THESE FASCINATING RECENT RELEASES TAKE READERS ON A VISUAL JOURNEY THROUGH THE WORKS OF ARTISTS RANGING FROM MARC QUINN TO MICHELANGELO
By Andrew Nodell
Viewing a great work of art firsthand is a memorable and often moving experience. But for works we simply cannot see in person, flipping through the pages of a large-format coffee table book can be the next best thing. This season, several new releases from publishers Rizzoli and Phaidon offer readers the opportunity to explore great works across mediums, from the paintings of Jamie Wyeth and Aboudia to works of sculpture and even an insider’s look at the Naples in Paris exhibition at the Louvre shot by celebrated photographer Robert Polidori. Let your fingers do the walking across the pages of these titles, which stand as works of art in and of themselves.
© ‘Marc Quinn: Self, You, and the World,’ Rizzoli, 2024
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‘Held by Desire (The Dimensions of Freedom),’ Marc Quinn, 2017. Courtesy of Marc Quinn studio and Factum Arte Desarrollos Digitales S.L.
Marc Quinn: Self, You, and the World
The most comprehensive tome on British visual artist Marc Quinn, Self, You, and the World traces more than 30 years of the artist’s fascination with the multifaceted and multilayered human experience. After garnering international attention with his 1991 work Self, a cast of his head made from his frozen blood, Quinn’s individual exploration broadened to include reflections on the experiences of others. Included in this expansive visual journey of the artist’s wide-ranging career are many of his most celebrated works alongside conversations with past sitters and contemporaries including Ai Weiwei, Titus Kaphar and Kate Moss, among others. $100; Rizzoli
Courtesy Rizzoli
Colantonio, Polyptyque de saint Vincent Ferrier, Capodimonte © Robert Polidori
At the Louvre: Robert Polidori
Billed as “part photography monograph, part art history book,” this recent publication offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the arrival, assembly and display of important Italian artworks within Naples in Paris: The Louvre Hosts the Museo di Capodimonte, a 2023 exhibition with works on loan to the Musée du Louvre in Paris from the Museo di Capodimonte in Napoli. Canadian-American photographer Robert Polidori, who is best known for his large-scale color images of architecture, interiors and urban environments, was offered exclusive access to document the inner workings of this exhibition, which opened in June of last year and was one of the most significant museum collaborations in recent years. Against the palatial backdrop of the Louvre’s galleries, Polidori expertly depicts the assemblage of paintings, sculptures and drawings ranging from The Transfiguration of Christ by Giovanni Bellini to preparatory cartoons by Raphael and Michelangelo. $50; Rizzoli
Courtesy Phaidon
‘When We Return You Won’t Recognise Us’ by Glenn Brown. © Glenn Brown. Photo courtesy of Glenn Brown studio.
‘Lumen’ by Alessandro Keegan. Courtesy of the artist.
New Surrealism: The Uncanny in Contemporary Painting
From its roots at the end of World War I and the birth of the anti-establishment and anti-capitalist Dada movement, Surrealism has proven to be one of the most significant art movements of the 20th century and into today. This title highlights the work and times of early Surrealists including Max Ernst, Leonora Carrington and Marcel Duchamp, as well as how elements of New Surrealism like absurdity, eroticism and irrationality are being implemented by contemporary artists including British painter Glenn Brown and German painter Rosa Loy. $45; Phaidon
© ‘Jamie Wyeth: Unsettled,’ by Amanda C. Burden, Rizzoli Electa, 2024
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Jamie Wyeth (b. 1946) ‘Bean Boots,’ 1985. Oil on panel. 37 x 50 in. Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland, Maine. Gift of the Cawley Family, 2001.29.1. © Jamie Wyeth / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.
Jamie Wyeth: Unsettled
Jamie Wyeth, whose renowned career descends from a legacy established by his father, Andrew Wyeth, and grandfather N.C. Wyeth, is known for his hyperrealistic and often disconcerting paintings of farm animals and Northeastern American landscapes. This monograph of Wyeth’s ever-evolving style explores the disquieting thread that runs through much of the artist’s work. Inspired by the areas surrounding his homes in the Brandywine River Valley of Pennsylvania and Delaware and coastal Maine, this book explores the artist’s self-described “obsessions,” from haunting flora and fauna to farm tools to desolate rural cottages that suggest a dark interior narrative. Unsettled, indeed. $55; Rizzoli
Courtesy Rizzoli
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Aboudia, 2013. Photographer Will Amlot. Courtesy of Jack Bell Gallery.
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‘M’ôgô Dakar #9,’ 2019. Mixed media on paper 80 x 60 cm. Courtesy of Cecile Fakhoury ©Issam Zejly.
Aboudia
The first monograph on the internationally acclaimed Ivorian-American contemporary artist Aboudia presents the artist’s heavily layered, frenetic paintings that were inspired by the local street culture of Abidjan, his hometown in Côte d’Ivoire. Since the Ivorian civil wars, which began in the early 2000s and lasted until 2011, his urban landscapes have been infused with the trauma of his native people. Aboudia’s recent work continues to wrestle with the country’s hardships and social inequalities while infusing elements of traditional arts and spirituality of the West African nation. $60; Rizzoli
ANDREW NODELL is a contributor to Intelligent Collector.