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You know you've walked into a sophisticated home when you spy the colorful jackets of art books spread across a coffee table. These hardcover editions speak to the owner's taste, inspiring conversation and furthering intellectual discovery. They're also pretty to look at. From modern architecture to fashion design to Old Master works, there are art books for every particular interest. We created a list of The Most Anticipated Art Book Releases of 2014 to help you build your creative library this year. From a book on The New Yorker cartoons to editions on innovations in architecture, these are all the new releases to keep an eye on.
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Berlin Wonderland: Wild Years Revisited 1990-1996
Authors: A. Fesel, C. Keller
Release Date: May 15, 2014
Publisher: Gestalten
Price: $34.11
In more than 200 photographs supplemented by interviews and quotes, Berlin Wonderland reflects on Berlin's post-WWII upheaval, focusing on the punks, artists, and rebels who worked to bring Berlin back to life. 25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the authors of Berlin Wonderland decided that it was time to tell the visual story of complete cultural reinvention in Mitte, Berlin's most artistic district.
Our House in the City: New Urban Homes and Architecture
Editors: S. Borges, S. Ehmann, R. Klanten
Release Date: Jan. 2014
Publisher: Gestalten
Price: $60
Our House in the City is more than your average architecture book. It tells the stories behind some of the most impressive urban residential architecture in recent history. The book describes the considerations that go into building a home from the impact of the immediate surroundings to the visions of a new generation of architects. The included projects range from spaces that exist in densely populated cities to more open structures.
Mona Lisa to Marge: How the World's Greatest Artworks Entered Popular Culture
Authors: Francesca Bonazzoli, Michele Robecchi
Release Date: April 17, 2014
Publisher: Prestel
Price: $24.95
Mona Lisa to Marge offers an exploration of the intersection between art, history, and commerce in a highly informative and entertaining way. The book reveals how 30 masterpieces went from artistic images to iconic figureheads in visual culture. The edition features original artwork as well as the cartoons, ads, book jackets, and album covers it inspired.
I Only Read It for the Cartoons: The New Yorker's Most Brilliantly Twisted Artists
Editor: Richard Gehr
Release Date: Oct. 7, 2014
Publisher: New Harvest
Price: $25
The title of the book says it all. I Only Read It for the Cartoons addresses what no one else wants to admit—that the comics surpass some of the articles in The New Yorker. The book is dedicated to the individual careers of the magazine's cartoon superstars. Gehr's book features biographical profiles of such artists as Gahan Wilson, Sam Gross, Roz Chast, Lee Lorenz, and Edward Koren. He also provides a brief history of The New Yorker cartoon itself by touching on the lives of earlier illustrators like Charles Addams, James Thurber, and William Steig.
Masterful Marks: Cartoonists Who Changed the World
Author: Monte Beauchamp
Release Date: Sept. 2, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Price: $24.99
Finally there's a book that gives cartoon artists the attention they deserve. Masterful Marks features top illustrators, including Drew Friedman, Nora Krug, Denis Kitchen, and Peter Kuper. The book reveals how visionary cartoonists overcame financial, political, and personal challenges to create a new form of art that now defines so many elements of pop culture.
The Outsiders: The New Outdoor Creativity
Author: Robert Klanten
Release Date: March 15, 2014
Publisher: Gestalten
Price: $44.28
The Outsiders covers a niche art form concerned with designing original outdoor products and improving on existing ones. It tries to capture the sentiment of such designs while showcasing products, illustrations, and graphics as well as introducing the individuals that made them. Basically, this book reminds us that nature has a lot to offer creative spirits.
Francesco Vezzoli
Author: Francesco Vezzoli
Release Date: Oct. 14, 2014
Publisher: Rizzoli
Price:$87.37
Francesco Vezzoli, who has become famous for his work revolving around celebrity culture, compiled a book that reflects on his career as an artist, intertwining art, celebrity, fashion, and cinema all in one. An art critic, curator, or chronicler of modern culture introduces each project in the book. Produced in close collaboration with the artist, the book design features a die-cut case and embroidered pages.
In Color
Author: Bruce Davidson
Release Date: Jan. 15, 2014
Publisher: Steidl
Price: $56.70
Although Bruce Davidson is known for his striking black-and-white photographs, he has managed to create an impressive collection of color images. This book presents Davidson's personal selections from his lesser-known color archive spanning about 56 years. The works consist of assignments from the likes of Vogue, National Geographic, and LIFE magazine. It also includes other commercial projects that led Davidson to photograph high fashion, the Shah of Iran, college cheerleaders, and much more.
Leon Leveinstein
Author: Leon Leveinstein
Release Date: March 15, 2013
Publisher: Steidl
Price: $92.72
American street photographer Leon Levinstein has yet to achieve the popular recognition his work deserves. His works are unflattering and unsentimental black-and-white images that range from locations in New York City, Haiti, Mexico, India, and beyond. If you're a fan of Diane Arbus, Sandy Kim, or contemporary photographers that would rather present a more grotesque or realistic approach to photography, you need to learn a bit about Levinstein's wonderful photographs.
index A to Z: Art, Music, Fashion, Film, in the Indie Era
Authors: Peter Halley, Bob Nickas, Bruce LaBruce, Wendy Vogel
Release Date: April 8, 2014
Publisher: Rizzoli
Price: $45
index magazine started out as a low-budget, over-sized fanzine in 1996. It quickly became one of the most influential small publications in the United States when it came to '90s indie culture. index A to Z celebrates the personalities, humor, and craftiness of the indie generation. With sections like "F for Fashion," featuring designers like Marc Jacobs, or "I for Indie" with Harmony Korine, the book pays homage to Generation X's favorite magazine. It also includes previously unpublished outtakes and party pictures.
The Big Picture
Author: Arthur Elgort
Release Date: Oct. 15, 2013
Publisher: Steidl
Price: $106.35
Arthur Elgort made his photographic debut in British Vogue in 1971. His "snapshot" style and focus on movement and natural light ushered in a new era of fashion photography. He went on to photograph for American, French and Italian Vogue, Interview, GQ, LIFE and Rolling Stone, while shooting advertising campaigns for fashion labels including Chanel, Valentino and Yves Saint Laurent. The Big Picture is Arthur Elgort's first comprehensive book, showing his fashion photographs alongside his personal work. It covers Elgort's five-decade career and his casual shooting style, which is influenced by a lifelong love of music and dance.
Natural Architecture Now: New Projects From Outside the Boundaries of Design
Author: Francesca Tatarella
Release Date: April 29, 2014
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Price: $39.95
Have you ever spent time in nature and found elements that were sculptural or architectural? Have you ever seen architecture that resembles the nature that surrounds it? It's this kind of reciprocity that Natural Architecture Now takes on. The book features new site-specific installations by an international list of contributors. From a climbing structure in Joshua Tree National Park to an intricate bamboo installation on top of the Metropolitan Museum of Art to a residential mud structure prototype, each project shows how architects engineer a new organic simplicity of structure and form.
Cassina as Seen by Karl
Author: Karl Lagerfeld
Release Date: 2014
Publisher: Steidl
Price: $119.99
The historic furniture company CASSINA invited Karl Lagerfeld, famed fashion designer and photographer, to capture their products for eternity. Lagerfeld's photography highlights the talent of Modernist design legends like Rietveld and Jeanneret. Removed from their usual domestic element, Lagerfeld takes the Italian furniture out of context so it appears less like a product and more like a formal element of a larger image.
Creative Block: Get Unstuck, Discover New Ideas. Advice & Projects from 50 Successful Artists
Author: Danielle Krysa
Release Date: Feb. 18, 2014
Publisher: Chronicle
Price: $29.95
The perfect gift for the struggling artist, Creative Block finally addresses the most crippling, yet universal challenge for artists. The book provides solutions for overcoming any kind of artistic impediment. For her book, the blogger behind The Jealous Curator interviewed 50 successful international artists in different mediums for their insights on how to conquer self-doubt, motivation, and new ideas. From road trips to 30-day challenges to cataloging the medicine cabinet, these artists provide great methods to get back on the creative process. Along with more than 300 images featuring the artists' work, Creative Block is great for anyone that needs that push to get their creative projects started.
Beijing: Contemporary and Imperial
Author: Lois Connor
Release Date: April 4, 2014
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Price: $50
Lois Conner, an established American photographer, has staked her territory in China for three decades and has witnessed firsthand the physical transformation of the country. Beijing, the subject of Conner's new book, is portrayed in stunning black-and-white panoramas to reveal the juxtapositions that exist in such an ancient, yet modernized city. Conner's photographs manage to capture all the complexities and contradictions of the modern metropolis.
A Love Letter to the City
Editor: Stephen Powers
Release Date: Feb. 14, 2014
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Price: $24.95
Stephen Powers' colorful large-scale murals are finally in print. Combining community activism and public art, Powers and his team collaborate with a neighborhood's residents to create slogans that are often sincere and poignant affirmations reflecting the collective hopes of the host community. His subtly romantic commentary makes the dirtiest cement wall look like it belongs in a Wes Anderson film. A Love Letter to the City gathers the artist's pertinent international public art project for the first time.
Hiroshi Fujiwara
Contributors: Sarah Lerfel, Ino Hidefumi
Release Date: April 29, 2014
Publisher: Rizzoli
Price: $55
Hiroshi Fujiwara is known as the "godfather of streetwear," and this book pays tribute to his influence on contemporary fashion, music, and design. Hiroshi Fujiwara offers an extensive work of the pioneer in streetwear, music, and art. Because he is one of the founding fathers of Tokyo's Harajuku scene, Fujiwara's influence over contemporary design culture is definite. The book chronicles his career over more than 30 years, which includes highly sought-after artwork and graphics, sneakers, product design, and curated personal effects. With contributions by Sarah Lerfel and Ino Hidefumi, this book provides insight into one of the most influential tastemakers of our time.
Palm Angels
Author: Francesco Ragazzi
Release Date: April 1, 2014
Publisher: Rizzoli
Price: $55
This book, which features large-format photographs of skaters in Venice Beach and Manhattan Beach, captures the LA skateboarding scene, style, and street culture through the eyes of the world's most elite communities of skaters. Photographed by Francesco Ragazzi, the Italian art director of Moncler, Palm Angels takes the reader inside skate culture. Because of Ragazzi's artistic eye, the book is less focused on analyzing tricks and more about conveying the sensation of the men and women that engage in the dangerous, yet endlessly entertaining activity. Palm Angels includes an introduction by Pharrell Williams, who has become an icon in skate style.
Naomi Campbell
Authors: Naomi Campbell, Benedikt Taschen
Publisher: Taschen
Release Date: Summer 2014
Price: N/A
Taschen celebrates the career of the ultimate supermodel Naomi Campbell. Having been a top model since the age of 15, Naomi changed history as the first black model to grace the cover of French Vogue and TIME magazine. Campbell has been photographed by the best photographers for over 300 magazine covers and even more editorials and advertising campaigns throughout her career.
We Are FriendsWithYou
Author: FriendsWithYou
Release Date: May 6, 2014
Publisher: Rizzoli
Price: $50
FriendsWithYou is a contemporary fine art collective that has been spreading their unifying message worldwide since their founding in 2002. Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval III use ideas like animism, healing arts, the modern ritual, and celebrated symbols to address how humans can relate to one another. Their aesthetic reflects the playful tastes of Murakami, Arturo Herrera, and Yayoi Kusama while they address these grander themes of spirituality and human connection. With contributions by Pharrell Williams, Alejandro Jodorowsky, and Peter Doroshenko, this book reveal insight into their joyful body of work.