Now available in a new format, this lavishly illustrated volume explores Art Deco art and design from its origin to its present day influences. The Art Deco style is so recognizable and widespread that its original impact on the culture in which it emerged has been all but lost in the clutter of imitation. This book draws our attention back to the birth of Art Deco a period between two devastating world wars when industrialization was flourishing, interest in archaeology was peaking, and movements such as Cubism, Constructivism, Futurism, and Modernism were turning the art world on its head. Brilliantly designed to reflect the style it celebrates, "Art Deco" is filled with hundreds of examples of painting, architecture, interiors, jewelry, crafts, furniture, and fashion. Author Norbert Wolf traces the chronology of the Art Deco style by looking at the politics and culture of Europe in the 1920s and early 30s and the artistic movements that paralleled its popularity. He follows Art Deco s influence in Europe and its spread to the Americas and Asia. Most importantly, this wideranging volume looks beyond the era of Art Deco s origination to the present day. Pointing to the numerous revivals and contemporary echoes in painting and even literature, this beautiful volume demonstrates the style s lasting importance."

Bind: hardback

Pages: 288

Dimensions: 226 x 323 mm

Publication Date: 20-03-2016

One of the art world's most recognisable and popular styles, Impressionism is also one of the most complex. In this sumptuous overview Norbert Wolf lends his attention to all aspects of Impressionism: its historical precursors, contemporary rivals and the movements it inspired. Over 200 large format reproductions of entire works and highlighted details introduce readers to the Impressionists' aesthetics and techniques. Wolf draws insightful parallels between these paintings and other contemporary works of music, photography, and literature. Tracing the movement's expansion from France to the rest of Europe and North America, this volume shines a spotlight on the main protagonists not only highlighting the French pioneers--Claude Monet, Gustave Caillebotte, Edouard Manet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, and others--but also Max Liebermann, Lovis Corinth, John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt, William Merritt Chase, and James McNeill Whistler, to name a few. As luxurious as it is authoritative, this wide-ranging investigation of a momentous period in art history reveals works and ideas that will surprise even the most seasoned aficionado.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 272

Dimensions: 280 x 340 mm

Now available in a new edition, this lavishly illustrated volume draws on the latest research to present an exciting new interpretation of Albrecht Dürer, both as a man and as an artist. Albrecht Durer’s prints and drawings have inspired hundreds of artists, both during his life and after his death. Yet his talent as a painter and colorist, and his enthusiasm for the scientific world have not been widely appreciated. Durer’s influence was both international and intergenerational—indeed Picasso claimed to have been inspired by the 16th-century artist. Reproduced in stunning detail and including illustrations of Durer’s most famous prints and drawings, a catalog raisonne of his paintings, and biographical research, this book presents a Durer for the 21st century. Producing more self-portraits than any other artist of his day; mass marketing his best-selling prints; even inventing his own monogram logo; Albrecht Durer was commercially astute long before today’s generation of self-promoting and financially-savvy artists. There are 55 extant Durer paintings, of which 17 are in dispute. Using scientific research, this book puts all arguments to bed resulting in the definitive catalog raisonne of the paintings. Drawing on in-depth research, this book reveals the truth behind Durer and his art.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 300

Dimensions: 222 x 320 mm

Publication Date: 01-02-2017

The Art Nouveau movement became an international phenomenon at the beginning of the twentieth century that ushered in the era of modernity in almost every aspect of cultural life. For decades critics have argued that Art Nouveau was not an artistic period in its own right, but an amalgam of artists and styles that served as a bridge between neoclassicism and modernism. In this comprehensive, authoritative and copiously illustrated book, art historian Norbert Wolf explores Art Nouveau as a logical outgrowth of the historic forces in which it arose. This book focuses on the movement's wide variety of applications and reclaims its prominence in the pantheon of modern art history. Chapters on aesthetics, spirituality and the cult of beauty offer luminous examples of works by Mucha, Gaudi, Hoffmann, Klimt, Horta, Munch and Tiffany, among many others. Wolf's text is both informed and accessible, providing an exciting narrative that brings the Art Nouveau movement into clear focus. Beautifully produced to appeal to a wide range of readers, this new edition gives one of the world's most popular styles the serious consideration it deserves.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 304

Dimensions: 228 x 328 mm

Publication Date: 14-04-2015

For Henri Matisse, drawing was an exercise as personal as it was essential to his art. These black and white and gently coloured sketches allow the viewer to appreciate the quality of Matisse’s lines, their confidence and ease, as well as the intense relationship between artist and model. Matisse’s joie de vivre, his love of beauty, and his fascination with the human body are fully in evidence in this lovely volume.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 64

Dimensions: 185 x 230 mm

Publication Date: 21-08-2017

Coinciding with the rise of the Habsburg dynasty and the expansion of the Spanish Empire, the Spanish Golden Age created a fertile environment for cultural and scientific discovery. Some of the country’s greatest music, literature, and architecture was created in the period between the mid-sixteenth and seventeenth centuries—and painting was no exception. Rich in illustrations and fascinating texts, this overview takes a thematic and chronological approach to the era and its later influences. Opening with Spain’s emergence as a European power, it explores how developments such as the construction of El Escorial ushered in a new era for painting; how the cities of Madrid, Toledo, and Seville developed as centers of intellectual, political, and artistic activity; and how the Baroque period gave way to the Rococo after the collapse of the Habsburg empire. Every major painter of the period is included here, with 250 gloriously reproduced works by El Greco, Ribera, Velázquez, Zurbarán, Murillo, Ribalta, Goya, and dozens more. A final chapter reveals how Spanish painters of the twentieth century, such as Picasso and Dalí, were shaped by their Golden Age forebears.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 272

Dimensions: 290 x 340 mm

Publication Date: 05-09-2023

One of the art world’s most recognizable and popular styles, Impressionism is also one of the most complex. In this sumptuous overview Norbert Wolf lends his attention to all aspects of Impressionism: its historical precursors, contemporary rivals, and the movements it inspired. Over 200 reproductions of entire works and highlighted details introduce readers to the Impressionists’ aesthetics and techniques. Wolf draws insightful parallels between these paintings and other contemporary works of music, photography, and literature. Charting the movement’s expansion from France to the rest of Europe and North America, this volume shines a spotlight on the main protagonists who were key in the development of Impressionism. It highlights not only the French pioneers— Claude Monet, Gustave Caillebotte, Édouard Manet, PierreAuguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, and others—but also Max Liebermann, Lovis Corinth, John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt, William Merritt Chase, and James McNeill Whistler. Authoritative and illuminating, this wide-ranging exploration of Impressionism’s astounding impact on art history will surprise even the most seasoned aficionado.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 272

Dimensions: 255 x 300 mm

Publication Date: 03-10-2023