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A fresh look at the stories at the heart of Norse mythology, exploring their cultural impact right up to the present day. The heroes and villains of Norse mythology have endured for centuries, infiltrating art, opera, film, television and books, shape-shifting - like the trickster Loki - to suit the cultures that encountered them. Through careful analysis of the literature and archaeology of the Norse world, Carolyne Larrington takes us deep into the realm described in the Icelandic sagas, from the gloomy halls of Hel to the dazzling heights of Asgard. She expertly examines the myths' many modern-day reimaginings, revealing the guises that have been worn by the figures of Norse myth, including Marvel's muscled, golden-haired Thor and George R.R Martin's White Walkers, who march inexorably southwards, bringing their eternal winter with them. This sophisticated yet accessible guide explores how these powerful stories have inspired our cultural landscape, from fuelling the creative genius of Wagner to the construction of the Nazi's nationalist ideology. Larrington's elegantly written retellings capture the essence of the original myths while also delving into the history of their meanings. The myths continue to speak to such modern concerns as masculinity and environmental disaster - after the inevitable, apocalyptic ragna rök, renewal comes from the roots of Yggdrasill, the World Tree.

An essential overview of great kingdoms in African history and their legacies, written by world-leading experts. This is the first book for a general reader to explore the great precolonial kingdoms of Africa that have been marginalized throughout history. An array of leading scholars offer an innovative and thought-provoking overview that takes us from ancient Egypt and Nubia to the Zulu Kingdom almost 2000 years later. The book aims to decentre European colonialism and slavery as the major themes of African history and instead explore the kingdoms, dynasties and city-states that have shaped cultures across the African continent. This is a vital book for anyone who wants to expand their knowledge of Africa's rich history. While Africa in the twenty-first century is emerging as a crucial part of the changing world order, many readers know little about Africa's past, beyond the devastation wrought by European colonialists. This books sets out to explore the complexity of Africa's precolonial history, from the Songhai Empire to the Sokoto Caliphate. Each chapter is written by a leading historian, interweaving political and social history and drawing on a rich array of sources, including oral histories and recent archaeological findings.

A charming, lively and often amusing tour of 36 forgotten episodes and overlooked people and places of Scottish history. Scotland¿s history is full of famous kings, queens, saints and warriors. But what about its lesser-known places, people and events? In this collection of half-forgotten tales, Alistair Moffat brings their stories out of the shadows, from the clashes of proud Picts and `pirate kings¿ in the early medieval period to the invention of tartan, whisky, Aberdeen Angus and Peter Pan. Each surprising or scandalous twist sheds a new light on the history of Scotland.

A new concise history of modern painting, offering an indispensable reference to the complexities and characteristics of this medium. While acknowledging the legacy of Herbert Read¿s classic 1959 study A Concise History of Modern Painting in the World of Art series, academic and artist Simon Morley places the foundation of modern art much earlier than Read, at the emergence of Romanticism and the dawn of the industrial age. Structured loosely chronologically by period, the focus is as much on individual artists as well as movements, with works discussed within a broader context - stylistic, historical, geographical, and gender and ethnic frames - themes that recur throughout the chapters. Generously illustrated, the global and diverse range of artists featured include William Blake, Édouard Manet, Hilma af Klint, Kazimir Malevich, Willem de Kooning, Amrita Sher-Gil, Faith Ringgold, and Kehinde Wiley. This guide also includes an Appendix in the form of questions the reader might like to ask in relation to the artists and the ideas discussed - in order to reconsider the works from a contemporary perspective.

The official book commemorating the 50th anniversary of The Dark Side Of The Moon. March 2023 marks fifty years since the release of Pink Floyd's classic album The Dark Side Of The Moon. Designed by Pentagram to high specifications, this celebratory publication brims with rare and unseen photographs and reveals the visual conception of the original iconic album artwork. It will be a covetable package for the legions of Floyd fans out there ¿ new and old. ¿ Presents rare and unseen backstage and onstage photography of the band during the album tours of 1972 to 1975. ¿ 129 candid photographs by Storm Thorgerson, Jill Furmanovsky, Aubrey Powell and Peter Christopherson document the soundchecks, the shows and the after shows. ¿ A review of the October 1972 Wembley gig, originally published in Melody Maker, provides insight into one of the Floyd¿s most celebrated performances. ¿ Reveals the visual conception of the iconic album artwork. ¿ Includes a complete listing of the tour dates.

An absorbing group biography revealing how exiles from war-torn France brought Surrealism to America, sparking the movement that became Abstract Expressionism. In 1957 the American artist Robert Motherwell made an unexpected claim: 'I have only known two painting milieus well ... the Parisian Surrealists, with whom I began painting seriously in New York in 1940, and the native movement that has come to be known as "abstract expressionism", but which genetically would have been more properly called "abstract surrealism".' Motherwell's bold assertion, that Abstract Expressionism was neither new nor local, but born of a brief liaison between America and France, verged on the controversial. Surrealists in New York tells the story of this 'liaison' and the European exiles who bought Surrealism with them - an artistic exchange between the Old World and the New - centring on taciturn printmaker Stanley William Hayter and the legendary Atelier 17 print studio he founded. Here artists' experiments literally pushed the boundaries of modern art. It was in Hayter's studio that Jackson Pollock found the balance of freedom and control that would culminate in his distinctive drip paintings. The impact of Max Ernst, André Masson, Louise Bourgeois and other noted émigrés on the work of Motherwell, Pollock, Mark Rothko and the American avant-garde has for too long been quietly written out of art history. Drawing on first-hand documents, interviews and archive materials, Charles Darwent brings to life the events and personalities from this crucial encounter. In so doing, he reveals a fascinating new perspective on the history of the art of the twentieth century.

The culmination of several years of research by games writer Matt Leone, Like a Hurricane gathers together over 60 voices, spread across continents, disciplines and companies, speaking candidly on the vision, fearlessness, and bold ambition that made Street Fighter II a household name. A collaboration between Read-Only Memory and Polygon, Like a Hurricane is an extended and enhanced print adaptation of Matt Leone¿s series of in-depth oral histories, published online in serial form by Polygon. This physical version has been extended and enhanced for print, featuring over 50 specially commissioned illustrations and extra research content. Featuring: Takashi `Piston¿ Nishiyama, Hiroshi `Finish¿ Matsumoto, Noritaka `Poö Funamizu, Yoko `Shimo-P¿ Shimomura, and more than 50 others, including dozens of former Capcom employees, former Gamest magazine editor Zenji Ishii, combo video pioneer Tomotaka `TZW¿ Suzuki, U.S. Street Fighter box artist Mick McGinty, Incredible Technologies CEO Elaine Hodgson, and former Capcom USA CEO Bill Gardner.

A clear, concise and detailed historical analysis of the eclectic and beautiful visual and material culture of Paganism. Who are Pagans and what do they believe? Which gods and goddesses do they revere? Do they worship nature? Do they practise divination and magic? From sacred plants imbued with supernatural powers to hand-carved amulets that repel evil, Pagans find divine value in the natural world and spiritual significance in the material universe. Presenting a spectacular collection of art and artefacts from the last 3,000 years, drawn from Hindu, Shinto, Native American, Ancient Norse, Roman, Greek and Celtic religions, Ethan Doyle White explores the rich visual and material culture of paganism. He begins by tracing the ancient origins of paganism and exploring how materials from the pre-Christian religions of Europe, North Africa, and West Asia are built into the practices of today's Pagans. Each of the book's subsequent nine chapters features illustrated text interspersed with double-page presentations of the key figures, stories and iconography relevant to each theme. As the book progresses, readers will not only come to understand the many symbols that define Pagan religions and practices, but will also discover the modern-day beliefs and philosophies of Pagans from around the world, including Wiccans, Druids, neo-Shamans and Heathens.

From one of the leading image makers of today, Erik Madigan Heck: The Tapestry presents more than 180 photographs in a richly colourful, experiential and tactile new monograph that spans photography and painting. Both an exploration of colour and form and a dazzling artistic statement, Erik Madigan Heck: The Tapestry is a retrospective of a kind ¿ one that originated during a time of great professional and personal uncertainty for the artist. Relentlessly creative, Madigan Heck used the enforced pause in his life, with the global pandemic as the backdrop, as a contemplative space to revisit a decade's worth of his work as a photographer and artist. This collection serves as a meditative exploration of Heck's unique fusion of photography and painting, characterized by a bold embrace of natural light, resulting in a stunning array of unapologetically beautiful and vividly colorful images. The flowing, lyrical design of this book, created in collaboration with leading design studio APFEL, weaves a visual narrative that traces not only the evolution of Madigan Heck's craft but also the threaded interconnections between photography, fashion and the broader spectrum of visual art. With contemplative texts by the author and an interview by Rosalind Jana, this book, presented as a covetable, collectible and immersive book object, will appeal to all with an appreciation of light, colour and form in art and photography.

The first critical illustrated biography of this much-loved artist, locating her firmly in the art worlds of late 19th- and early 20th-century London and Paris. One of the most significant British artists of the twentieth century, Gwen John (1867-1939) made her life and work within the heady art worlds of London and Paris. This critical biography demolishes the myth of Gwen John as a recluse and situates her, brilliant, singular and assured, amid a rich cultural milieu that included James McNeill Whistler, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Paula Modersohn-Becker and Maude Gonne. Art historian, curator and novelist Alicia Foster draws on previously unpublished archival sources to explore John¿s many relationships with artists and writers, including her affair with Auguste Rodin, passionate friendships with Jeanne Robert Foster and Véra Oumançoff, and correspondence with, among others, the poet Rainer Maria Rilke and her Slade compatriot and fellow painter Ursula Tyrwhitt. John¿s library, ranging from writing by her friends Rilke and Arthur Symonds to French philosophy and religious thought, is considered, as is her part in the increasing presence and visibility of women artists in the early-twentieth-century art world. From the life rooms of the Slade to the Paris salons, this is the story of an artist both devoted to her craft and deeply involved in the life and creativity of her era. With over 120 illustrations, Gwen John: Art and Life in London and Paris offers a lively, meticulously researched portrait of Gwen John as a vital and utterly compelling figure in twentieth-century art history.

A major overview of Skylab's built works, from show-stopping residences to high-profile cultural projects, presented via a covetable book design that takes its inspiration from an album or LP. Skylab is the first major monograph of the eponymous architecture and design studio based in Portland, Oregon, and founded by Jeff Kovel in 1999. Known for a range of spectacular residences designed for some of the creative city's leading lights, as well as music venues and high-profile projects for Nike, Skylab's unique approach has made it one of the most innovative studios in the Pacific Northwest. In this first monograph, presenting over two decades of work, the story of Skylab is told by a number of influential people through reflective essays, interviews, conversations and anecdotes. The book is a covetable object in itself, based on the concept of an album or LP, with inside front- and back-cover gatefolds and nine foldout posters inside the book.

An illustrated biography of the remarkable and pioneering artist Leonora Carrington, told through the houses and locations that had meaning for her and are fundamental to an understanding of her work. An evocative visual chronicle on the life of artist Leonora Carrington as seen through interiors, international locations and vintage photographs, this book leads the reader on a personal journey through the many spaces she inhabited and which infused and haunted her art and the people she knew. Long underrated, Carrington is now considered as one of the vanguard, not only in histories of women artists but also Surrealism; her interests - feminism, ecology and life-enhancing art - are now shared by many. Challenging the conventions of her time, Carrington abandoned family, society and England to embrace new experiences and mix with artists in Europe and America, and to forge her own unique artistic style. From Lancashire to London, Cornwall to France and Spain, then to Mexico, New York and finally back to Mexico, each place and interior became etched in her memory - whether her grandmother's kitchen with its giant stove, Parisian cafés, a rural French hideaway, the sanatorium in Santander or her Mexican sanctuary - only to be echoed, sometimes decades later, in her paintings and writings. 'Houses are really bodies,' she wrote in her novella The Hearing Trumpet (1974), 'We connect ourselves with walls, roofs, and objects just as we hang on to our livers, skeletons, flesh and blood streams.'

The first survey in nearly two decades of the work of John McAslan + Partners. Making Architecture both provides an up-to-date account of the work of John McAslan + Partners, one of Britain's most respected and dynamic architectural practices, and analyses the culture of a studio that has made a remarkable contribution to architecture, place-making and the lives of individuals for four decades. A series of thematic chapters includes detailed, fully illustrated descriptions of many recent and ongoing international projects, from Central and Waterloo stations in Sydney and ten new stations for Delhi Metro to the transformation of King's Cross station in London; from the sensitive restoration of the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, to the new Doha Mosque and nearby Msheireb Museums in Qatar. It also includes the pioneering initiatives for which the McAslan studio has become well known and that underline the practice's humanity and sense of social responsibility: the urgent restoration of the Iron Market in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, after the devastating earthquake in 2010; the Hidden Homelessness initiative, begun in 2017; the N17 project that provided a pop-up design studio in Tottenham, London, after the riots of 2011, with the aim of inspiring young people to become engaged in the regeneration of their own community; and many others. Edited by Chris Foges, with a foreword by Kenneth Frampton and an introduction by Alan Powers, and with contributions by architectural specialists, this beautifully designed book offers the key to understanding the development and philosophy of one of the world's most socially engaged architectural practices.

An accessible and popular introduction to African photography and cinema from the mid-20th century to the present day. The African Gaze is a comprehensive exploration of postcolonial and contemporary photography and cinema from Africa. Drawing from archival imagery and documents, interviews with the photographers and filmmakers (in some cases family members/close associates if the artist is deceased), and contributions from writers, scholars and curators, it maps a complete introduction to African moving and still imagery. This is a hugely important and timely publication ¿ engagement with Black and African histories is stronger than ever before (and long overdue). The major names of African photography, such as Malick Sidibé, Sanlé Sory and Seydou Keïta, have become highly collectible in the art market, while African cinema, pioneered by Ousmane Sembene in 1960s Senegal, is now recognized for its creative innovation and storytelling. For anyone drawn to African photography and film, this book will provide an exciting and accessible overview.

The ultimate inspirational guide for anyone dreaming of living on a boat of their own, featuring practical tips on everything from clever storage solutions to finding moorings and living off-grid. Every boat has a story. For thousands of years, water-borne vessels have provided livelihoods and catered to our spirit of adventure - as well as retreats from the pressures of modern life. It is little wonder that life on the water calls out to the creative and the curious - the mavericks, artists, architects, crafters and designers who have made their homes on barges, clippers and houseboats. Featuring an international range of vessels, Making Waves celebrates those outliers seeking a different way of life, exploring how living on a boat offers the chance to achieve a more satisfying life/work balance while holding much of the paraphernalia and constrictions of the modern world at bay. With stunning photography and packed with practical advice and inspiration, the book reveals how anyone can transform one-time working crafts into beautiful and unique places to live and work. Each home featured affords its dwellers a retreat. Some glide through extraordinary countryside; others bob companionably in city wharfs. Their interiors reflect the residents' imaginations, styles, families and working lives, demonstrating how even seemingly challenging spaces can be transformed into unique and intriguing living quarters. The compelling personal stories behind each boat will encourage and inspire readers to consider a shift in their own lifestyles and embrace a life on the water.

Imagining England¿s Past takes a long look at the country¿s invented histories, from the glamorous to the disturbing, from the eighth century to the present day. England has long built its sense of self on visions of its past. What does it mean for medieval writers to summon King Arthur from the post-Roman fog; for William Morris to resurrect the skills of the medieval workshop and Julia Margaret Cameron to portray the Arthurian court with her Victorian camera; or for Yinka Shonibare in the final years of the twentieth century to visualize a Black Victorian dandy? By exploring the imaginations of successive generations, this book reveals how diverse notions of the past have inspired literature, art, music, architecture and fashion. It shines a light on subjects from myths to mock-Tudor houses, Stonehenge to steampunk, and asks how ¿ and why ¿ the past continues so powerfully to shape the present. Not a history of England, but a history of those who have written, painted and dreamed it into being, Imagining England's Past offers a lively, erudite account of the making and manipulation of the days of old. Praise for Imagining England's Past 'Susan Owens conjures our imagined past with such vivacity and lyricism that I can see the dawn mist rising over fabled fields and hear the tread of fictional histories on the worn stairs of yesteryear. Packed full of myths, stories, poems and paintings I found this book impossible to put down!' Charlotte Mullins, broadcaster, art critic and author of A Little History of Art

Victorian Modern, a captivating book penned by Jo Leevers, is a gem that you shouldn't miss. Published by Thames & Hudson Ltd in 2023, this book is a unique blend of history and modernity. The book takes you on a journey through the Victorian era, but with a modern twist. Jo Leevers, an acclaimed author known for his exceptional storytelling skills, successfully merges the old with the new in this intriguing book. Despite its historical context, Victorian Modern doesn't feel out of place in the 21st century. Instead, it provides a fresh perspective on the Victorian era, making it relevant and engaging for today's readers. The genre of the book is difficult to pin down as it seamlessly combines elements of history, culture, and modernity. Published by the renowned Thames & Hudson Ltd, Victorian Modern is a testament to their commitment to producing high-quality, thought-provoking books. If you're looking for a book that will challenge your perceptions and transport you to a different era, Victorian Modern by Jo Leevers is the one for you.

A brand-new perspective on early modern art and its relationship with nature as reflected in this moving account of overlooked artistic genius Adam Elsheimer, by an outstanding writer and critic. Seventeenth-century Europe swirled with conjectures and debates over what was real and what constituted 'nature', currents that would soon gather force to form modern science. Natural Light deliberates on the era's uncertainties, as distilled in the work of painter Adam Elsheimer - a short-lived, tragic German artist who has always been something of a cult secret. Elsheimer's diminutive, intense and mysterious narrative compositions related figures to landscape in new ways, projecting unfamiliar visions of space at a time when Caravaggio was polarizing audiences with his radical altarpieces and circles of 'natural philosophers' - early modern scientists - were starting to turn to the new 'world system' of Galileo. Julian Bell transports us to the spirited Rome of the 1600s, where Elsheimer and other young Northern immigrants - notably his friend Peter Paul Rubens - swapped pictorial and poetic reference points. Focusing on some of Elsheimer's most haunting compositions, Bell drives at the anxieties that underlie them - a puzzling over existential questions that still have relevance today. Traditional themes for imagery are expressed with fresh urgency, most of all in Elsheimer's final painting, a vision of the night sky of unprecedented poetic power that was completed at a time of ferment in astronomy. Circulated through prints, Elsheimer's pictorial inventions affected imaginations as disparate as Rembrandt, Lorrain and Poussin. They even reached artists in Mughal India, whose equally impassioned miniatures expand our sense of what 'nature' might be. As we home in on artworks of microscopic finesse, the whole of the 17th-century globe and its perplexities starts to open out around us.

A timely history of immigration, integration and national identity that reveals the true heritage behind some of the nation's defining artworks. To truly understand British art is to recognize the pivotal contributions of the many foreign artists who have called Britain home. Traditional narratives have long obscured foreign influence, but this radical study challenges the notion of an exceptional or exclusive British culture, and in so doing rewrites the history of Renaissance and Enlightenment-era art. Broadcaster and lecturer Leslie Primo expertly places art history in the wider political contexts of xenophobia and influence, addressing both foreign artists working in Britain and British-born artists affected by foreign cultures. From Hans Holbein to Artemisia Gentileschi, from William Hogarth to Angelica Kauffman, familiar masters and lesser-known creators are situated within the multiculturalism inherent to, yet commonly dismissed by, the art world at this time. Weaving together artists' experiences of both acclaim and adversity, The Foreign Invention of British Art not only demonstrates how immigration and diversification are so often the driving force behind creative innovation, but also reveals the true heritage behind some of the nation's defining artworks.

A stunning celebration of the ravishing nature-themed drawings created by Parisian high-jewelry house Chaumet from the 18th century to today. One of the most storied high-jewelry houses in Paris, Chaumet has been entwined with the history of France ever since its founding in 1780. Appointed official jeweler to Empress Josephine, the house has passed down its unique savoir-faire for almost 240 years. Each generation of Chaumet jewelers has looked to the natural world as a key source of inspiration, dreaming up ruby orchids, delicate laurel-wreath tiaras, striking diamond starbursts and a beguiling array of animals - from birds and butterflies to snakes and octopuses - on necklaces, brooches and head-pieces. Drawings were used not only to research and develop ideas, revealing little-known aspects of the creative process of jewelry design, but also to present fully conceptualized bespoke pieces to clients, tempting them to place an order. These beautiful and inventive drawings - many of which are published here for the first time - are presented in thematic chapters ('Flowers', 'Trees and Plants', 'Bestiary', 'Universe'), while essays by curator Gaëlle Rio offer a concise art-historical perspective. A visually fascinating compendium, this unique book will delight all lovers of jewelry, art and nature.

The first book dedicated to Picasso's self-portraits, many held in private collections and published here for the first time. Much has been said and written about Picasso's life and art, but until now his self-portraits have never been studied and presented in a single book, perhaps because the artist always left many doubts about his work. However, there is no doubt that Picasso represented himself ceaselessly, whether in a dashed-off pencil sketch, as a flourish at the bottom of a letter, or on a giant canvas. At the suggestion of Picasso's widow Jacqueline, the distinguished art historian Pascal Bonafoux began researching Picasso's self-portraits more than forty years ago. This meticulously researched book presents the fruits of his decades-long project. From the first attributed painting in 1894 as a thirteen-year-old boy, until Picasso's final self-portrait in 1972, a year before his death, Bonafoux charts the evolution of the artist's life and art. Here is Picasso as a student; as a young bohemian; an impetuous artist in Paris; as harlequin; as lover, husband and father; and finally, as an old man confronting his mortality. The book comprises about 170 drawings, paintings and photographs, some from private collections and previously unpublished, bringing together for the first time theattributed self-portraits of this genius of 20th-century art.

The first monograph on Richard Smith, a key figure in the development of British art. Richard Smith (1931-2016) was one of the most original painters of his generation, and one of the most underrated. As Barbara Rose said of Smith's major Tate Gallery retrospective in 1975, he was 'at once in and out of touch with the currents of the mainstream ... au courant and aloof at the same time.' That he latterly slipped under the radar to some extent is partly explained by his detachment from the mainstream as well as by his frequent switching of studios between England and the USA, although this helped charge his creative batteries. He is the only artist of his stature who has not been represented by a monograph, which the dazzling presentation of images in Richard Smith: Artworks now fulfils. It has been produced with the generous collaboration of the Richard Smith Foundation. Richard Smith: Artworks traces Smith's entire career, from the breakthrough lyrical abstraction of the early Pop-inflected paintings, through the radical shaped canvases and three-dimensional works that he produced in the 1960s, to the 'Kite' works beginning in 1972 and, eventually, his return to the flat canvas. As a Senior Curator at Tate, Dr Chris Stephens knew Smith well, and he contributes a wide-ranging introduction to Smith's art and life. Prof David Alan Mellor investigates and explains the Anglo-American cultural contexts that drove Smith's art, while Alex Massouras's two themed essays, 'Young and British' and 'From Motion Pictures to Flight', explore Smith's originality from fresh perspectives. The book is completed with an Afterword by its editor, Martin Harrison.