By Sara Evans | Featured in the Fall 2015 Issue – Art Of The Times
Each season, we are dazzled by new releases. Specifically, an amazing array of beautiful art and design books cross our desks. Here, we present a few of our favorites for your reading list.
Photography and Architecture
First on our list is Before They Pass Away by Jimmy Nelson. This stunning book documents disappearing ethnicities around the world. Threatened by globalization, these tribes cling to a life in harmony with nature. Nelson beautifully documents their customs and soulful portraits.
Next, we feature Palm Beach Chic by Jennifer Ash Rudick. This lavish volume explores the town synonymous with wealth. Lush photographs capture newly restored Mediterranean Revival houses and Moorish casbahs. Ultimately, it highlights an eclectic mix of old and new.
Craft and Digital Art
For textile lovers, there is Red & White Quilts: Infinite Variety. Scholar Elizabeth Warren explores the extraordinary collection of Joanna S. Rose. Containing over 650 quilts, each one is filled with unique combinations of patterns. Notably, over 26,000 people viewed this collection in New York.
Alternatively, To Joy by Sebastiaan Bremer offers a modern twist. This book is a detailed exploration of the Dutch artist’s digital images. Bremer draws directly onto his photographs. Consequently, he creates a swirling ring of psychedelic art that is uniquely his own.
Modern Masters: Klee, Kandinsky, and Rockwell
Giants in the modern art movement, Klee and Kandinsky were both friends and rivals. The book Klee and Kandinsky explores this complex relationship. It traces their history from the Blue Rider group to the Bauhaus years.
On the American front, we have American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell. Rockwell’s iconic images are part of the national consciousness. This fine volume examines his life through art, letters, and photographs.
Nature and Illustration
Few know Henri Matisse as a book illustrator. However, Graphic Passion: Matisse and the Book Arts recounts this history. From 1912 to 1954, Matisse engaged in nearly fifty illustration projects.
Similarly, Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse focuses on nature. Impressionists were among the first to paint gardens directly from life. This volume traces the evolution of the garden theme, featuring masterpieces by Monet, Renoir, and Sargent.
Finally, we recommend A Butterfly Journey by Boris Friedewald. This elegant volume documents the work of Maria Sibylla Merian (1647–1717). She was an intrepid explorer and naturalist. The book recounts her monumental expedition to Surinam and her advocacy for slave laborers.
