Books
A Designer’s 1977 Road Map to Better Visual Literacy Gets Rereleased
A new edition of George Nelson's How to See shows that his guide to the human-made landscape is as relevant as ever.
Phaidon
Books
Getting Closer to Vermeer with Three New Books on the Artist
Vermeer died twice. The first time was in 1675, after the Dutch art market collapsed.
Books
A Compendium of Tiny Architecture, from Humorous to Humanitarian
Skyscrapers in Dubai, Zaha Hadid-designed stadiums, and Damien Hirst's private accommodations are impressive for their sheer size, but bigger isn't always better.
Books
A Visual Homage to Brutalist Behemoths
Even while major Brutalist structures face preservation issues — like Marcel Breuer's Central Library in Atlanta, whose fate is being decided now — the aesthetic of these concrete-based buildings continues to gain in popularity.
Books
Martin Parr Photographs Real, Sad Food
Limp slices of bread smeared with butter, a single sausage lounging in orange soup, a presentation of pork knuckles resembling discarded brains — this is far from the stuff you'd find on the menu of your local farm-to-table eatery filled with upcycled furniture.
Books
Why Japan's Futuristic Micro-Homes Are So Popular
Like in many of the world's most densely populated nations, real estate in Japan is tough to come by.
Art
Art Books 4 Cheap at Phaidon's Flash Sale
Like any other merchant dealing in mercurial consumer tastes and dead trees, art book publishers occasionally find their supply outpacing demand, and the usual response involves lurid discounts. Phaidon is in the middle of one such purge.
Books
Your Worst Fear and Your Best Fantasy Traced Through Art History
Holding a sign that reads "I am your worst fear, I am your best fantasy," a photograph of a proud and defiant woman at a gay liberation march in the 1970s opens Phaidon's newly published Art & Queer Culture, illustrating the dual visions of queer identity by the field of art history.
Books
An Obsession with Art's Communicative Power
The latest monograph of the Contemporary Art Series covers the provocative Polish artist and trickster Pawel Althamer (b. 1967), discussing in minute detail his “sculptures, installations, and pubic interventions.” Without a doubt, Phaidon’s Pawel Althamer is the most substantial art book I’ve laid