LOS ANGELES, Dec 4 — Looking for a truly memorable Christmas gift this year? Here’s a selection of some of the most beautiful books to adorn the coffee tables of anyone interested in art and culture.
“Living with Pattern: Color, Texture, and Print at Home” by Rebecca Atwood (US$32.50 (RM114.80), Clarkson Potter, published August, 2016)
Learn how to effortlessly mix prints and patterns in your home with Brooklyn-based designer and artist Rebecca Atwood. From linen to rugs and bathroom tiling, Atwood demystifies the codes behind combining patterns. The book itself is rather pretty too, with a stylish black and white cover contrasting with a bright red edge decoration.
“Grace: The American Vogue Years” by Grace Coddington (US$175, Phaidon, published September, 2016)
Following on from 2015’s “Grace: Thirty Years of Fashion at Vogue”, Vogue editor and international fashion icon Grace Coddington gives insight into her work produced in the magazine from 2002 to today. 400 pages and nearly 300 images make this an ideal gift for fashionistas and art aficionados.
“The Walt Disney Film Archives: The Animated Movies 1921-1968” (US$200, Taschen, published October, 2016)
Insight from experts on Walt Disney make this one of the most expansive illustrated publications on Disney animation, with some 1,500 images and essays collected within a quality landscape hardcover format. Rare photographs and extracts from conversations between Disney and his staff make this a movie-lover’s must-have.
“The Art of Beatrix Potter: Sketches, Paintings, and Illustrations” (US$40, Chronicle Books, published November, 2016)
To celebrate the 150th birthday of children’s writer and illustrator Beatrix Potter, this monograph celebrates the artist’s life through character sketches, notebook extracts, watercolor landscapes, natural history illustrations and never-before-seen insights into Potter’s work.
“Hokusai Pop-Ups” by Courtney Watson McCarthy (US$29.95, Thames & Hudson, published November, 2016)
A profound influence on Impressionism, art nouveau, and even contemporary art today, the legacy of the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) is celebrated in this beautiful pop-up book by paper engineer and graphic designer Courtney Watson McCarthy.
“Elemental Living: Contemporary Houses in Nature” (US$49.95, Phaidon, published November 2016)
Be inspired by 60 international architectural works from the 20th and 21st centuries that have been conceived to interact with, and pay homage to, the particularly unique scenery that surrounds them. From moutain-top studios to jungle hideaways, home envy is guaranteed.
“Robert Rauschenberg” (US$75, Museum of Modern Art, published November 2016)
The American painter and graphic artist who won the US’s first Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 1963, Rauschenerg (1925-2008) is celerbated in this striking hardcover, showcasing his most influential work and related essays from a six-decade career. — AFP-Relaxnews
