"Shunga, or "images of spring," are erotic polychrome engravings produced for the pleasure-loving society of Japan. Painted by the masters of the Ukiyo-e school during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, the Shunga served a number of purposes: illustrations for love novels, instructive albums for young wives, or even lucky charms for warriors."--BOOK JACKET. "This book offers readers a collection of rare prints never before published, enriched by succinct, highly informative captions, as well as text introducing the various periods and defining characteristics of the genre."--BOOK JACKET.
"Angura: Posters of the Japanese Avant-Garde presents the extraordinary posters created for a group of experimental Japanese theater troupes during the 1960s and 1970s. The term angura (underground) accurately describes the nature of this countercultural theater movement. Rejecting the standards and mores of modern drama and dance, the politically-charged plays and performances of these theater groups were purposefully outrageous and provocative. Similarly, the designers who created posters for these companies rebelled against the conventions of contemporary Japanese design culture and international modernism. Combining the vivid and sexually explicit elements of sixties psychedelia with traditional Japanese design and printmaking techniques, these posters are artifacts of a tumultuous period in both Japanese graphic arts and society as a whole."--BOOK JACKET. "Author David G. Goodman illuminates the theatrical movement for which these posters were created, provides a brief history of modern Japanese graphic design, and describes both the posters themselves and the artists who created them."--BOOK JACKET.
"This book chronicles the friendship and working relationship between Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) and Joseph Cornell (1903-1972), two of the twentieth century's most innovative and influential artists. Joseph Cornell/Marcel Duchamp...in resonance publishes for the first time the Duchamp Dossier (c. 1942-53) - a hitherto publicly unknown collection compiled by Cornell and discovered in the artist's estate following his death in 1972. The small objects, typed and handwritten notes, and ephemera found within the Duchamp Dossier provide an absorbing record of the interchange between these two artists, which included Cornell's assisting Duchamp on the assembly of his edition de ou par Marcel Duchamp ou Rrose Selavy (commonly referred to as the Boite-en-valise)." "Both artists were intrigued by the connection between art and the found object, and they shared a fascination with replicated images and the processes of reproduction. They had parallel interests in optical devices, ephemeral mediums (such as glass, dust, and paper), filmmaking, and graphic design. The book focuses in depth on Duchamp's box editions and Cornell's often neglected "explorations," arranged files of printed matter, notes, and ephemera related to individuals or specific themes."--BOOK JACKET.
Aldo Rossi (Milan, 1931-97) is one of the architects who combines a serious contribution to architectural theory as well as a large number of built projects. This book presents, with illustrations, close to 60 projects chronologically ordered, including a catalogue of Rossiis buildings and a biographical profile.
The members of the legendary Medici family amassed a fabulous hoard in the course of their long reign over Florence. This incredible assemblage of rings, statuettes, vases, brooches, and other objects, made of gold, silver, jade, alabaster, and other precious substances, was brought from Europe, Asia, China, and even the New World to beautify the persons and palaces of the Medici. Many European kings and princes had Schatzkammers or cabinets de curiosite that were a reflection of their power and the breadth of their interests. None, however, played such an important role in bringing together and sponsoring brilliant carvers of stone and crystal as well as sculptors, gold- and silversmiths as did the Medici for over two centuries. It seems scarcely conceivable that a single family - even one dominated by the preeminent bankers, princes, and artistic patrons of the day - could have gathered so many splendid treasures. These also included elaborate church reliquaries, priceless Greek and Roman cameos, as well as Renaissance bronzes, often imitations of ancient sculpture that reflect the Renaissance passion for antiquity. Here, for the first time, is a complete guide to these remarkable objets d'art. In this unique work, Anna Maria Massinelli and Filippo Tuena have assembled an inventory of the Medici treasures now held in such collections as the Museo degli Argenti, the Bargello, and the church of San Lorenzo in Florence and the Museo Nazionale in Naples. They have chosen the most dazzling and important pieces for reproduction in this richly illustrated volume. Published on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent - greatest of his line - The Treasures of the Medici is a catalog for an exhibition that could have taken place only were that dynasty still in power. The assistance of the Italian state has ensured that this is as near as possible a definitive record of an unparalleled inheritance: the only chance to see its entire range brought together. A superb demonstration of the pride and power of one of Europe's greatest families, this glittering treasure contains some of the finest craftsmanship of its time, commemorating an age of supreme artistic brilliance that holds immense appeal for everyone interested in the Renaissance and its unique masterpieces.
