and private collections, and includes new photography of key works, including Charles R. Knight's seminal paintings in Chicago and little-known masterpieces such as A. M. Belashov's monumental mosaic in Moscow. From the fearsome to the fantastical, Paleoart is a celebration of prehistoric animals in art, and a novel chance to understand our favorite extinct beasts through an art historical lens.

Welcome to volume two of the most comprehensive catalogue of logos. Turning its searchlight on corporate identity, this encyclopedia gathers approximately 4,000 trademarks, with information about the designers, year of creation, country, brand, and company. In handy reference-book size, this is a sweeping survey of today's visual culture.

Zen, soothing, mystical, meditative-words cannot do justice to Asia's most beautiful interiors. Whether it's a gilded Tibetan monastery, a plantation in Sri Lanka, or a private villa in Thailand, each of the havens featured in this book are remarkable not only in aesthetic, but also in spirit. This showcase features 46 exceptional locations across Tibet, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, and Malaysia. Highlights include traditional Burmese stilt houses; the breathtaking Shiv Niwas Palace in India, visited by James Bond in Octopussy; Cambodian temples; a rice barge-turned houseboat in Thailand; a high-rise apartment overlooking the Singaporean skyline; the "Blue Mansion", an magnificient, indigo-painted courtyard house featured in the film Indochine; a breathtaking garden designed by Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa; and many, many more.

It was the decade of daring Expressionist canvases, of brilliant book design, of the Bauhaus total work of art, of pioneering psychology, of drag balls, cabaret, Metropolis, and Marlene Dietrich's rising star in theater and silent film. Between the paroxysms of two world wars, Berlin in the 1920s was a carpe diem cultural heyday, replete with groundbreaking art, invention, and thought. This book immerses readers in the freewheeling spirit of Berlin's Weimar age. Through exemplary works in painting, sculpture, architecture, graphic design, photography, and film, we uncover the innovations, ideas, and precious dreams that characterized this unique cultural window. We take in the jazz bars and dance halls; the crowded kinos and flapper fashion; the advances in technology and transport; the radio towers and rumbling trams and trains; the soaring buildings; the cinematic masterworks; and the newly independent women who smoked cigarettes, wore their hair short, and earned their own money. Featured works in this vivid cultural portrait include Hannah Hoech's The Journalists; Lotte Jacobi's Hands on Typewriter; Otto Dix's Portrait of the Journalist Sylvia von Harden; Peter Behrens's project of theAlexanderplatz; and Josef von Sternberg's The Blue Angel, starring Dietrich as cabaret performer Lola Lola. Along the way, we explore both the utopian yearnings and the more ominous economic and political realities which fueled the era's escapist, idealistic, or reactionary masterworks. Behind the bright lights and glitter dresses, we see the inflation, factory labor, and fragile political consensus that lurked beneath this golden era and would eventually spell its savage end with the rise of National Socialism.

For more than half a century, Annie Leibovitz has been taking culture-defining photographs. Her portraits of politicians, performers, athletes, businesspeople, and royalty make up a gallery of our time, imprinted on our collective consciousness by both the singularity of their subjects and Leibovitz's inimitable style. The catalogue to an installation at the LUMA Foundation in Arles, France, Annie Leibovitz: The Early Years, 1970-1983 returns to Leibovitz's origins. It begins with a moment of artistic revelation: the spontaneous shot that made Leibovitz think she could transition from painting to photography as her area of study at the San Francisco Art Institute. The meticulously and personally curated collection, including contact sheets and Polaroids, provides a vivid document both of Leibovitz's development as a young artist and of a pivotal era. Leibovitz's reportage-like photo stories for Rolling Stone, which she began working for when she was still a student, record such heady political, cultural, and counter-cultural developments as the Vietnam War protests, the launch of Apollo 17, the presidential campaign of 1972, Richard Nixon's resignation in 1974, and the Rolling Stones on tour in 1975. Then, as now, Leibovitz won the trust of the prominent and famous, and the book's pages are animated by many familiar faces, among them Muhammad Ali, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ken Kesey, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Joan Didion, and Debbie Harry, as well as John Lennon and Yoko Ono, captured in their now iconic embrace just hours before Lennon was assassinated. Throughout the book, the portraits and reportage are linked to images of cars, driving, and even a series on California highway patrolmen. In many ways, it's a celebration of life on the road-the frenetic rhythms, the chance encounters, the meditative opportunities. And with its rich archival aspects, it is also a tribute to an earlier time and a young photographer enmeshed in a culture that was itself in transition.

Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) made a unique modernist mark. Influenced by both the landscape and the political independence of his native Finland, he designed warm, curving, compassionate buildings, wholly set apart from the slick, mechanistic, geometric designs that characterized much contemporary European practice. Whether a church, a villa, a sauna, or a public library, Aalto's organic structures tended to replace plaster and steel with brick and wood, often incorporating undulating, wave-like forms, which would also appear in his chair, glassware, and lamp designs. An adherent to detail, Aalto insisted upon the humanity of his work stating: "Modern architecture does not mean using immature new materials; the main thing is to work with materials towards a more human line." Many of Aalto's public buildings such as Saynatsalo Town Hall, the lecture theatre at Otaniemi Technical University, the Helsinki National Pensions Institute and the Helsinki House of Culture may be seen as psychological as well as physical landmarks in the rebuilding of Finland after the ravages of war.

Here, Kitty, Kitty!

Dive into the origin of us all

The Big Book of Pussy, not to be confused with a book of big pussies, closed out the popular “body part” series with an offering just as controversial as it was popular back in 2011. As in previous volumes, editor Dian Hanson explored the historical significance of her subject, explaining how the female genitalia have been coveted, feared, reviled, and worshipped by civilizations worldwide, from New Guinea to old Ireland. Her text was supported by playfully positive photographs of women exposing their vulvas, from 1900 to 2010. And with more than 400 photos, the point was made emphatically, in images both naturally furry and stylishly groomed.

Now, this fresh edition reframes not just the subject, but the format and design of this popular volume in the portable and affordable Bibliotheca Universalis size, to meet the needs of consumers like the gentleman who commented on Amazon, “Who wants a two-ton Pussy Book being ‘exposed’ for the mailman?” Relax, my finicky friend! Your pussy now arrives in a discreet 14 x 19.5 cm (5.5 x 7.7 in.) size!

Included are interviews with the auteur known as Pussyman, the ex-cop who turned masturbation into millions with a toy called the Fleshlight, clit queen Vanessa del Rio, squirter Flower Tucci, and vaginal performance artist Mouse. Contemporary photographers Richard Kern, Ralph Gibson, Jan Saudek, Guido Argentini, Ed Fox, and others share their favorite pussy photos, urging even the shyest reader to call, “Here, kitty, kitty!”

“Discover 111 years of images of women as nude as the news, and just as pleasantly delivered… an exceptionally well-written and insightful book, and a time capsule of how we perceive this aspect of the female body.” — LA Weekly

About the series:

Bibliotheca Universalis―Compact cultural companions celebrating the eclectic TASCHEN universe at an unbeatable, democratic price! Since we started our work as cultural archaeologists in 1980, TASCHEN has become synonymous with accessible, open-minded publishing. Bibliotheca Universalis brings together more than 100 of our all-time favorite titles in a neat new format so you can curate your own affordable library of art, anthropology, and aphrodisia. Bookworm’s delight―never bore, always excite!

Text in English, French, and German

We owe a great debt to Jean Baptiste Marc Bourgery (1797-1849) for his Atlas of Anatomy, which was not only a massive event in medical history, but also remains one of the most comprehensive and beautifully illustrated anatomical treatises ever published. Bourgery began work on his magnificent atlas in 1830 in cooperation with illustrator Nicolas Henri Jacob (1782-1871), a student of the French painter Jacques Louis David. The first volumes were published the following year, but completion of the treatise required nearly two decades of dedication; Bourgery lived just long enough to finish his labor of love, but the last of the treatise's eight volumes was not published in its entirety until five years after his death. The eight volumes of Bourgery's treatise cover descriptive anatomy, surgical anatomy and techniques (exploring in detail nearly all the major operations that were performed during the first half of the 19th century), general anatomy and embryology, and microscopic anatomy. Jacob's spectacular hand-colored lithographs are remarkable for their clarity, color, and aesthetic appeal, reflecting a combination of direct laboratory observation and illustrative research. Unsurpassed to this day, the images offer exceptional anatomical insight, not only for those in the medical field but also for artists, students, and anyone interested in the workings and wonder of the human body.

Celebrating the centennial of a groundbreaking School of Art and Design, this volume marks the founding of the Bauhaus with a visual exploration of its most underrated members. While the institution provided women with new opportunities in education, along the way, they were faced with unreasonable family expectations, the ambiguous attitude of the faculty and administration, outdated social conventions, and, ultimately, the political repression of the Nazi regime. Unprecedented in current literature, Bauhausmadels presents 87 artists and artisans through texts and photographic portraits, many published for the very first time. Recent archival discoveries revive the biographies of better-known talents. These include Marianne Brandt, the first woman to be admitted to the Bauhaus metalworking program whose designs are used by Alessi to this day; Gertrud Arndt who, dissuaded by the faculty from studying architecture, instead shone through her photography and rug design; and Lucia Moholy, who photographed the Bauhaus buildings in iconic shots, but spent the rest of her life trying to retrieve the negatives which were withheld from her. Moreover, the volume reminds us of other women artists whose names, nearly forgotten, also stand for early pioneers of gender equality, refusing to follow the beaten tracks society and their families insisted on. With almost 400 portrait photographs taken between 1919 and 1933, Bauhausmadels creates a visual impression of the women artists who attended the most progressive art school of the 20th century and, departing from there, often changed the world of art, architecture, design, and even politics. Insightful biographical data sheds light on each artist's individual struggle, persistence in the face of adversity, and incredible accomplishments. In this grand family album, we discover a group of unique trailblazers whose legacy paved the way for women artists after them.

Until May 2017, Robert Crumb was simply lauded as the greatest underground artist. Then his cover drawing for the 1969 comic Fritz the Cat sold for a record $ 717,000, the highest price ever realized for any comic, and concepts of under- and aboveground went out the window. Now everything Crumb is fast increasing in value; the perfect time for R. Crumb Sketchbook, Volume 3: Jan. 1975-Dec. 1982. Combining volumes 5 and 6 from the second R. Crumb Sketchbook boxed set, and produced directly from the original artworks now belonging to an ardent French collector, this is one big 444-page Crumb feast for way less than his rare originals. Among the hundreds of subjects included are Crumb's move to rural California, his marriage to Aline Kominsky, the birth of daughter Sophie, as well as further adventures of Mr. Natural, mischievous Snoids, Arcade comics strips, political discontent, existential angst, huge powerful women, geeky little guys, Mao Tse Tung, Mick Jagger and moral outrage, all wrapped up in a quality hard cover featuring front and back illustrations newly hand-colored by Crumb himself.

The work of Henri Matisse (1869-1954) reflects an ongoing belief in the power of brilliant colors and simple forms. Though famed in particular for his paintings, Matisse also worked with drawing, sculpture, lithography, stained glass, and collage, developing his unique cut-out medium when old age left him unable to stand and paint. Matisse's subjects were often conventional: nudes, portraits, and figures in landscapes, Oriental scenes, and interior views, but in his handling of bold color and fluid draftsmanship, he secured his place as a 20th-century master. It was Matisse's palette that particularly thrilled the modern imagination. With vivid blue, amethyst purple, egg-yolk yellow, and many shades beyond he liberated his work from a meticulous representation of reality and sought instead a "vital harmony," often referring to music as an inspiration or analogy for his work. A comprehensive and informative source, this lavishly illustrated publication has been revised in close collaboration with the Matisse estate. Including preparatory studies, full-page reproductions, and enlarged details, discover the artist's adventurous path, from the chromatic brilliance of his Fauve period, right through to his invention of gouache cut-outs at the ripe age of 80. Each image has been reproduced with painstaking care to create a viewing experience worthy of the expressionist par excellence. The bard of color deserves no less.

Erased by bombing during the Korean War, North Korea's trophy capital of Pyongyang was entirely rebuilt from scratch from 1953, in line with the vision of the nation's founder, Kim Il-sung. Designed as an imposing stage set, it is a place of grand axial boulevards linking gargantuan monuments, lined with stately piles of distinctly Korean flavor, to be "national in form and socialist in content."Under the present leader, Kim Jong-un, construction has ramped up apace-"Let us turn the whole country into a socialist fairyland," declares one of his official patriotic slogans. He is rapidly transforming Pyongyang into a playground, conjuring a flimsy fantasy of prosperity and using architecture as a powerful anesthetic, numbing the population from the stark reality of his authoritarian regime.Guardian journalist and photographer Oliver Wainwright takes us on an eye-opening tour behind closed doors in the most secretive country in the world, revealing that past the grand stone facades lie lavish wonder-worlds of marble and mosaic, coffered ceilings, and crystal chandeliers, along with new interiors in dazzling color palettes. Discover the palatial reading rooms of the Grand People's Study House, and peer inside the locker rooms of the recently renovated Rungrado May Day Stadium, ready to host a FIFA World Cup that will never come.This collection features about 300 photographs with insightful captions, as well as an introductory essay where Wainwright charts the history and development of Pyongyang, explaining how the architecture and interiors embody the national "Juche" ideology and questioning what the future holds for the architectural ambitions of this enigmatic country.

Step into a world of star-crossed lovers, magical winds, mischievous giants, and trolls, through some of the most exquisite illustrations in publishing history. In this gorgeous reprint, TASCHEN revives the most ambitious publication project of beloved Danish artist Kay Nielsen, one of the most famous children's book illustrators of all time. First published in 1914, East of the Sun and West of the Moon is a celebrated collection of fifteen fairy tales, gathered by legendary Norwegian folklorists Peter Christen Asbjornsen and Jorgen Engebretsen Moe on their journeys across Norway in the mid-nineteenth century. Nielsen's illustration edition of Asbjornsen and Moe's tales is considered a jewel of early 20th-century children's literature, highly sought-after by art and book collectors worldwide. An original signed copy of the book sold at auction in 2008 commanded the highest price ever paid for an illustrated children's book. This finely crafted reprint restores the stunning detail and artistry of Nielsen's images to their original splendor. Featuring 46 illustrations, including many enlarged details from Nielsen's rare original watercolors, the book is printed in five colors with a lovingly designed slipcase. Three accompanying essays, illustrated with dozens of rare and previously unseen artworks by Nielsen, explore the history of Norwegian folktales, Nielsen's life and work, and how this masterpiece came to be.

Friedrich Stowasser, born in Vienna in 1928, called himself Friedensreich Hundertwasser Regentag Dunkelbunt. True to the variety of his names, his practice spanned innumerable forms-from painting and designing buildings to creating stamps and coins-and his titles were many: environmental activist, philosopher, individualist, architect, ecologist, and visual artist. He was, in his own words, "one who awakens identities." Across his work, Hundertwasser embraced the biomorphic, the irregular, and the irrational. Drawing inspiration from masters as varied as Gaudi and Gustav Klimt, his categorical rejection of the "godless and immoral" straight line, as well as his boycott of "monotonous architecture," infused his bold, colorful works with a vitality that set him aside from most. Born of this fervent activism and unique universe was his own belief system, called "transautomatism," which privileged the viewer's experience above all. Whether he was planting trees in urban settings or proclaiming the "right to a window," Hundertwasser's visions of a harmonious future between humans and nature continue to resonate with increasing urgency. Once out of print, this re-edition of a TASCHEN classic works in close collaboration with the Hundertwasser Foundation to present the Viennese master's oeuvre in all its different facets. Because his work is, by nature, virtually inseparable from his biography, private life, and political actions, a vivid portrait of Hundertwasser takes shape through his own lens. Excerpts from conversations between the author and the artist add immediacy and authenticity to this intimate monograph. "If man walks in nature's midst, then he is nature's guest and must learn to behave as a well-brought-up guest." - Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

From emergency relief shelters to a cardboard cathedral and exhibition spaces in shipping containers, Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban has made his name with his restlessly inventive response to material and situation, as much as with his humanitarian work at the sites of natural and man-made disasters. According to scholar Riichi Miyake, Ban's work represents "an architectural iteration of Doctors Without Borders." In the spirit of three-dimensional poetry, Ban uses materials as an integral part of his design, selected not for their cutting-edge credentials but rather for their expressive ability, their capacity to convey the building's overall concept. In particular, Ban has made regular use of paper tubing in projects as varied as the Japanese Pavilion at Expo 2000 in Hanover and emergency shelters for Rwanda's Byumba Refugee Camp. This essential introduction, compiled with Ban's own collaboration, presents his most important projects to date, surveying the full reach and importance of, in the words of the Pritzker Prize jury, a "committed teacher who is not only a role model for younger generations, but also an inspiration."

A good logo can glamorize just about anything. Now available in our popular Klotz format, this sweeping compendium gathers diverse brand markers from around the world to explore the irrepressible power of graphic representation. Organized into chapters by theme, the catalogue explores how text, image, and ideas distill into a logo across events, fashion, media, music, and retailers. Featuring work from both star names and lesser-known mavericks, this is an excellent reference for students and professionals in design and marketing, as well as for anyone interested in the visuals and philosophy behind brand identity.