Since when did certain hand gestures become offensive? And why are scales a symbol of justice?For thousands of years, humans have communicated through a language of signs and symbols. F...
What’s Wrong in Tinseltown?The dark side of Los Angeles, 1920–1950In the years following World War I, Los Angeles was a city awakening to its darker side, transforming...
“A woman once rang me up and said, ‘Mr. Escher, I am absolutely crazy about your work. In your print Reptiles, you have given such a striking illustration of reincarnation.’ I rep...
One of the greatest pioneers in the history of architectureAcclaimed as the “father of skyscrapers,” the quintessentially American icon Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959) was an...
The roaring twenties in BerlinIt was the decade of daring Expressionist canvases, of brilliant book design, of the Bauhaus total work of art, of pioneering psychology, of drag balls, cabaret,...
Only 20 paintings and eight drawings are confidently assigned to Netherlandish painter Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1450–1516) but in their fantastical visions they have secured his place as one of t...
Over 150 of the best photos from the original volume are now in this compact book. From Betty Grable to Bettie Page, the greatest legs of the 20th Century are here, shot by Irving Klaw, Bunny Yeage...
Discover a world of decorative ideas with this compendium of history’s most elegant patterns and ornamental designs.The World of Ornament brings together the two greatest encyclop...
Wolfgang Tillmans compiles 30 years of his workto draw a picture of where we are todayLike hardly any other artist of his generation, Wolfgang Tillmans has shaped our perception of the ...
The master of Japanese ukiyo-eUtagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858) was one of the last great artists in the ukiyo-e tradition. Literally meaning “pictures of the floating world,” u...
The most comprehensive retrospective of Renoir’s workPierre-Auguste Renoir’s (1841–1919) timelessly charming paintings still reflect our ideals of happiness, love, and beaut...
Shots from the world’s greatest collection of Polaroid imagesThe Polaroid Corporation’s photography collection is the greatest portfolio of Polaroid images in the world. Begun by ...
The definitive monograph on Ai WeiweiAs his personal circumstances move in constant flux, Ai Weiwei remains a cultural magnet. Renowned for his political activism and social media activity al...
A new edition of the definitive visual history of the automobile, profiling over 2,000 models, from the earliest "horseless carriage" to the modern supercarA lavishly illustra...
How can we pack so much big booty into such a tiny and inexpensive package? Sorry, but it's a trade secret we can't divulge, except to say that shoehorns and spandex were involved. The original Big...
A world of music, dance, and the Moulin RougeIn our imaginings of Paris, painter and graphic artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901) has no small role to play. In his prints, poste...
Lyrical forms from FinlandAlvar Aalto (1898–1976) made a unique modernist mark. Influenced by both the landscape and the political independence of his native Finland, he designed warm, ...
The movies that shaped the 2010sCinema has likely never been written off so often. In the decade of the 2010s, it is true, much has changed – both in how we watch movies, and in how we ...
The Egyptian explorations of Émile Prisse d’AvennesA lifelong devotee of ancient Egyptian and Oriental culture, the French author, artist, and scholar Achille-Constant-Thé...
A Revolution in PaintingThe mysterious genius who transformed European artCaravaggio, or more accurately Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610), was always a name to ...