The proliferation of new metals-such as stainless steels, aluminium alloys and metallic coatings-in modern and contemporary art and architecture has made the need for professionals who can address their conservation more critical than ever. This volu...

These influential, hard-to-obtain texts – many of which have never before been published – by Marcia Tucker, founding director of New York's New Museum, showcase her lifelong commitment to pushing the boundaries of curatorial practice and writing whi...

"I am convinced that the true collector does not acquire objects of art for himself alone. His is no selfish drive or desire to have and hold a painting, a sculpture, or a fine example of antique furniture so that only he may see and enjoy it. Apprec...

Barbara Furlotti presents a dynamic interpretation of the early modern market for antiquities, relying on the innovative notion of archaeological finds as mobile items. She reconstructs the journey of ancient objects from digging sites to venues wher...

Brimming with lively animals both real and fantastic, the bestiary was one of the great illuminated manuscript traditions of the Middle Ages. Encompassing imaginary creatures, such as the unicorn, siren and griffin; exotic beasts, including the tiger...

The fascination with personal adornment is universal. It is a preoccupation that is primal, instinctive, and uniquely human. 'Jewelry' encompasses a seemingly endless number of ornaments produced across time and in all cultures. The range of material...

The name Manet often evokes the provocative, heroically scaled pictures he painted in the 1860s for the Salon, but in the late 1870s and early 1880s the artist produced quite a different body of work: stylish portraits of actresses and demimondaines,...

As the discipline of art history has moved away from connoisseurship, the notion of beauty has become increasingly problematic. Both culturally and personally subjective, the term is difficult to define and nearly universally avoided. In this insight...

In this remarkable and gorgeously illustrated book, Neil Jackson presents a vibrant profile of the Los Angeles architect Pierre Koenig, who Time magazine said lived long enough to become "cool twice". From the influences of Koenig's youth in San Fran...

American artist Sam Francis (1923-1994) brought vivid colour and emotional intensity to Abstract Expressionism. He was described as the "most sensuous and sensitive painter of his generation" by former Guggenheim Museum director James Johnson Sweeney...