Published on behalf of the Bard Graduate Center, "West 86th" focuses on scholarship in material culture, design history, and the decorative arts. In this issue, Eric Anderson examines how Angerer's photographs of Hans Makart's studio were informed by...

Not for sale in Estonia! This is the first book dedicated to African powderglass beads, with over 180 photographs of gorgeous pieces from a collection assembled by songwriter Billy Steinberg (co-writer of Madonna's "Like a Virgin"). Most of the pi...

The Wittgenstein Vitrine, a monumental silver and gemstone-encrusted cabinet, is one of the most important and complex works produced by Austria's Wiener Werkstatte. Kevin W. Tucker weaves together a fascinating portrait of the vitrine, examining its...