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Albertus Seba’s Cabinet of Natural Curiosities is one of the 18th century’s greatest natural history achievements and remains one of the most prized natural history books of all time.Though it was common for men of his profession to collect natural specimens for research purposes, Amsterdambased pharmacist Albertus Seba (1665–1736) had a passion that led him far beyond the call of duty. His amazing, unprecedented collection of animals, plants and insects from all around the world gained international fame during his lifetime. In 1731, after decades of collecting, Seba commissioned illustrations of each and every specimen and arranged the publication of a four-volume catalog detailing his entire collection—from strange and exotic plants to snakes, frogs, crocodiles, shellfish, corals, insects, butterflies and more, as well as fantastic beasts, such as a hydra and a dragon. Seba’s scenic illustrations, often mixing plants and animals in a single plate, were unusual even for the time. Many of the stranger and more peculiar creatures from Seba’s collection, some of which are now extinct, were as curious to those in Seba’s day as they are to us now.

How do today’s brightest and best designers see the future of design? What are the defining elements of form, function, and aesthetics at the turn of the millennium? In response to these burning questions, we’ve put together the definitive book on cutting-edge product design, furniture, ceramics, glassware, and textiles. Including a cross-section of the world’s most influential designers, from superstars to newcomers, and stunning images of their most progressive work, Designing the 21st Century is like no other book of its kind. Making it especially unique are the contributions from all designers featured: each sent us his or her answer to the question, “What is your vision for the future of design?” Crack the book to see how their revolutionary ways of thinking take shape. The experimental concepts and predictions featured here will serve as an important reference for generations to come - when researchers in 2101 want to see what was going on in design a century earlier, this is the book they’ll turn to.

Things, objects, stuff, trinkets, tools, materials, gadgets, the things we use, abuse, throw away, cherish, depend on: these are the things we own, simple objects for our everyday lives. They may or may not hold special meaning to us, but their importance, as objects of cultural identity, is unmistakable.Produced by COLORS under the direction of Oliviero Toscani, famous for his controversial Benetton campaigns, 1000 Extra/Ordinary Objects is a humorous and educational guide to stuff from all over the world. Discover the wonderful absurdity of a priest’s portable mass-in-a-briefcase kit, or the stunning difference between flyswatters from Zimbabwe and South Korea. Ogle at the juxtaposition of neoprene surfing shoes and bullfighting slippers&894 have a gander at a can of blowfish soup. You’ll see that what is ordinary halfway across the world (or perhaps for your neighbors across the street) may be totally foreign to you.

Edward Hopper (1882–1967) is considered the first significant American painter in 20th-century art. Living in a secluded country house with his wife, Josephine, he depicted the loneliness of big-city people in canvas after canvas. Probably the most famous of them, Nighthawks, done in1942, shows a couple seated quietly, as if turned inwards upon themselves, in the harsh artificial light of an all-night restaurant. Many of Hopper’s pictures represent views of streets and roads, rooftops, abandoned houses, depicted inbrilliant light that strangely belies the melancholy mood of the scenes. Hopper’s paintings are marked by striking juxta-positions of color, and by the clear contours with which the figures are demarcated from their surroundings. His extremely precise focus on the theme of modern men and women in the natural and man-made environment some-times lends his pictures a mood of eerie disquiet. In House by the Railroad, a harsh interplay of light and shadow makes the abandoned building seem veritably threatening. On the other hand, Hopper’s renderings of rocky landscapes in warm brown hues, or his depictions of the seacoast, exude an unusual tranquillity that reveals another, more optimisticside of his character.

The extraordinary significance of the painter and sculptor Henri Matisse in the history of modern art, but also his influence, was no less decisive than that of his main rival, PabloPicasso. In fact, Matisse’s stylistic liberation actually goes one step further in the pursuit of his own personal goal — the perfect synthesis of line and color — by which he sought revolutionary approaches to the great tradition of French painting by drawing upon its classical aspects. For those who wish to know more about this lodestar of modern art and follow the adventurous path of his creative career, this publication is surely the most comprehensive and informative source available. Lavishly illustrated, its authoritative commentaries trace the artist’s search for balance, purityand serenity, from the chromatic brilliance of his Fauve period, through his travels, the Orient, geometric synthesis (it was he who introduced Picasso to African art by givinghim his first mask), and the odalisques to the final triumph when, at the age of eighty, he invented his gouache cut-outs that culminated in his illustrations for Jazz and allowed him to achieve his goal of sculpting in paint just as a sculptor works in stone. Matisse is widely acknowledged as an artist whose canvases are extremely difficult to reproduce in print. With this in mind, each work presented here has been painstakingly compared with the respective original, in close collaboration with the artist’s grandson, Claude Duthuit. The bard of color deserves no less.

This monograph covers the full scope of Impressionist painting. It outlines the history of Impressionism in France, addressing not only the work of the acknowledged masters, but also that of such unjustly neglected artists as Bazille, Caillebotte, Berthe Morisot or Lucien Pissarro. The monograph also examines the Impressionist movements that emerged in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Scandinavia, Eastern and South-East Europe, Italy, Spain, Britain and North America. A 64-page "Directory of Impressionism" is appended, containing bibliographies, portraits and biographical data on all 236 artists.

Now that computer games have come to stay, tin toys have become obsolete for today's children. For those of us who remember them from times past, these tin toys can transport us back to our childhoods&894 they call up a vision of a time we thought we had already forgotten. They also bear witness to history&894 they have survived wars and crises, and tell us something of the fashions, colors and tendencies of their times. This book will be of special interest to anyone fascinated by early space travel and technology, those who simply want to wax nostalgic about a bygone era of their youth, and of course to collectors and fans of 50s and 60s tin toys. The roots of today's toys can be seen in these precursors, notably in the early transformer robots. Taken from collector Teruhisa Kitahara's vast collection, which is on display in many museums in Japan, the tin toys featured here are quite rare and give a wonderful overview of this era in the history of toys. A must for any toy lover!

V 50. a 60. rokoch sa americký maliar Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) stal jedným z najdôležitejších predstaviteľov pop - artu. Vo svojom umení využíval prvky masovokomunikačných prostriedkov, industriálnej spoločnosti. Používal ikonografiu typic kú pre reklamu, komix, bulvár a plagát. Snažil sa hľadať novú podobu umenia, ktorá by reflektovala a zároveň kritizovala spôsob života vtedajšej spoločnosti. Využíval princíp zmnoženia, striekaciu pištoľ pre čo najhladšiu maľbu, ktorá nemala niesť ži adne prvky subjektivity. Spolu s A. Warholom sa stali veľkými vzormi pre formovanie anglického pop - artu.

Gustav Klimt's art is thoroughly fin de siecle. It expresses the apocalyptic atmosphere of Vienna's upper middle-class society - a society devoted to the cultivation of aesthetic awareness and the cult of pleasure. The ecstatic joy which Klimt and his contemporaries found - or hoped to find - in beauty was constantly overshadowed by death. And death therefore plays an important role in Klimt's art. Klimt's fame, however, rests on his reputation as one of the greatest erotic painters and graphic artists of his times. In particular, his drawings, which have been widely admired for their artistic excellence, are dominated by the erotic portrayal of women. Klimt saw the world "in female form".

The greatest challenge in designing homes is negotiating the delicate balance between aesthetics and the personal desires of the occupants. While it’s important for the structure to reflect the vision and style of the architect, the client must ultimately feel at home beneath the roof. It is particularly interesting, therefore, to examine the homes that architects create for themselves. If houses reflect their owners’ personalities, then architects’ own homes are like autobiographies. Location, layout, style, lighting, artwork, furnishings—every detail adds color to the story. Each of these 100 dwellings, presented A-Z by architect, speaks more about its designer than any other building possibly could.

A comprehensive, illustrated guide to the shifting styles and influences of furniture design from Rococo to Art Deco. The book traces the history of the techniques, the production methods, and the innovators of furniture design.

With the superior artisanship and eye for the natural horse that has made him the world’s most celebrated photographer of horses, Robert Vavra presents a book of all-new images, profiling eighteen stunning equines spanning six breeds: Arabian, Andalusian, Morgan, American Saddlebred, Friesian, and Peruvian Paso. As in Vavra’s most popular books, all are alone and running free in glorious natural settings&894 a white Arabian in a sun-washed desert&894 a black Friesian gallopping in snowdrifts&894 a grey Andalusian Amid violet flowers&894 a chestnut Arabian prancing in autumn leaves.

A life-sized model (1.80 m).With anatomical labels in English and Latin.Joints that will bend and straighten.Can be used in a variety of different ways.For demonstration purposes at school and college.As an ideal gift for medical students, doctors, or indeed anyone else.To put your clothes on.Cardboard kit.Complete with accessories.Ready cut shapes with indentations for the folds (no need for scissors or glue).Detailed step-by-step instructions.

Italian architect and designer Gio Ponti (1891–1979) was the creator of a multifaceted oeuvre. Starting off with ceramics and majolika works at the First International Exhibition of Decorative Arts in Monza, he moved on to furniture and interior design and built structures of all kinds, from small residential dwellings to high rise buildings, schools, and office blocks. One of his great interests was the theme of the home, for which he continually sought to find new solutions. Ponti’s colorful, carefree, elegant spaces were designed to inspire optimism in their occupants. The founder and nearly lifelong editor of domus magazine never stopped developing and reinventing his style. This book provides an introduction to Ponti’s creative process and gives an overview of the various phases of his career.

This two-volume compilation brings together highlights from TASCHEN's groundbreaking title Building a New Millennium and the first four volumes of our renowned Architecture Now! books for a comprehensive study of architecture around the world at the beginning of the 21st century. Up-and-coming architectstomorrow's superstarsare featured alongside the field's most respected practitioners, such as Santiago Calatrava, Herzog & de Meuron, Koolhaas/OMA, Daniel Libeskind, Richard Meier, Oscar Niemey er, and Jean Nouvel.

In existence for over 50 years, the Polaroid Corporation's photography collection is the greatest collection of Polaroid images in the world. Begun by Polaroid founder Edwin Land and photographer Ansel Adams, the collection now includes images by hun dreds of photographers throughout the world and contains important pieces by artists such as David Hockney, Helmut Newton, Jeanloup Sieff, and Robert Rauschenberg. The Polaroid Book, a survey of this remarkable collection, pays tribute to a medium th at defies the digital age and remains a favorite among artists for its quirky look and instantly gratifying, one-of-kind images.