Books

"Everything  important that I have done can be put into a little suitcase," Duchamp  said in 1952: finally that suitcase is available to all. One of the most important and enigmatic  pieces of modernist art, Boîte-en-valise (Box in a...

 “There is never a time in the future in which we will work out our salvation. The challenge is in the moment, the time is always now,” wrote James Baldwin. Published in conjunction with the eponymous exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery,...

Tracing the surge in creativity and transformations in culture and the arts during one of history’s most tumultuous decades Boom: Art and Design in the 1940s looks at the complex shifts in technology and the arts, including music, film, and fashion,...

This visual gift book introduces readers to the field of Black figuration by highlighting key works from the National Portrait Gallery exhibition The Time is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure. The selections included in this brief introduction...

Michael R. Taylor (Author) with essays by Andrew Lins, Melissa S. Meighan, and Beth A. Price, Ken Sutherland, Scott Homolka, and Elena Torok In his early thirties, Marcel Duchamp convinced everyone that he had abandoned making art in favor of playing...

Few artists tried as hard as Claude Monet (1840–1926) to capture light itself on canvas. The painter of whom Cézanne said “only  an eye, but my God what an eye!” he stayed true to the principle of absolute fidelity to the visual sensation, painting...

Matthew Affron (Author) With contributions by Cécile Debray, Alexander Kauffman, Michael R. Taylor, and John Vick This book offers an engaging and accessible introduction to one of the twentieth century’s greatest and most enigmatic artists, Marcel...

This is the story of the African-American Montier family, which traces its roots to Philadelphia’s first mayor, a white Quaker named Humphrey Morrey, and includes generations of Black activists, artists and scholars. The important story of an...

Featuring nearly forty full-color reproductions of Thomas Sully’s portraits, and drawing upon previously unpublished archival material, Thomas Sully’s Philadelphians brings to life the people who participated in the history of early-nineteenth-century...

A groundbreaking study of animals through the rarely seen sketches by legendary artist Pablo Picasso The masterful drawings of Pablo Picasso teach animal recognition to the youngest readers in this artful, read-aloud board book. Birds & Other...

As the companion to the exhibition, Fighting for Freedom places Black craftspeople at the forefront of American history, from before the Revolutionary War through the Civil War and beyond Reconstruction. Delving into diverse narratives of creativity,...

Diego Rivera’s America revisits a historical moment when the famed muralist and painter, more than any other artist of his time, helped forge Mexican national identity in visual terms and imagined a shared American future in which unity, rather than...

The large variety of jobs that await the art lover are showcased in this peek into the workdays of 25 workers whose jobs involve art. Learn what it takes to be an architect or an art historian, how a technical illustrator or a game designer spend their...

The authoritative and wide-ranging visual essay on the aesthetics of Japan, a classic volume now back in print with a stunning new cover design ‘Japan style’ is an aesthetic recognizable to everyone: a beautifully displayed flower, an elegant...

Practice counting using some of the most famous sculptures in the world! One & Other Numbers features sculptures by master sculptor Alexander Calder. Calder’s playful and often vibrant abstract shapes are highly appealing to young readers and...

Henri Matisse's abstract cut-outs are used to teach colors in this polished read-aloud board book. Blue & Other Colors takes children through Matisse's color palette, one artwork per page, beginning with blue and returning to it as a familiar refrain...

No longer a catalog, but an intimate window into how and why Nakashima Woodworkers do what Nakashima Woodworkers do. THe Process Book acts a first step in understanding our foundations and identifying what you hope to achieve in working with us. Defined...

An interactive board book that sparks the imagination! What can a hand create? Apple trees, lions, flamingos, and butterflies too! Whether their hands are trees full of delicious apples or a friendly octopus waving its arms, children will delight in...

Written to inspire courage in those daunted by wartimes shortages, How to Cook a Wolf continues to rally cooks during times of plenty, reminding them that providing sustenance requires more than putting food on the table. M. F. K. Fisher knew that the...

The main character of this extraordinary graphic novel is not a person but an idea—the school of Bauhaus, which arose in the wake of World War I, and emerged as the fundamental reference point for virtually every avant-garde artistic movement that...

Awarded an Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Picture Book Honor, this stunning picture book brings to life the imagination of Japanese American artist, Isamu Noguchi. (Cover image may vary.) If you are Isamu, stones are the most special of...

 This definitive book explores the multidisciplinary career of one of the most experimental and pioneering artists of the 20th century. Encompassing the entirety of Isamu Noguchi’s work in sculpture, ceramics, photography, architecture,...

Widely celebrated as the father of the Studio Furniture Movement, Wharton Esherick is one of the most important furniture designers of the twentieth century. Presenting his preserved hillside house and studio, this book showcases seven decades of...

A richly illustrated monograph on the life and work of Lee Krasner, one of the twentieth century’s most inspiring women artists and a pioneer of abstract expressionism, now available in paperback. In 1984, Lee Krasner (1908–1984) became one of the few...

The first monograph on the overlooked American modernist whose delicate geometric abstractions made brilliant and innovative use of string Balance, motion, suspension and tension form the guiding principles of the work of Sue Fuller (1914–2006), one of...

A scholarly meditation on Reinhardt’s work, bringing together his abstract painting, comics and slide lecture series The second volume of Focal Points takes as its subject the work of American artist Ad Reinhardt (1913–67). An American abstract painter,...

 The People’s Painter is a lyrically told, exquisitely illustrated picture book biography of influential Jewish artist and activist Ben Shahn. A 2022 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Winner A 2022 Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney...

First published in 1956, What Shall I Wear? is revolutionary, award-winning designer Claire McCardell’s collection of fashion wisdom and philosophy, and a vivacious guide to looking effortlessly stylish. This new edition of the sought-after classic...

A pocket-sized history of the great fashion house, Dior, covering over 70 years of excellence. Little Book of Dior is the pocket-sized and beautifully illustrated story of 70 years of opulent fashion. Christian Dior's spectacular rise to the upper...

Renowned designers Charles and Ray Eames are amongst the greatest designers of the 20th century. They are, of course, most well known for their groundbreaking and iconic furniture designs, but they also created important, creative, experimental, and...

Beautifully painted life story of the legendary gypsy jazz guitarist, Django Reinhardt. But Django -which may have meant "He who wakens"- was twice born. A first time in the snow, during the winter of 1910 in a nomadic gypsy family stationed in...

Jackson Pollock was unlike any other painter. Instead of sitting in front of an easel with brushes, he poured paint over canvases rolled-out across the floor, moving, splashing, and making the vivid liquid run with energy and rhythm. Pollock’s story is...

More than four decades after the passing of Monuments Woman Captain Rose Valland (1898–1980), one of the great heroines of World War II, the Monuments Men and Women Foundation released the first-ever English translation of her 1961 memoir, The Art Front:...

The story of modernist designers Russel and Mary Wright and their collaboration to transform their Hudson Valley estate, Dragon Rock at Manitoga, into an artistic haven. In the mid-century era of TV dinners and suburban conformity, Russel and Mary...

A celebration of the rich and varied work of Italian-born American artist, designer, and master of metal, Harry Bertoia From chapel altarpieces and bronze fountains, to wire chairs and silver brooches, Harry Bertoia's creative output was varied in the...

An homage to the design pioneers who defined the Mid-Century aesthetic through their work in furniture, glassware, ceramics and textiles More than 50 years later, the fascination with mid-century design is stronger than ever before. Explore the popular...

One late spring morning the American artist Jackson Pollock began work on the canvas that would ultimately come to be known as Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist).  Award-winning authors Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan use this moment as the departure...

What was it really like growing up in the 1940s? There are tales of being dragged from bombed out homes and of watching dog fights in the skies above. Of evacuation and a clash of cultures between city center kids and their country cousins. All endured...

Ever hear of Charlie Parker? The great jazz saxophone player? If you have or if you haven't, it's okay. Look at this  book and you'll hear Charlie Parker; you'll hear music in your mind. "Be bop. Fisk, fisk. Lollipop. Boomba, boomba." Look. That's...

A poetic and moving picture book biography celebrating the life and work of the visionary Japanese American woodworker George Nakashima.  Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, George Nakashima began a love story with trees that grew throughout his...

Mrs. Mallard was sure that the pond in the Boston Public Gardens would be a perfect place for her and her eight ducklings to live. The problem was how to get them there through the busy streets of Boston. But with a little help from the Boston police,...

In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived...

Midcentury masterpieces from the inventors of the Eames chair Best known for their contributions to architecture, furniture design, industrial design, film and photography, Charles and Ray Eames remain among the most renowned American designers of the...

Lincoln Kirstein was a polymathic writer, critic, curator and impresario: a key connector and an indefatigable catalyst whose sweeping contributions to American cultural life in the 1930s and ‘40s shaped artists and institutions. Best known for...

Exquisitely illustrated and expertly written, Little Book of Schiaparelli follows a biographical chronology detailing the eccentric and influential designer's life, career, and primary creative themes of her work. .Little Book of Schiaparelli chronicles...

'Haute couture is like an orchestra, whose conductor is Balenciaga. We other couturiers are the musicians and we follow the direction he gives' - Christian Dior The godfather of conceptual design, a master of shape, a true fashion game changer – all are...

The Modern Home A complete retrospective of the Case Study Houses program The Case Study House program (1945–1966) was an exceptional, innovative event in the history of American architecture and remains to this day unique. The program, which...

A pilot crashes in the Sahara Desert and encounters a strange young boy who calls himself the Little Prince. The Little Prince has traveled there from his home on a lonely, distant asteroid with a single rose. The story that follows is a beautiful and at...

Stuart Little is no ordinary mouse. Born to a family of humans, he lives in New York City with his parents, his older brother George, and Snowbell the cat. Though he's shy and thoughtful, he's also a true lover of adventure.  Stuart's greatest...

This treasured classic is where it all began for the curious, lovable monkey, Curious George. George meets the man in the yellow hat in the jungle and goes to live in a new home, but—oh, what happened! Though trying to be good, George is still very...

Explore the modern age of design in this Bibliotheca Universalis edition  of the 20th century’s key movements and trends. Featuring countless  works from around the world, this is an essential compendium for design  aficionados everywhere,...

No German painter evokes such strong emotions as Caspar David Friedrich: his evening skies remain icons of longing, his mountain vistas testaments to the grandeur of nature.  He inspired Samuel Beckett to write Waiting for Godot and Walt...

 In early modern Japan, cultural salons were creative spaces for people of all ages and social levels to pursue painting, poetry, and other artistic endeavors as serious but amateur practitioners. All using a pen- or art-name, individuals were able...

Trace the genesis of Jackson Pollock’s work in this intimate portrait of the radical twentieth-century artist through the diverse cultural influences that charted his artistic evolution. Jackson Pollock’s “drip technique” paintings are among the most...

A hilarious celebration of cats in artwork from medieval times. Look what the cat dragged in from the Middle Ages—a curious compendium of cats unlike any you’ve ever lapped up before. Here’s the purrfect bedside companion for cat...

Brimming with stunning reproductions and illuminating texts, this handy and accessible book is the perfect introduction to the famous Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer. Albrecht Dürer (1471–1521) is considered the most important German painter and...

Perfect for framing, this inspiring book of prints features twenty celebrations of world-changing women. Vashti Harrison's beloved illustrations of historical figures -- scientists, activists, artists, and more -- are the perfect gift for today's young...

Beautifully illustrated and accessibly written, Dream Big, Little One; Think Big, Little One; and Follow Your Dreams, Little One are board book adaptations of the bestselling Little Leaders, Little Dreamers, and Little Legends books. These inspiring...

An omnibus edition collecting fifteen volumes of Hokusai's dedicated drawing manuals, also known as e-tehon. Best known for woodblock prints such as The Great Wave off Kanagawa, the ninteenth-century artist Hokusai was prolific in other media. Of...

A visual journey through Zen’s influence on Japanese life, from calligraphy to the martial arts Formed by a convergence of the Buddha’s teachings with Taoism and local tradition, Zen has had a profound impact on the art and culture of Japan...

How did you become a knight? How heavy was a suit of armor? Where did knights live? And what was it like to take part in a battle? Discover the answers to these questions and more in this fact-filled book all about knights, then turn to the back of the...

Celebrate the creative process of pioneering American abstract painter Joan Mitchell in this beautifully illustrated STEAM picture book, perfect for all kinds of young creators. It’s 1983, and American artist Joan Mitchell is in her studio outside Paris,...

Gorgeously displayed in an accordion-fold binding, this is a visual ode to the beauty of cherry blossoms—harbingers of spring—by legendary artists of Japanese woodblock printing. Cherry blossoms are beloved signs of spring renewal celebrated by garden...

This set of fun page flags features a selection of great artists from the Impressionist period.  240 flags per set  

This set of classic characters adhesive flags is a humble tribute to the amazing women that it features! 240 flags per set

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...

Drawing on thousands of never-before-translated letters and unpublished sources, this biography reveals dramatic new information about the life and work of one of the late nineteenth century’s most important painters. Despite being mocked at the...

Wanda Gág is best remembered for her illustrated children's books, such as Millions of Cats, but she also produced inventive prints that deal with the forces of nature and infuse everyday objects with special character and energy. In this richly...

The classic illustrated folktale by the author of Millions of Cats—now back in print after nearly thirty years! Gone Is Gone addresses an age-old question between couples—who works harder? This long-out-of-print children’s book is based on a charming...

  In Snippy and Snappy, we are introduced to brother and sister field mice living with their mother and father in a cozy nook in a hay field. Their father enthralls them with stories about gardens in big fields, houses in big gardens, kitchen...

A window into the world of functional everyday design The designers Jasper Morrison and Naoto Fukasawa have compiled 204 everyday objects in search of “super normal design”: alongside examples of anonymous design like the Swiss Rex vegetable...

Jacqueline Woodson's National Book Award and Newbery Honor winner is a powerful memoir that tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse.  A President Obama "O" Book Club pick. Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always...

Granny teaches her grandson to cook the family meal in this loving celebration of food, traditions, and gathering together at the table.  On Sundays, everyone gathers at Granny's for Soul Food. But today, I don't go to the backyard or the great room...

In this New York Times Bestseller, B is for Beautiful, Brave, and Bright!  And for a Book that takes a Bold journey through the alphabet of Black history and culture.  Letter by letter, The ABCs of Black History celebrates a story that spans...

Black is a wonderful color. Black is special. It is true. It's the sky when the morning is new. In this loving and lovely ode to the color black, a girl describes the many wonders of her world-from the black of starry nights to her own black eyes, clear...

Parks' impactful images from the forefront of the civil rights and Black Power movements Originally published in 1971, Gordon Parks’ Born Black was the first book to unite his writing and his photography and also the first to provide a focused survey of...

 Examining aesthetic connections between the works of more than 50 Black artists from throughout the global diaspora This book was born out of frustration with art histories that emphasize Black artists’ resilience over the aesthetic impact of their...

A general introduction to the art, and architecture, of medieval Europe from the Early Christian to Late Gothic period. Arranged chronologically and regionally, the text is full of illustrated examples, with particular emphasis on France.  ...

Capturing the natural beauty of coastal landscapes and the delicate play of light on water, this volume celebrates impressionist depictions of nautical and beachside life. The impressionists were forever inspired by the sea, which Claude Monet...

This newly revised and updated hardback edition is published to coincide with an exhibition touring the USA. In the years between the Revolution of 1848 and the end of World War II, the art world, centered in Paris, witnessed remarkable transformations...

The first book to celebrate painter William H. Johnson’s Fighters for Freedom series, a tribute to African American heroes who worked to achieve social justice. William H. Johnson painted his Fighters for Freedom series in the mid-1940s as a tribute to...

Billy Brown, 2023 winner of the Witmer Stone Award for Best Ornithological Book of the Year from the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club Do snakes and salamanders fascinate you or make you squeamish? Have you ever listened closely to the birds chirping...

Imagine what it would be like to have a dragon as a pet! Join our funny female protagonist on her latest flight of fancy, but watch out for that burning bad breath! Dragons are mighty mythical beasts . . . and perfect pets. Getting to school is a breeze...

The original American classic with a refrain that millions of kids love to chant: Hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats.  Once upon a time there was an old man and an old woman who were very lonely, so they...

Ellsworth Kelly's paintings and sculptures take center stage in this creative visual presentation of opposites. The pairings range from together/apart to vertical/horizontal, from full/empty to front/back [of a canvas!], providing readers with both...

The must-have guide for all artists who draw the human figure! This small, portable book presents a unique perspective on the head, face, and neck for artists to study and implement in their drawing work. In this book, artist and teacher Michel...

The must-have guide for all artists who draw the human figure! In Morpho: Hands and Feet, artist and teacher Michel Lauricella presents a unique approach to learning to draw the human body. In this book, Lauricella focuses exclusively on the hands and...

Understanding Philadelphia’s history requires that we understand that nothing is inevitable; history is not made by abstract forces, but by the decisions of real individuals as they conduct their lives. With its insightful analysis and engaging prose ,...

Jean-Claude Lebensztejn’s history of the urinating figure in art, Pissing Figures 1280–2014, is at once a scholarly inquiry into an important visual motif, and a ribald statement on transgression and limits in works of art in general...

The Arena Chapel in Padua was completed in 1303; Giotto, then considered the preeminent painter in Italy, was commissioned to paint it in 1306. The resulting fresco cycle, detailing the history, birth, life, and death of Christ, ranks among the greatest...

Selections from Romaine Brooks’s unpublished memoir No Pleasant Memories expose the psyche and practice of this underrecognized queer, female artist.   Most known for her bold and darkly painted portraits, Brooks was revolutionary in her...

Charles Baudelaire, considered a father of modern poetry, wrote some of the most daring and influential prose of the nineteenth century. Prior to publishing the international bestseller Les Fleurs du mal (1857), he was already notable as a forthright...

Written between 1913 and 1929, revolutionary years in art history, Dix Portraits conveys the deep human engagement between an artist and her subject. The artist book unites Stein’s ten portraits in prose with sketches by five artists: Pablo...

Derek Jarman's Blue weaves a sensory tapestry that serves as both a political call to action and a meditation on illness, dying, and love.   “For Blue there are no boundaries or solutions.” —Derek Jarman   Originally...

“Criticism is our censorship . . .” So begins one of the greatest invectives against criticism ever written by an artist. Paul Gauguin wrote “Racontars de rapin” only months before he died in 1903, but the essay remained...

Long overlooked in Proust’s posthumously published writings, Chardin and Rembrandt, written when he was only twenty-four years old, not only reemphasizes the importance of visual art to his development, but contains the seeds of his later work...

 First published in 1998, Leeming’s landmark biography of Beauford Delaney returns to print Long out of print, this new edition of David Leeming’s landmark biography of Beauford Delaney (1901–79) features an introduction by Hilton Als. Leeming, also...

Translated into English for the first time, On Contemporary Art, a speech by the renowned novelist César Aira, was delivered at a 2010 colloquium in Madrid dedicated to bridging the gap between writing and the visual arts.   On...

Never before translated into English, Rainer Maria Rilke’s fascinating Letters to a Young Painter, written toward the end of his life between 1920 and 1926, is a surprising companion to his infamous Letters to a Young Poet, earlier correspondence...

The Japanese woodblock print showcased breathtaking landscapes, blush-inducing erotica, ghosts and demons that torment the living, and made sumo wrestlers and kabuki actors into rock stars. This book reveals the most exceptional prints from 1710–1925,...