Vogue: Like a Painting, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, 65 USD
The worlds of art and fashion beautifully collide in this monograph, which explores the extensive Vogue archive of fashion photographs that are modeled after European art history. Throughout the last eight decades, revered photographers, including Steven Klein, Mario Testino, and Peter Lindbergh, have frequently (and with great ease) referenced European art historical tradition within their respective editorials. Whether you prefer Spanish paintings from the Golden Age, Victorian portraiture, or English Romantic landscapes, homages of all kinds can be found.
Edvard Munch: Archetypes, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, 75 USD
Nobody knew how to effortlessly combine tradition and experimentation quite like Edvard Munch. The Norwegian artist's long and abundant career encompassed masterworks in the movements of symbolism and expressionism (not to mention, he was one of the founders of modern art as we know it), as well as jarring explorations in psychology (you've heard of The Scream, right?). By carefully choosing 80 of his works, this monograph explores Munch's unique aesthetic language and how he perceived humanity—specifically, the "archetypes" of love, desire, jealousy, angst, and death, and the "states of mind" of melancholy, passion, and submission. Prepare yourself for a psychological journey.
Slash: A History of the Legendary L.A. Punk Magazine, Hat & Beard Press, 60 USD
During its brief run between 1977-1980, Slash, a celebrated punk and new wave Los Angeles fanzine, helped shape and define L.A.'s punk subculture, despite only publishing a total of 29 issues. Paying tribute to the large-format tabloid, which always included various photographs, cartoons, and essays, this book features every cover of Slash and reprints of some of the best articles and interviews published before its unfortunate demise.
Ellsworth Kelly, Phaidon, 125 USD
Ellsworth Kelly—prolific painter, sculptor, printmaker, and early pioneer of abstract art— passed away last month at the age of 92. What better way to honor his legacy than browsing through the only definitive monograph of his life and career, which extensively covers all of his major works and periods? Created in close collaboration with Kelly shortly before his death, the reader can expect illustrations and never-before-published images, as well as insightful and in-depth interviews with the artist himself. If this monograph makes anything clear, it's that Kelly's prominence in the art world will live on forever.
Carolee Schneemann: Kinetic Painting, Prestel, 60 USD
The American-born visual artist Carolee Schneemann became one of the key faces of the feminist art movement upon its emergence in the 1970s. Whether she was exploring taboos, controversial themes of politics and eroticism, or the idea of feminism in its purest form, Schneemann became synonymous with proudly incorporating her body into her oeuvre (perhaps Interior Scroll rings a few bells). This book explores the artist's wide-ranging and provocative career in its entirety—from paintings to performances to video installations—and features a plethora of images and commentary from Schneemann herself.
Kandinsky: The Elements of Art, Thames & Hudson, 85 USD
A lavish monograph that chronicles the evolution of Wassily Kandinsky's life and art, this is a must-read for enthusiasts of the Russian painter, or rather, enthusiasts of abstract and expressionistic art in general. Extensively tracing Kandinsky's career from his childhood to his final years in Paris, colorful illustrations—everything from Colour Study to Contrasting Sounds to Round Poetry—are juxtaposed next to unique autobiographical writings and correspondences that shed light on his prolific imagination. Additionally, the volume presents information about his involvement with the formation of "Der Blaue Reiter" and his subsequent influence on the Bauhaus, Dada, and Russian constructivism movements.
