Origins

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foreword by Leo Castelli

Jasper Johns, one of the most influential artists of our time, has been the subject of intense public scrutiny since his landmark first exhibition in 1958. Yet this book, published in conjunction with the 1996-97 exhibition "Jasper Johns: A Retrospective" at The Museum of Modern Art, is the first to present this very private figure in his own words. It brings together Johns's few written articles, key interviews, and the fullest selection ever of his sketchbook drawings and notes. Important parts of this material are published here for the first time; others have previously been unavailable in English. The provocative originality and subtlety of Johns's thoughts on art, and his well-known concern with precision in language, are evident throughout. This volume will be indispensable for the study of the artist, and will provide fascination and pleasure for all readers interested in contemporary creativity.

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Eduard Hüttinger

"The Swiss artist, designer and architect Max Bill (1908-1994) remains a key figure in Europe's applied arts and is one of Concrete and Constructive art's most influential exponents. Bill's 100th birthday offers the occasion to cast a new glance at his versatile oeuvre; several of the sculptures, paintings, furnishings, use objects and typographies in this book have only rarely been available for viewing. The texts additionally shed light on Bill's artistic environment and document his influence on other artists."--Jacket.

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Matthi Forrer

This volume includes full-color reproductions of drawings and woodblock prints by Japan's most beloved artist. These landscapes-including his famous views of Mount Fuji- portraits of lovers and kabuki actors, nature and animal illustrations, as well as scenes of daily life in eighteenth and nineteenth-century Japan reveal the artist's genius for rendering a wide variety of subjects. Matthi Forrer discusses in his essay Hokusai's life and lasting popularity while placing his work within the context of Japanese society and the work of his contemporaries.

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Mellissa Chiu and Melissa Ho

"In her mesmerizing films and photographs, Shirin Neshat (Iranian-American, b. Qazvin, 1957) examines the nuances of power and identity in the Islamic world--particularly in her native country of Iran, where she lived until 1975. This book, the companion volume to the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum exhibition of the same name, presents an array of Neshat's most compelling works, illuminating the points at which cultural and political events have inflected her artistic practice. Included are the "Women of Allah" photographs that catapulted the artist to international acclaim in the 1990s; lyrical video installations, which immerse the viewer in imagery and sound; and the photographic series "The Book of Kings"--including its latest chapter, Our House Is on Fire, created in the aftermath of the recent Egyptian revolutions. Commenting on freedom and loss, Neshat's deeply humanistic art is at once personal, political, and allegorical, and this book is an essential testament to its enduring power"--