Our Art Book Selection

Our selection of art books celebrate the legendary works of Picasso, Cy Twombly, Alexander Calder and Jeff Koons. 

The award-winning photojournalist and close friend of the late Picasso, David Douglas Duncan commemorates the life and work of the iconic artist through eye-catching storytelling photographs in Goodbye Picasso. Dive further into the world of Picasso, with Cahiers d’Art: Piccaso in the Studio. The artist is revealed in a new light through rare and unseen photographs displaying the artist working in his studio, as well as the progression of his art.

Discover the story of American artist, Cy Twombly, and his poetic dialogue with the ancient past looking through Cy Twombly: Making Past Present.  This deluxe publication showcases reproductions of more than 50 of Cy Twombly’s paintings, drawings, and sculptures including a number from his personal collection.

Cahiers dArt: Calder in France explores the significant years in which the American artist, Alexander Calder made a mark on the France’s bustling avant-garde scene. Best known for his innovative mobiles that embody change in their aesthetic and his monumental public sculptures, Calder reached his artistic peak in 1920s Paris which is celebrated throughout this book.

For modern art lovers, our selection of Jeff Koons coffee table books suits best.  Having come to the spotlight of international art in the 1980s, Koons became the American artist of reference for themes from popular culture and everyday life including giant balloon animals made with stainless steel and a mirror-finish surface. Jeff Koons Versailles exhibits the exceptional work of Jeff Koons’s contemporary art in the King’s large apartments of Versailles. Jeff Koons: Gazing Balls presents Koons’s  “Gazing Ball” series which began in 2013. The artist created bold blue hand-blown glass balls contrasted against replicas of classic white marble sculptures. By combining the two mediums of art, Koons creates a complimentary contrast fusing together art from the past and present.

Art Books In Celebration of Exhibitions 

In celebration of art exhibitions we offer the books, Jeff Koons Versailles and Jeff Koons: Gazing Ball. 

Koons’s “Gazing Ball” exhibit began with royal blue mirrored spherical orbs frequently used to decorate gardens and lawns. Koons was attracted to their reflective qualities which allow viewers to see themselves and their surroundings while looking at the work of art. This particular book showcases the exhibit featuring the blue spheres aesthetically placed in famous paintings such as the Mona Lisa and Edouard Manet’s Luncheon on the Grass.

Jeff Koons Versailles showcases more contemporary art by Koons in an exhibition set up in the King’s large apartments of Versailles. Celebrating the first contemporary art exhibition in the palace, the book brings to life the progressive principle of the presentation: a work, a room. The pages include a complete map of the exhibition with a description of each room along with a biography and bibliography of Koons. Each piece in the exhibition ties together modern culture and the victorian essence of Versailles, creating a beautiful contrast on each page.

Abstract Expressionism

Abstract expressionism refers to newer forms of abstract art introduced by American painters such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning between the 1940s and 1950s. They were inspired by the surrealist concept that art should be derived from the unconscious mind, and by the automatism of artist Joan Miró.

Imagine conceptual works of spontaneous brush-strokes, pencil scribbles and other kinds of mark-making that is inspired by innate emotions translated onto canvas. At first glance, an abstract expressionism piece looks random and chaotic but their purpose is to communicate strong emotion through their ideational composition. 

Presented in our book collection, Cy Twombly is an excellent example of an abstract expressionist whose signature style embodies vigorous vibrant scribbles, and repeated lines and shapes. His work is almost “child-like” but by no means childish as each piece holds profound meaning and interpretation. 

Post-Impressionism & Fauvism 

Inspired by the Impressionist movement and rising to the artistic scene in the 1880s, a group of artists came to be known as the Post-Impressionists. These young artists, including Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gaugin, and Edvard Munch strayed away from the naturalism of Impressionism. They practiced liberating artistic forms expressive of raw emotions instead of utilizing optical visuals. Filled with deep symbolism, a Post-Impressionist piece was defined with bright hues and definitive shapes, and characterized by a refreshing approach to aesthetic, abstract qualities. 

Surrealism

Coming to life in Europe during the post World War I era, surrealism is a cultural and avant-garde movement in art and literature. It explores the limitless qualities of the unconscious mind through illogical juxtaposition in imagery. The distinct style was strongly influenced by the Dada art movement that formed during WWI in reaction to the horrors of war time. Surrealism’s purpose aimed to transform the human experience during the 20th century. The artistic genre rejects a traditional vision of life in exchange for one that emphasizes the value of the unconscious, dreams and otherworldly ideas. Andre Breton, the French writer and poet founded surrealism and famous artists like Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso became main figures of the surrealist movement. Celebrating the works of Picasso and his surrealist style, Goodbye Picasso by David Douglas Duncan, Cahiers D’art: Picasso in the Studio and Picasso: His recent Drawings are available on our site. 

Cubism 

Considered the most influential art movement of the 20th century, cubism emerged in Paris as an avant-garde art style that transformed European painting and sculpture. Cubism abandons a single viewpoint perspective and displays basic geometric shapes overlapping and arranged in a collage-like visual. Some pioneer artists that propelled cubism forward included Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. Their work showcased various views of subjects together in the same piece of work. Picasso’s The Weeping Women and Les Demoiselles d'Avignon are some of the most famous paintings from the cubist movement. 

Painting 

Simple as it is, painting gives an artist the ability to express endless ideas and emotions through a two-dimensional image using paint in pigments and colors of their choosing. A single painting can communicate a certain mood and message through shapes, colors, tones, textures, and lines. Paintings consist of a particular form and medium. For example, an acrylic paint medium painted on a canvas form. These things combined, as well as a painter’s technique, create a visual masterpiece that conveys a powerful meaning. Some of the famous painters of all time include Vincent Van Gogh, Leonardo Da Vinci, Frida Kahlo and Claude Monet. Find imaginative and abstract paintings by American painter, Cy Twombly, in our titles Cy Twombly: Making Past Present and Cy Twombly: Homes & Studios. 

Sculpture 

Sculpture is a visual 3-D art form created from carving and or modeling from various materials including stone, wood, metal, and ceramics. Throughout its history, sculpture has been created using four methods: stone carving, wood carving, bronze casting and clay firing. However, since the modernist movement, sculptural materials and processes have become limitless. Jeff Koons Versailles and Jeff Koons: Gazing Ball are two titles available on our site that celebrate the artist’s work of vibrant stainless steel sculptures.