From Argentina to Australia, the Vatican City to Vietnam — Holy Places, Sacred Sites is an uplifting photographic journey to the sacred monuments, locations and landscapes of world spirituality and a thought-provoking meditation on mankind’s religious impulse. Eduardo Rubio Mendéz travelled the length and breadth of the world for three years, taking over 70,000 photographs. His mission? To search for God and the gods, as well as those who believe in them, and live with them and off them. His journey took him to all the most holy places of the earth, from the banks of the Ganges to the Australian outback, from Gothic cathedrals to rudimentary places of worship in the Andes, and revealed a whole host of legends. In the process he met and photographed people who seek in their gods meaning, redemption, consolation – and miracles. The transcendent photographs he took on his pilgrimage portray spaces of nature and humanity: all are imbued with a sacred atmosphere that overflows from within. Eduardo Rubio Mendéz has published several books, including Indira Gandhi, Niños and Guatemala. Juan Masiá Clavel is Director of the Department of Bioethics in the Institute of Life Sciences at Tokyo’s Sophia University.

Offers a way to brighten up those dull days and unmotivated moments that are an essential part of office life. This book will help you plot your way into your colleagues good books and vicariously vent your frustration on your boss, tippex over your troubles and scrawl your way to success all from the comfort of your own office chair.

The starting-point for everything we understand about philosophy, science, literature and art, the world of ancient Greece and Rome makes an extraordinary story in its own right. This book brings Greeks, Etruscans and Romans to life for the general reader, and expands the knowledge of the professional scholar.

Between the ninth and seventh centuries BC the small kingdom of Assyria in northern Iraq expanded through conquest to dominate the region from Egypt to Iran. The power of the Assyrian kings was reflected in the creation of a series of magnificent palaces in which the walls of principal rooms and courtyards were lined with huge panels of alabaster carved with images of the monarch as priest, victorious warrior and hunter. Together, the sculptures constitute some of the most impressive and eloquent witnesses of the ancient Middle East. This book serves as a superb visual introduction to what are undoubtedly some of the greatest works of art from the ancient world, showcasing a series of specially taken photographs of the British Museum's unrivalled collection of Assyrian sculptures.These stunning images capture the majesty of the Assyrian king, his magnificent court and its protecting divinities, through individual panels or extraordinary, often overlooked details, such as incised embroidery on robes, the contours of flesh and musculature, the turn of a horse's head or the order within the apparent chaos of battle. An introduction sets the sculptures in their cultural and art-historical context. A brief history of Assyria and the royal palaces is followed by an overview of their discovery, reception and understanding. These are the earliest examples of complex narrative art, and their multilayered meanings occupied entire rooms in which the raw emotion and energy of animals and humans was captured with remarkable vitality. Many of these exceptional carvings rank among the greatest achievements in the history of art.

Henri Cartier-Bresson's photography came to define the 20th century. This book tells his life story through his images: all the major events from his youth to his death in 2004 are described, contextualized and analysed in the light of his photographic work. From his early encounters with the Surrealists, his film work and his experiences in the Second World War, to the development of his own personal aesthetic, the concept of the decisive moment, and the foundation of Magnum Photos, his influence on the world has been profound and unforgettable.

«In the nineteenth century there was an amazing flowering of ironwork forms, mass produced and widely distributed, but of extreme variety and richness of design. Too often they have been overlooked, or referred to mistakenly as «wrought iron». E. Graeme Robertson's interest began decades ago with the realization that cast iron was being destroyed because its aesthetic value was not recognized. To remedy this situation he wrote a number of books on Australian ironwork and then, with his daughter Joan, traveled all over the world to compile this superb photographic inventory of the forms taken by cast iron ornamentation, its national variations, its relationship to architecture, and its contribution to the attractiveness of buildings. Supported by introductory texts, glossary, and bibliography, Cast Iron Decoration will be equally valuable to architects, art historians, and designers — and to anyone who cares for our cultural heritage. 521 illustrations.»

This is the last in the series of Sir John Boardman's acclaimed handbooks on Greek sculpture; a sequel to similar volumes on the Archaic and Classical periods. Here, the story continues through the fourth century B.C. to the days of Alexander the Great. The innovations of the period are discussed, such as the female nude and portraiture, along with many important monuments including the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus and several of the great names such as Praxiteles and Lysippus who were lionized by later generations. The volume also presents Greek sculpture made in the colonies of Italy and Sicily from the Archaic period onwards, as well as that made for eastern, non-Greek rulers. A final section considers the role of Greek sculpture in moulding western taste to the present day.

For most people there is no more satisfying expression of Greek art than its sculpture. It was the first, the only ancient art to break free from conceptual conventions for representing men and animals, and to explore consciously how art might imitate or even improve upon it. The first stages of this discovery, from the semi-abstract beginnings in the eighth century BC to the more representational art of the early fifth century, are explored and illustrated in this handbook.

For most people there is no more satisfying expression of Greek art than its sculpture. It was the first, the only ancient art to break free from conceptual conventions for representing men and animals, and to explore consciously how art might imitate or even improve upon it. The first stages of this discovery, from the semi-abstract beginnings in the eighth century BC to the more representational art of the early fifth century, are explored and illustrated in this handbook.

The impact of more than one hundred years of aesthetics, form, and content on developments in graphic communications. This unique history of design, documenting over a century of creative brilliance, has now been brought into the twenty-first century. Showcasing the most influential designs and designers from 1900 to the present, this outstanding collection illustrates how the best ideas perpetuate themselves over time, one great concept inspiring the next. More than one hundred seminal images—one from each year—are shown alongside the works that influenced their creation and the designs that were inspired or evolved from them. Examples include work from both famous and anonymous graphic artists from Toulouse-Lautrec to Milton Glaser and Art Chantry, visually juxtaposing each example to illustrate a theme or artistic device.

Stickerbomb is the first collectable, fully-peelable sticker book featuring illustration, graffiti and graphics. It is filled with an amazing collection of over 250 specially commissioned stickers by artists, illustrators and graffiti writers from around the world. An essential part of the street art movement, inexpensive, and easy to produce, stickers often act as an informal business card for graffiti writers, and a quick and effective promotional tool for many artists and illustrators. As more and more stickers are placed around major cities in the world, interest in the subject keeps growing. Many street art books to date have featured photographs of stickers spotted in urban environments packed with examples of the real thing. Stickerbomb offers the fun of peeling and sticking, and of owning and collecting cool stickers.

This is an exceptional monograph-catalogue revealing the innovative drive in Gauguin's work. This catalogue offers a unique opportunity to view Gauguin's entire artistic development from his early impressionist works to his final masterpieces painted on the Marquesas Islands where the artist went in search of an Arcadian kingdom of ecstasy, peace and art, far from the typical European struggle for money. In reality such a paradise on earth no longer existed, not even on the other side of the globe, however the wealth and complexity of life that he found before him there, inspired the creation of a series of works which are among the most vivid and durable in the history of painting.

The design of multiple housing — a new building type, especially for growing urban populations — was a major new area of activity for architects at the beginning of the twentieth century, and one that continues into the twenty-first century. This book features 87 of the most influential modern housing designs of the last 100 years by some of the best-known architects in the field. Each project is explained with a concise text and photographs and specially created scale drawings, including floor plans and site plans, sections and elevations where appropriate. The projects are organized in six roughly chronological chapters tracing the history of both public and private housing around the world. The detailed drawings allow each project to be analyzed in depth, which, alongside the author's authoritative text, will make this an invaluable resource for architects and students. As an added bonus, the book includes a CD-ROM containing digital files of all the drawings featured in the book.

«Several new books have focused on the portrait, none with as much clarity as Face.» —American Photo «Highly recommended for all collections.»—Library Journal This groundbreaking publication announces the death of the conventional portrait. In an age when we are bombarded with flawless images of youthful beauty, when rejuvenation is available through a jar of cream or a scalpel, artists and photographers seek to portray the face in new ways. Through a variety of techniques, including computer manipulation, photomontage, and retouching, the artists present their new portraits. They replace clarity with blur, the split-second with the elastic moment, questioning the notion of a fixed identity, of universality of expression, of what constitutes beauty. Whether Cindy Sherman's disquieting disguises, Gillian Wearing's masked self-portrait, LawickMüller's composite portraits of couples, or Orlan's disturbing experiments with cosmetic surgery, these faces demand attention. 260 illustrations, 165 in color.»

The classic Photofile series brings together the best work of the world's greatest photographers in an attractive format and at a reasonable price. Handsome and collectible, the books each contain full-page duotone and/or color reproductions, plus a critical introduction and a bibliography. Edward Steichen (1879-1973) had the rare ability to turn his talents to almost all genres of photography. Art and industry, fashion and beauty, celebrity portraits, landscapes and cityscapes, nudes and dancers—his legacy remains omnipresent. It was Steichen's curious and inventive mind that made this diversity possible, as he ignored established dogma to carve out his own unique path. This book presents the best of his work from a career that spanned well over half a century. 64 photographs in color and duotone

Indian Wisdom 365 Days celebrates those who live in harmony with the forces of earth and sky, who aspire to nirvana — the highest level of heart, body — and mind-consciousness. This beautiful daybook by Danielle and Olivier Follmi presents the wise words of a great master, philosopher or poet for every day of the year, accompanied by Olivier's sensitive and moving photographs of Indian people and places. The effect is transformative, awakening our senses and preparing our souls to receive these simple yet profound teachings. Contemporary specialists on Indian culture have also contributed to Indian Wisdom 365 Days, which draws on such ancient yet timeless sources as poems by Rabindranath Tagore and Krishnamurti; the longest epic in world literature, the Mahabarata; and the most significant of the Hindu sacred writings, the Veda. A treasure in both content and form, this insprational book artfully conveys the essence of India.

China is booming not only in the shape of a rapidly growing economy, but also in the decorative and fine arts, in interior design and in architecture. This book showcases 36 of the most exciting interiors that have been born of this second cultural revolution. Some of the structures have taken the traditional Chinese vernacular and reinvigorated it, while others show a distinctly western influence. But whatever the emphasis of their design principles, all the buildings and interiors have a distinctive air of visual excitement and vibrancy, and all are utterly contemporary.

The Bayeaux Tapestry is unique both as a historical document and as a work of art. It was made soon after the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and it tells the story of the events that led up to William the Conqueror's invasion of England and the battle itself.

Photofile is back after an absence of some ten years. Each book in the series brings together the best work of the world's greatest photographers in an attractive format and at an easily affordable price. Handsome and collectable, the books are printed to the highest standards. Each one contains some sixty full-page reproductions printed in superb duotone, together with a critical introduction and a full bibliography.