Masterpiece: Peter Paul Rubens: No. 3 by Till-Holger Borchert

$30.00 NZD

Category: Art - History and biography

According to recent research, Rubens is the most well known Flemish master in the entire world. Following Masterpiece: Hieronymus Bosch, Masterpiece: Peter Paul Rubens shows the paintings of this Flemish master as never seen before. With amazing details and full-page images this is an attractively pri ced pocket-size guide. There is a commentary on the images by Till-Holger Borchert, the director of Musea Brugge. ...Show more

Sick Rose Disease and the Art of Medical Illustration by Richard Barnett

$55.00 NZD

Category: Art - History and biography

The Sick Rose is a visual tour through the golden age of medical illustration. The nineteenth century experienced an explosion of epidemics such as cholera and diphtheria, driven by industrialization, urbanization and poor hygiene. In this pre-color-photography era, accurate images were relied upon to t each students and aid diagnosis. The best examples, featured here, are remarkable pieces of art that attempted to elucidate the mysteries of the body, and the successive onset of each affliction. Bizarre and captivating images, including close-up details and revealing cross-sections, make all too clear the fascinations of both doctors and artists of the time. Barnett illuminates the fears and obsessions of a society gripped by disease, yet slowly coming to understand and combat it. The age also saw the acceptance of vaccination and the germ theory, and notable diagrams that transformed public health, such as John Snow's cholera map and Florence Nightingale's pioneering histograms, are included and explained. Organized by disease, The Sick Rose ranges from little-known ailments now all but forgotten to the epidemics that shaped the modern age. It is a fascinating Wunderkammer of a book that will enthrall artists, students, designers, scientists and the incurably curious everywhere. ...Show more

Lady Painters: The Flower Painters of Early New Zealand by Bee Dawson

$35.00 NZD

Category: Art - History and biography | Reading Level: very good

This extraordinary book is a blend of accounts of the lives of resident women painters of the 19th century and wonderful examples of their exquisite art. The design is modern and accessible. Art interwoven with botany and social history, a readable insight into the lives of some very extraordinary women . Botanical art is having a tremendous revival and old flower paintings are being reproduced in prints and fabrics. Includes: Sarah Featon; Martha King; Georgina Heatley; Fanny Osborne; Emily Harris; Isobel Hodgkins; Margaret Stoddard; Marianne North; Ellis Rowan. First published 1999. ...Show more

My Name Is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok

$29.95 NZD

Category: Art - History and biography

Asher Lev is the artist who painted the sensational 'Brooklyn Crucifixion'. Into it, he poured all the anguish and torment a Jew can feel when torn between the faith of his fathers and the calling of his art. Here Asher Lev plunges back into his childhood and recounts the story of love and conflict whic h dragged him to this crossroads. ...Show more

The Book of Legendary Lands by Umberto Eco

$69.99 NZD

Category: Art - History and biography

From Homer's poems to contemporary science fiction, literature through the ages has continuously invented imaginary and legendary lands, projecting there all those wishes, dreams, utopias and nightmares that are too intrusive and challenging for our limited daily reality. Umberto Eco leads us on an illu strated journey through these distant, unknown lands: introducing us to their inhabitants, their heroes and villains, the passions and preoccupations that shaped them, always mindful of the continued importance of myth and legend to modern life and conciousness. Placing ancient and medieval texts beside contemporary stories, films beside poems, comics beside novels, it is a journey that is both erudite and enjoyable, and one that only Eco could have created. ...Show more

Art Nouveau Posters by Michael Robinson

$35.00 NZD

Category: Art - History and biography | Series: 100 Masterpieces

Part of a new series of beautiful gift art books, 100 Art Nouveau Posters is as vivacious and optimistic as the period from which it derives its power to appeal, the Fin de Siecle. Combining advertising and art, by artists such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Alphonse Mucha and Jules Cheret, these beautif ul posters offer an intriguing view of a society revelling in its new-found sophistication. With a fresh and thoughtful introduction to the movement and its posters, the book goes on to showcase the key works in all their glory. ...Show more

Great Women Artists by Phaidon Editors

$90.00 NZD

Category: Art - History and biography

Five centuries of fascinating female creativity presented in more than 400 compelling artworks and one comprehensive volume. The most extensive fully illustrated book of women artists ever published, Great Women Artists reflects an era where art made by women is more prominent than ever. In museums, ga lleries, and the art market, previously overlooked female artists, past and present, are now gaining recognition and value. Featuring more than 400 artists from more than 50 countries and spanning 500 years of creativity, each artist is represented here by a key artwork and short text. This essential volume reveals a parallel yet equally engaging history of art for an age that champions a greater diversity of voices. "Real changes are upon us, and today one can reel off the names of a number of first-rate women artists. Nevertheless, women are just getting started."--The New Yorker ...Show more

Romanesque Art by UNKNOWN

$35.00 NZD

Category: Art - History and biography

Travels with My Sketchbook by Chris Riddell

$40.00 NZD

Category: Art - History and biography

After two years travelling the length and breadth of the country, visiting schools, libraries and festivals, and meeting thousands of children, Travels with My Sketchbook provides a glimpse of the incredible journey Chris has been on during his time as Children's Laureate. Full of sketches, doodles and pages from The Laureate Log - his daily record of his time as Laureate - it includes: * Train doodles * Key events and prizes in the world of children's books * Early sketches (including handwritten manuscripts and cover roughs) from the books he has worked on during his time as Laureate including Goth Girl and the Wuthering Fright and The Hunting of the Snark * Political sketches or roughs for the Observer cartoon, reminding us of the major events that have punctuated his time as Laureate * Birthday sketches, impromptu portraits, posters and Christmas cards, sketches for poems and song lyrics With its cloth quarter binding, ribbon marker and beautiful end papers his truly is a book to treasure. ...Show more

Women in Art by Rachel Ignotofsky

$35.00 NZD

Category: Art - History and biography | Series: Women in Science | Reading Level: 6 Craft/Fashion/Art

A charmingly illustrated and inspiring book, Women in Art highlights the achievements and stories of 50 notable women in the arts--from well-known figures like painters Frida Kahlo and Georgia O'Keefe, to lesser-known names like 19th-century African American quilter Harriet Powers and Hopi-Tewa ceramic artist Nampeyo. Covering a wide array of artistic mediums, this fascinating collection also contains infographics about artistic movements throughout history, statistics about women's representation in museums, and notable works by women. Women in Art celebrates the success of the bold female creators who inspired the world and paved the way for the next generation of artists. ...Show more

he Adventures of Darius and Downey: and Other True Tales of Street Art as Told to Ed Zipco by Leon Reid & Brad Downey

$65.00 NZD

Category: Art - History and biography | Series: Street Graphics / Street Art

This unique, narrative-driven book gives an unparalleled insight into the tough, tight-knit, exciting world of street art as seen through the eyes of Darius and Downey, who have been working together since 2000. Through a series of blood-pumping adventures, it paints a vivid portrait of a creative but h arsh environment of extremes: friendship and rivalry; respect and conflict; adversity and prosperity; and reveals the incredible risks that artists take, day in, day out, to win their place in the graffiti hall of fame. Ed Zipco, acute and empathetic commentator on the ways of the street, relates Darius' and Downey's most memorable experiences. Along the way, we witness their artistic evolution from conventional graffiti tagging to ambitious street installations that are both wittily entertaining and strikingly subversive. ...Show more

The Marine Art of Geoff Hunt by Geoff Hunt

$45.00 NZD

Category: Art - History and biography

Geoff Hunt is known to millions of readers across the world as the artist responsible for the covers of Patrick O'Brian's "Aubrey-Maturin" novels, and more recently for those of Julian Stockwin's "Thomas Kydd" books. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the leading marine artists of his generation. Mo re than a showcase of the versatility and creativity of his work, this book, written by the artist himself, also reveals its accuracy, through 5 key case studies that explain the initial inspirations, gathering of source material and often lengthy artistic progression that leads to the creation of a finished painting. The artist has selected over 150 paintings and sketches to illustrate his prolific career, painting techniques and influences, dividing them into sections on Nelson's Navy, "The American War of Independence", illustrating the naval writers and the Modern Maritime Scene, which includes recent commissions from the commercial sector and yachting community.This title covers the artist's inspirations, techniques, interpretations and primary research. It features over 150 paintings and sketches faithfully reproduced on high quality paper. ...Show more