Book of the Day Posted Apr 24, 2019

Book of the Day > Italy in Hollywood

Book of the Day > Italy in Hollywood. Published by Skira.
"Loosely following the years Salvatore Ferragamo (1898–1960) spent in California, Italy in Hollywood shines light on a neglected period in the history of the film capital. This sleek volume brings together programs, photographs, film clips, objects and the beautiful shoes that Ferragamo developed in his Hollywood Boulevard boot shop—shoes that would go on to make him the shoemaker to the stars. Ferragamo arrived in Hollywood in 1915, at a time when two currents were converging: growing Italian immigration to the United States and the burgeoning film industry. Luminaries like Enrico Caruso, Rudolph Valentino, Lina Cavalieri and Tina Modotti brightened the still-dim cultural outpost as they and others contributed to architecture, film, photography, fashion and jazz. Italy In Hollywood illustrates, in a wealth of material, the Italian contribution to the myth and glamour of Hollywood."
Book of the Day Posted Apr 23, 2019

Book of the Day > Helen Levitt

Book of the Day > Helen Levitt. Published by Kehrer Verlag. "Helen Levitt (1913 – 2009) numbers among the foremost exponents of street photography. As a passionate observer and chronicler of everyday street life in New York, she spent decades documenting residents of the city’s poorer neighbourhoods such as Lower East Side and Harlem. Levitt’s oeuvre stands out for her sense of dynamics and surrealistic sense of humour, and her employment of color photography was revolutionary: Levitt numbers among those photographers who pioneered and established color as a means of artistic expression. The book accompanying the retrospective of the Albertina Museum features around 130 of her iconic works. Many of these photos come from Helen Levitt’s personal estate, and this exhibition represents their first-ever public showing."

Events Posted Apr 23, 2019

PUBLIC ISSUE 2 LAUNCH!

PLEASE JOIN US! THIS SATURDAY, APRIL 27th FROM 4:00 - 6:00 PM PUBLIC ISSUE 2 LAUNCH PARTY + SIGNING WITH PUBLISHER AND DESIGNER ALEX McWHIRTER
 
Come to Arcana: Books on the Arts this Saturday, April 27th between 4:00 and 6:00 PM to celebrate the West Coast launch of the latest installment of Creative Director Alexander McWhirter's thematic annual art and fashion journal, Public. Presented in a distinctive large-format with three different cover options, the highly-anticipated new issue tackles the challenge “We Must Take Action”. Public 2 features seven subjects photographed by Camille Vivier, Jack Webb, Eileen Cowin, Thomas Giddings, Aleksandra Zagozda, Moises Saman, and Rachel Lamb, with styling by Delphine Danhier, Eliza Conlon, and Shibon Kennedy. Notes McWhirter: "The obvious is all around us. It is a void in which everything has been fine-tuned to such an extent that indistinctiveness prevails. “Cool” has become inoffensive and predictable, and taste is easy to place a pulse on. Public breaks this pattern of democratized cool, bringing together a body of work that covers a unique perspective on subjects in life."
 
Originally from London, Alexander McWhirter began his career in New York as the Art Director at V Magazine before founding McWhirter Studio. His projects focus on working closely with distinctive collaborators to present a narrative that observes human interaction, be that with our environment or with each other. The story is woven together with elements from art and fashion, the resulting idea is unmistakable and inclusive to all. He has collaborated with Visionaire, Suzanne Geiss Gallery, Cultural Traffic, and Calvin Klein, where he worked closely with Raf Simons and Pieter Mulier on 2017 campaigns for Calvin Klein Jeans, Underwear, and the 205W39NYC RTW Collection Book. So meet and greet Alexander and special guests who will be at our Helms Bakery location this coming Saturday afternoon. Public 2 is limited to a mere one hundred and fifty copies - fifty each of three different covers - that will quickly sell out. If you cannot attend but would like to purchase a signed example, please place your order here, or call us at 310-458-1499.
Book of the Day Posted Apr 21, 2019

Book of the Day > Corine Vermuelen: Your Town Tomorrow

Book of the Day > Corine Vermeulen: Your Town Tomorrow. Self Published, 2019. "Your Town Tomorrow (2007 - 2017) acknowledges a resilient community in the midst of challenging transitions. Although documentary in format, it is also a very personal series as it chronicles my life and work in Detroit, the communities where I have lived, and my friends and neighbors. Detroit has been the site of complicated change since I moved here thirteen years ago. Real estate developers and corporate investors have altered the character of the city. The national media claims Detroit is a “new” city of great economic opportunity, but it hardly recognizes the people who have lived here throughout the changes. A city’s residents define its identity; the people of Detroit are essential to its culture and vitality."
Book of the Day Posted Apr 20, 2019

Book of the Day > Human Zoo

Book of the day > Human Zoo. Published by @Kesselskramer. " Erik Kessels delves into the zoological collection of the Museum of the University of Latvia, Riga, purportedly to remind us that we, as humans, are also predators. Humans collect and catalogue examples of their animal counterparts, immortalising them in death for the education and enjoyment of human generations to come. In an abrupt switch, Kessels gives human animals “a taste of their own medicine” by juxtaposing found examples of our species with those from other animal categories: arthropods, birds, butterflies, coral, fish, insects, invertebrates, mammals, and reptiles. ‘Human Zoo’ was commissioned by the 1st Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art."
Book of the Day Posted Apr 19, 2019

Book of the day > Geta Bratescu: Game of Forms

Book of the day > Geta Bratescu: Game of Forms. Exploring themes of bodiliness, self and family in mediums such as paper, video and photography for more than 40 years, Romanian artist Geta Bratescu (1926–2018) has recently been the subject of much critical attention in the US and in Europe, representing Romania at the 2017 Venice Biennale and being the subject of recent features in the New York Times and the Brooklyn Rail.
Game of Forms focuses on Bratescu’s dynamic late work, which is reproduced alongside a selection of her diaries from 2008 through 2011, that reflects on her work and the work of other artists. She writes, “more than ever I embrace the infinite spaces of the spirit with so much joy, when even my body has youthful upsurges; an ideal Eros animates it, it rustles to the touch of the wing with which the hypothetical angel causes the strings of the imagination to vibrate. I am mad.”
 
Book of the Day Posted Apr 17, 2019

Book of the day > Francois-Xavier and Claude Lalanne: In the Domain of Dreams

Book of the day > Francois-Xavier and Claude Lalanne: In the Domain of Dreams. Published by @RizzoliBooks. "The Lalannes' charming, dreamy, and surrealistic body of functional sculptures, once a guarded secret for exclusive collectors such as Yves Saint Laurent and the Agnellis, is celebrated in full in this stunning new book. The legendary husband-and-wife artist team has been the inspiration for high-society collectors and decorators, such as Pierre Bergé, Serge Gainsbourg, Peter Marino, Jane Holzer, and Reed Krakoff for over five decades. Crossing over many audiences - from interior design to fine art to high society, the works of the Lalannes have aspirational yet broad appeal. Their surreal flock of sheep sculpture is now de rigeur for any important collection, while their functional hippopotamus wet bar sells for millions of dollars at auction. Highly collected and promoted by an important group of art insiders, Lalanne works are often the focus of the well-curated room, as seen in many magazine covers. This book on their work will appeal to decorators, designers, artists, and all those who love beautiful art objects." R.I.P. Claude Lalanne, 1924-2018.
Book of the Day Posted Apr 16, 2019

Book of the Day > New Architecture Los Angeles

Book of the Day > New Architecture Los Angeles. Published by Prestel. "This exhilarating and richly illustrated guide to Los Angeles’s most exciting new buildings establishes the city as a mecca for forward-thinking and environmentally conscious architecture.
Some of the world’s leading architects are making their mark on Los Angeles’s cityscape with exciting and innovative projects. Fifty of the most striking buildings are profiled in this book that features every type of architecture—houses, municipal structures, art museums, office buildings, performance spaces, and houses of worship. Some of the world’s leading design firms, including Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Eric Owen Moss Architects, Selldorf Architects, and wHY Architecture, have contributed to the city’s structural vernacular. While the projects here are as varied as the luminous Walt Disney Concert Hall by Gehry Partners and Bestor Architecture’s compact housing development named “Blackbirds,” each building embraces an unmistakably Californian aesthetic reimagined for a new century. With original photography, this is the first book to focus on the surge of creative building that has taken place in Los Angeles in the new millennium."
 
Book of the Day Posted Apr 14, 2019

Book of the Day > Matthew Craven: Primer

Book of the Day > Matthew Craven: Primer. Published by Anthology Editions. "Utilizing found images from textbooks along with his own geometric patterns, Matthew Craven’s collages and illustrations seek to create a new handmade universe, juxtaposing imagery from different cultures and time periods to celebrate commonalities. Photographs of archaeological remains and the natural world are overlaid on colorful textiles drawn on the back of vintage movie posters, to create a hypnotic and mesmerizing vernacular of symbols and designs. Featuring an introduction by LACMA curator Leslie Jones, PRIMER is the first publication of Craven’s art and a reconfiguration of traditional historical narratives inspired by obsessive formations."
Book of the Day Posted Apr 11, 2019

Book of the Day > Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence

Book of the Day > Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence. Published by Princeton University Press. "Marking the centenary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, Votes for Women is the first richly illustrated book to reveal the history and complexity of the national suffrage movement. For nearly a hundred years, from the mid-nineteenth century onward, countless American women fought for the right to vote. While some of the leading figures of the suffrage movement have received deserved appreciation, the crusade for women’s enfranchisement involved many individuals, each with a unique story to be told. Weaving together a diverse collection of portraits and other visual materials—including photographs, drawings, paintings, prints, textiles, and mixed media—along with biographical narratives and trenchant essays, this comprehensive book presents fresh perspectives on the history of the movement. Bringing attention to underrecognized individuals and groups, the leading historians featured here look at how suffragists used portraiture to promote gender equality and other feminist ideals, and how photographic portraits in particular proved to be a crucial element of women’s activism and recruitment. The contributors also explore the reasons why certain events and leaders of the suffrage movement have been remembered over others, the obstacles that black women faced when organizing with white suffragists and the subsequent founding of black women’s suffrage groups, the foundations of the violent antisuffrage movement, and the ways suffragists held up American women physicians who served in France during World War I as exemplary citizens, deserving the right to vote. With nearly 200 color illustrations, Votes for Women offers a more complete picture of American women’s suffrage, one that sheds new light on the movement’s relevance for our own time."
 
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