SCHIFFER PUBLISHING LTD: Bronze Sculpture Casting by Steve Hurst w/ photographs by Steve Russell. 335 pp.; 9 1/4 x 12 1/4; 646 Color Photographs; 78 B/W Line Drawings; Appendices; Notes; Glossary; Bibliography; Index. $125.00 Hardcover. Lavishly illustrated and copiously annotated, Bronze Sculpture Casting is an exhaustive analysis and study of bronze casting’s two most famous methods: cire perdu or “lost wax” and the modern variant of sand casting. A must for any public art library and a great gift for the serious sculptor/caster. Excellent photography. *****

DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS/D GILES LTD: Forging a Modern Identity: Masters of American Painting Born After 1847 (Ed.) James W. Tottis. 304 pp.; 9 x 12; 129 Color Illus.; Bibliography; Index. $70.00 Hardcover. The third and final Volume that focuses on the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts, Forging a Modern Identity covers the work of over eighty American artists, all active up to and including the early 20^th century. Since I have never seen the first two volumes, I cannot compare the quality of the entire set. Handsomely produced and lavishly illustrated, this volume features excellent reproductions and commentary on both the artists and the work represented. ****

PRESTEL: Picasso: Art Can Only Be Erotic by Diana Widmaier Picasso. 144 pp.; 11 5/8 x 13 3/4; 100 Illus., 80 in Color; Biography; List of Illustrations. $60.00 Hardcover. This gorgeous book, printed with plush cover and large-scale reproductions, features a selection of Picasso’s masterpieces of eroticism. Selected and written by the master’s granddaughter, Diana Widmaier Picasso — art historian and author — Art Can Only Be Erotic is sure to quickly become a coveted collector’s item. *****
The World of the Saints by Norbert Wolf. 216 pp.; 9 1/2 x 11 3/4; 378 Illus., 350 in Color; Plates; Lexicon of Saints; List of Symbols; Index of Illustrations. $60.00 Hardcover. An impressive painterly survey of some 80 saints that have inspired artists through the ages, The World of the Saints features the works of some of the most famous artists who have devoted their talents to their representation. Includes the work of such figures as van Eyck, Dürer, Raphael, El Greco, Rubens, and a great many more. Beautifully produced with excellent reproductions. *****
Art Forms from the Ocean: The Radiolarian Prints of Ernst Haeckel by Olaf Breidbach. 96 pp.; 9 1/2 x 11 3/4; 35 Color Illus. $25.00 Softcover. A paperback reprint of what is now an extremely rare edition of Haeckel’s work, Forms from the Ocean features a remarkable array of the artist’s exquisitely detailed representations of microscopic aquatic life. Compellingly seductive. ****

YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS: Irving Penn: The Platinum Prints by Sarah Greenough. 200 pp.; 9 1/2 x 11 1/4; 120 Illus., 17 in Color; 83 Tritones, 20 Duotones; Plates; Chronology; Checklist; Selected Bibliography; Index. $50.00 Hardcover. Celebrities, still lifes, and “portraits” of indigenous peoples of Peru and New Guinea adorn this catalogue of Platinum prints by photographer Irving Penn. Published in conjunction with an exhibition at the National Gallery of Art (thru 2 Oct), Irving Penn offers a stunning array of the artist’s work. *****
Adorning the World: Art of the Marquesas Islands by Eric Kjellgren w/Carol S. Ivory. 140 pp.; 8 1/8 x 11; 112 Illus., 90 in Color; Map; Glossary; Bibliography; Index. $19.95. Softcover. Made popular amongst artists, writers, and scholars by Paul Gauguin, the art of Marquesan artists and artisans is here celebrated and explored in all its decorative complexity by two scholars in the field of Oceanic art. Published in Association with The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, Adorning the World accompanies their present exhibition of Marquesan art (thru Jan 16, ’06). ***

GEORGE BRAZILLER, INC., PUBLISHERS: Get Real: Real Time+Art+Theory+Practice+History (Ed.) Morten Sondergaard. 200 pp.; 8 x 10; 125 Illus., 15 in Color; List of Contributors; DVD. $49.95 Softcover. Some 17 international professionals offer insights and commentary on the ever-shifting relationship between art and reality. Exploratory and, at times, thought provoking. ***

INTERNATIONAL ARTIST PUBL: Everett Raymond Kinstler: My Brush with History by Everett Raymond Kinstler. 156 pp.; 10 1/4 x 12 3/4; B/W & Color Illus. $49.00 Hardcover. An artist’s journey from drawing “cowboys and cleavage” of comics and pulp fiction to painting portraits of celebrities and cinema stars, My Brush With History traces the steadily rising career of artist Everett Raymond Kinstler. In addition to a portrait gallery of “names in the news”, this handsomely produced volume also includes some of Kinstler’s finest work, a selection of landscapes that rivals some of the best practitioners in the genre. ****

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY PRESS: Into Performance: Japanese Women Artists in New York by Midori Yoshimoto. 248 pp.; 7 x 10; 76 B/W Photographs; Epilogue; Notes; Index. $27.95 Softcover. The first serious look into the breakthrough of Japanese women artists in New York, Into Performance explores the work of five pioneers in the genre: Yayoi Kusama, Yoko Ono, Takako Saito, Mieko Shiomi and Shigeko Kubato. Author Yoshimoto is assistant professor of art history and director of two galleries at New Jersey City University. ***

W.W.NORTON & CO.: American Gothic: The Life of America’s Most Famous Painting by Steven Biel. 215 pp.; 5 3/4 x 8 1/2; B/W & Color Illus.; Notes; Index. $21.95 Hardcover. Published to coincide with the 75^th anniversary of “American Gothic” by Grant Wood, The Life of America’s Most Famous Painting is a highly readable study of both the painting and its almost ubiquitous impact on a wide range of American culture. Witty. *****

ALLWORTH PRESS: The Education of a Comics Artist (Eds.) Michael Dooley and Steven Heller. 256 pp.; 6 x 9; B/W Illus.; Resources; Contributor’s Biographies; Index. $19.95 Softcover. Drawing from the expertise of over 60 professionals in the field, editors Dooley and Heller serve up a compendium of tips, ideas, suggestions, and guidance to help begin or improve your own comic strip/book. As with all of Allworth’s helpful volumes for the working artist, this is just one more bargain for the perplexed. *****

PENGUIN/PERIGEE: Mangaquest: Join the Adventure and Learn How to Draw It by Ben Gibson and Serge Marcos. 108 pp.; 8 1/2 x 11; B/W Illus.; Sketchbook Pages. $15.95 Softcover. A how-to book on the comics industry’s latest craze, manga art. Easy-to-follow directions for the young at heart. ***

PENGUIN/CHAMBERLAIN: American Gothic: The Biography of Grant Wood’s American Masterpiece by Thomas Hoving. A slightly soberer look than that written by Steven Biel (see above, W.W. Norton’s book of the same subject), The Biography of Grant Wood’s American Masterpiece by Thomas Hoving, former director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, traces the impact and influence of the painting “American Gothic”. Carefully crafted. ****

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