Gianni Mercurio

One of the most eclectic, celebrated and influential figures of the second half of the twentieth century, Andy Warhol is an emblem of American culture of the sixties and seventies. The Andy Warhol Show sheds light not only on the revolutionary role that Warhol played in art but also his influence on graphic design, communication and fashion. Introduced by the editors Gianni Mercurio and Daniela Morera, the exhibition catalogue includes new essays by Bruno Bischofberger, Victor Bokris, Ronald Feldman, Glenn 'O Brien and a critical essay by Demetrio Paparoni. The main nucleus of works reproduced in this striking catalogue is impressive: in addition to the 200 paintings which span his entire career, the book showcases a rich collection of photographs, graphic works and drawings, including Warhol's early illustrations for fashion magazines. The fundamental themes of the Warhol aesthetic can be seen here in some of their most representative examples: the beauty-success-power myth (portraits of Marilyn, Liz Taylor, Elvis Presley, Jaqueline Kennedy, Mao); consumerism (Campbell's Soup, Brillo Box, Dollar Sign); advertising, serial repetition of an image, the tragic symbols of catastrophe and death (Suicide, Electric Chair); portraits of artists, dealers, friends such as Leo Castelli, Keith Haring, Dennis Hopper; the passage through abstract art (Camouflage, Shadows); collaborations with Jean-Michel Basquiat and Francesco Clemente; and The Last Supper, Warhol's final series of works.

Decades before he blew the lid off the high-stakes art world by shredding a work immediately following its purchase at an auction, Banksy was committing acts of artistic protest on the streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world. We still don't know who Banksy is, but thanks to this book we have a greater sense of how he works. This book features approximately eighty works from the start of his street art career to today, most photographed in situ and presented in vibrant illustrations. This book guides readers through Banksy's artistic processes and explains his influences, such as the Situationism movement and the May 1968 uprising in Paris. It delves into key works such as Love Is in the Air, a stencilled graffiti that subverts the idea of violent protest; Flag, in which the iconic American photograph at Iwo Jima is altered to reflect a group of Harlem children atop a burnt-out car; and the slyly titled Turf War, in which Winston Churchill sports a grassy Mohawk. The book also pays tribute to Banksy's rats, a reviled symbol of urban decay that the artist reimagines as rappers, violin players, and painters. As Banksy continues to challenge the political, economic, and racial oppression that takes place every day in cities around the world, this book offers a timely appreciation of just how the artist has embedded himself into the psyche of the powerful as well as the voiceless-without ever revealing his own identity.