ABBEVILLE PRESS: Egyptian Wall Painting by Francesco Tiradritti. 392 pp.; 11 x 13; 250 Color Illus.; Chronology; Bibliography; Indices. $150.00 Hardcover. A work of art in itself, Egyptian Wall Painting is about as close-up and personal a viewing of these ancient works of art that you might desire — some reproductions printed on a special matte paper to give the reader a tactile sense of the limestone on which many of the images have been painted. Tiradritti, author and scholar, shares a comprehensive overview of art, the technology, the techniques, the history and culture of Egyptian wall-art. Highly impressive.  *****
A Museum of Their Own: National Museum of Women in the Arts by Wilhelmina Cole Holladay. 240 pp.; 10 x 11; 170 Illus., 130 in Color; Index. As an attendee as a member of the press in April of 1987 at their Inaugural Opening, it is gratifying to see that “A Museum of Their Own” now have a fully-illustrated catalogue of their own. Presents a history, an overview of their purpose and holdings, and some fifty reproductions from their collection. ****

PRESTEL: Andy Warhol Live by Stéphane Aquin, et al. 272 pp.; 12 x 12; 360 Color Illus.; Works in Exhibition; Figures; Timeline. $75.00 Hardcover (and) Andy Warhol: The Record Covers, 1949-1987 by Paul Maréchal. 280 pp.; 12 x 12; 300 Color Illus.; Notes; Selected Bibliography. $65.00 Hardcover. Love him or hate him, Andy Warhol still garners attention as these latest books from Prestel attest. Oversize and lavishly produced, both of these books are designed to impress. They do. ***** Alfred Kubin: Graphic Works 1897-1910 by Annegret Hoberg. 212 pp.; 9 1/4; x 11 1/2;; 100 Color Illus.; Plates; Checklist; Biography; Index of Names. $60.00 Hardcover. Published to coincide with an exhibition at the Neue Galerie New York (thru Jan 26, ’09), this fully-illustrated catalogue also commemorates the 50^th anniversary of the artist’s death. Hauntingly grotesque in their dark undertones, these images linger in the mind long after the book is closed. Riveting. ****
Cornelia Schleime: Love Affairs by Christiane Bühling-Schultz, Martin Hellmold. 144 pp.; 9 1/2; x 11; 60 Color Illus.; German/English text. $49.95 Hardcover. From the conventional to the outré, Love Affairs by Cornelia Schleime reflects the course of her life from living under the oppression of communist rule in East Berlin to her latest explorations in daring technique and materials. Published with German and English text. ***
Being and Essence: the Unknown A.R. Penck (Eds.) Gisbert Portsmann and Johannes Schmidt. 260 pp.; 8 1/4; x 9; 500 Color Illus.; Biographical and Historical Notes; Biographies; List of Abbreviations. $49.95 Hardcover. A survivor of the 1945 destruction of Dresden, artist A.R. Penck (born Ralf Winkler) has his life and work reviewed in Being and Essence, taking the reader from its earlier stages under communist rule to his emigration from East Germany to the present. Published in conjunction with an exhibition at the Staedtische Galerie Dresden. ***
A Year in Art: A Masterpiece a Day (Eds.) Katharina Haderer and Claudia Stäuble. 736 pp.; 9 1/2; x 6 3/4;; 400 Color Illus.; List of Artists. $29.95 Hardcover. The second (that I’ve seen) in Prestel’s impressive “A Year in Art” Series, A Masterpiece a Day offers an image-rich daybook that contains some of the world’s most famous and beautiful masterworks. A wealth of art at a very modest cost! *****

 

YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS: European Tapestries in The Art Institute of Chicago by Koenraad Brosens, et al. 416 pp.; 10 x 12 1/4;; 297 Illus., 138 in Color; Marks and Signatures; Bibliography; Contributors; Concordance; Index. $75.00 Hardcover. Published in conjunction with an exhibition, “The Divine Art: Four Centuries of Tapestries in the Art Institute of Chicago” (thru Jan 4, ’09), European Tapestries is a visually lush overview of the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque collection of tapestries in the Art Institute’s holdings. Scholarly and comprehensive. *****
African Art from the Menil Collection (Ed.) Kristina Van Dyke. 240 pp.; 10 x 11 1/2;; 179 Illus., 150 in Color; Works Cited; Index of Objects. $65.00 Hardcover. This handsomely-produced volume catalogues some 115 pieces — masks, headdresses, ivories, bronzes, etc. — of the extensive Menil Collection. Lavishly and beautifully illustrated. *****
Brought to Light: Photography and the Invisible, 1840-1900 (Ed.) Corey Keller. 216 pp.; 207 Color Illus.; Plates; Selected Bibliography; Catalogue of Exhibition. $50.00 Hardcover. Published to coincide with an exhibition presently at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (thru Jan 4, ’09), which will travel to the Albertina Museum, Vienna (Mar 20—Jun 6, ’09), Brought to Light takes us back to a time when photography was at its infancy. A visual journey that will delight, dazzle, and intrigue. *****
First Doubt: Optical Confusion in Modern Photography: Selections from the Allan Chasanoff Collection by Joshua Chang. 220 pp.; 9 3/8 x 11 ¼; 96 Illus., 8 in Color; Plates. $50.00 Hardcover. The accompanying catalogue to an exhibition of the same name currently at the Yale University Art Gallery (thru Jan 4, ’09), First Doubt offers a selection of photographs from the collection of Allan Chasanoff. Visually engrossing. ****
The Art of Japanese Craft: 1875 to the Present by Felice Fischer. 60 pp.; 8 1/8 x 11; 140 Color Illus.; Checklist; Selected Bibliography. $19.95 Softcover. Published to coincide with an exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (6 Dec — Fall ’09), this little book is itself a beautifully-crafted work, among one of the first illustrated surveys of modern-era Japanese crafts. Excellent reproductions illustrate works in wood, metal, ceramics, and lacquerware. ****

 

THE BUTLER INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN ART: Gary T. Erbe: 40 Year Retrospective by Howard J. Godel, et al. 100 pp.; 9 1/2; x 11; Color Illus.; Chronology; List of Lenders. $25.00 Softcover. The accompanying catalogue to his 40-year retrospective, Gary T. Erbe: 40 Year Retrospective presents an overview of Erbe’s work and excellent reproductions of some of his signature work. ***

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