Gerard-Georges Lemaire

"Ever since its discovery by traders and seamen in the Early Modern age, the world of Islam has been an important source of cultural inspiration for Western civilization. Geographically so near, culturally so dif-ferent, the countries of the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa have influenced both the Oriental vogue of the baroque period and also the popular Oriental genre in the fine arts. At the same time, the mysterious aura of the Orient has repeatedly served as a romantically idealized counterpoint and escape route for European fantasies and longings. From the early turquets to the glory of the 19th century to the Tunisian images of August Macke and Paul Klee, this elaborately appointed volume presents the history of Oriental images in painting and follows the traces of a phenomenon that remains fascinating even today. "

The homes of some of the world's most celebrated artists are featured in this lavishly illustrated volume. From Frederic Church's castle on New York's Hudson River to Claude Monet's house and garden at Giverny in France to Giorgio de Chirico's sophisticated Roman apartment and William Morris's Arts and Crafts-style Kelmscott Manor, this book reveals each artist's tastes and fashionable flair."Artists' Houses "is a close-up look at the intimate hideaways that 15 great European and American artists created for themselves. The beautiful, private worlds revealed here will captivate all those interested in interior design and the lives of our most renowned artists.