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Bacon

Published for the exhibition in Milan between March 4th and June 29th, 2008, this catalog offers a selection of approximately sixty works by Bacon. The collection spans his works from his first paintings in the 1930s, which reveal how early he was attracted to a figure’s deformation and ambiguity, to his late triptychs, in which the artist’s existential torment seems to move towards a suffered serenity. This publication includes important contributions from leading international scholars as well as technical information on all the exhibition works. Artworks are gathered from such prestigious museums as the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, the Kunsthaus in Zurich, the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, the Birmingham Museum, the Sara Hilden Museum in Tampere, the Fondazione Beyeler in Basel, the Museo de Arte Contemporanea in Caracas, the Toyota Municipal Museum in Aichi, and the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. The publication also includes a series of documents—drawings, photographs, and works on paper such as collages and retouched photographs—from the Dublin City Gallery.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars The Definitive Francis Bacon Anthology
Francis Bacon remains one of the more fascinating artists of our time, and while many important, elegant, erudite and valuable books have been written about this enigmatic man, this Anthology simply titled BACON, outshines them all. Yes, it is essentially a museum catalogue for a major exhibition in Milan in 2008, but it is far more than a competent catalogue.

There is little about Francis Bacon that has not been addressed in previous books, at times very well indeed, so the reader should not expect to uncover much new imagery here. What makes this book so very impressive is the quality: the four essays investigating Bacon’s past, his world views, his personal life, his impact on 20th century art as written by Fabrice Hergott, Christoph Heinrich, Jean Louis Schefer, and editor Rudy Chiappini are immensely readable and learned; the uncovering of the valuable secrets of Bacon’s Dublin Studio by Barbara Dawson, the section of works on paper by Luciano Caprile in addition to the chronology constructed by Gaia Regazzoni are stylish and accurate: the quality of reproductions of the paintings in the book are some of the richest four color separation images available.

Many paintings illustrated in this anthology that are less well known to the general public than the famous triptychs and the Pope series, and to see these lesser known works in such vivid color is remarkable. For this reader the collection of drawings and photomontages that served as the nidus for Bacon’s imagination and resultant paintings is the best available and these are presented in such a way that Bacon’s art is more approachable than other books have attempted. Recommended without reservation, no matter how many other volumes about this important artist are in the library! Grady Harp, January 09

5 Stars Flesh and chaos are the reality of our existence
This book is the catalogue for a recent Bacon exhibition held at the Palazzo Reale in Milan, Italy.

It is divided into four initial essays, the first studying the force and energy that exhude from Bacon’s paintings (the violent presence of the flesh, the obsession with life, “the drama of the existencial experience”), the second dwelling on Bacon’s creative process, the sources and references he used (contrary to what was formerly believed and to what the artist wanted us to believe, he left little space to chance in his works), the third focusing on his small portraits as embodiements of Bacon’s ideas of what art should be (key words here are “energy” and “force”)and the fourth attempting an explanation of what these paintings, through their violence and crudeness, represent (what kind of reality, beyond the mere dissolving image of the human body). This last chapter is buttressed by many quotations from Bacon’s famous interviews with David Sylvester where he stresses the crude truth that, above all, the human body is “meat, a river of flesh”.

Then comes the main asset of this book: the reproductions of the works. I own more than a dozen books on Bacon and, in my opinion, this one is the best as far as the quality of reproductions is concerned. They are simply outstanding and cannot be more faithful to the originals. All in full color (which is crucial when you are dealing with Bacon, who was one of the greatest colorists in XXth century art)they are also numerous.

The last part of the book is especially interesting in that it focuses on Bacon’s studio (faithfully reconstituted at Dublin City Gallery the Hugh Lane in Ireland) and everything that was found in it after his death. Photos of the studio and reproductions of sketches, torn photographs, well-thumbed books and odds and ends that used to strew the studio floor are especially revealing of the importance of what the artist called “the chaos” in his creative process.

A high-quality book which I strongly recommend.

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Requiem for a Paper Bag Celebrities and Civilians Tell Stories of the Best Lost Tossed and Found Items from Around the World Found Anthology

Hey! My name is Davy. I make a magazine called Found. We publish notes & letters that folks find on the street.

I asked my favorite writers, musicians, artists & entertainers to tell me about the things they’ve found.

These are the stories they’ve shared.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Fascinating!
This book is a great addition to the FOUND magazine line of publications. Different from past found books, this one is a collection of stories from people who have found things, ranging from diaries to porn to simple scraps of paper. The stories collected here are funny, touching, unique, and moving, all at the same time. Even the presentation is inspired, as stories are told in straight text, alongside comics and poems. I just got this book yesterday, and so far my favorite story is from the guy who would go on the create The Wire TV series. His story of his days as a crime reporter in Baltimore and his connection to Bob Dylan was mesmerizing. There is something here for everybody, with contributions from comedians, actors, film-makers, and bloggers. A book you can pick up anytime and just start reading.

5 Stars Great Find!
This is a great book! Especially if you’re a fan of Found Magazine or even if you’re not, this is really worth checking out. Very cool stories and a bunch of rad illustrations. Buy this book… you’ll enjoy!

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Earth under Fire How Global Warming Is Changing the World

More than a warning, Earth under Fire is the most complete illustrated guide to the effects of climate change now available. It offers an upbeat and intelligent account of how we can lessen the effects of our near-total dependence on fossil fuels using technologies and energy sources already available. A thorough revision and a new preface for the paperback edition bring the compelling facts about climate change up to date.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Comprehensive, readable, good for all audiences
My experience is that journalists often write the best books, because they know how to research and how to write. Gary Braasch’s book is in this category, the result of 8 years’ worldwide research with climate experts and regular people, and taking photos with impact. He has created the first “coffee table” book on global warming, which also contains A-Z information and essays by several top scientists.

I have followed this issue for years, and still learned from his “Global Warming and Climate Change Explained,” and from his history of the UN Climate Treaty and Kyoto Protocol (two pages or less for each). Fully documented, one quarter of the book is about solutions. Suitable for everyone, experienced and new. I gave a copy to an environmental educator friend and to my 16 year old goddaughter.

5 Stars This Book Is A Must Read For Learning About Global Warming
This book shows people being affected by climate change now, and give them a voice in both words and pictures. Scientists give reports about how climate change impacts all aspects of our survival. You will be given ideas of how to make a personal impact about climate change. Readers with prior knowledge and those just starting out will both enjoy this book.

5 Stars So THAT’S what happened to the Hatteras lighthouse…
Did you know they’ve moved the lighthouse on Cape Hatteras 2800 feet back from the shore due to rising sea levels? Me neither, but this is one of a myriad of telling tales Braasch brings into play to sound the alarm about global warming. He literally circled the globe–east to west and north to south–to gather information and photos for this book. He then combines these with easy-to-read narrative in a large-format work to tell the tale of a changing world.

Braasch’s research is meticulous, and he goes out of his way to note dissenting views, but the conclusions are crisp and clear as a warming Arctic winter day–the planet is getting hotter and this can only mean trouble. If you have time to read one book on the current reality and looming consequences of global warming, this is it.

Sample info from Earth Under Fire: Stand-by mode of electronic gadgets consumes 6 percent of US electricity–one coal-fired electrical generation plant produces as much CO2 as 1.5 million cars–coal power plant pollutants kill 24,000-30,000 US citizens every year–and 10 times that many Chinese.

4 Stars A well-documented approach to global warming
This book shows photographic and published documents about global warming stemed from devastation, pollution, and careless attitude of humans concerning the exploitation of world natural resources. Photos and citations of data obtained from several publications make up a good source of information on this subject. Photos taken of the same natural locality aiming to compare the conditions of such areas after some period of time, should present specification of time of the year they were both taken (the reader supposes they were both taken in the same month or season!).This book would worth more in economical and ecological terms if it had come out in paperback!

5 Stars Everyone should have this book
Very important topic clearly presented. Photographs prove the losses the planet is suffering and man’s wanton disregard for the deterioration. The photographs are extraordinarily beautiful, the yin and yang of this issue.

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Vitamin D New Perspectives in Drawing Themes

Drawing has recently experienced a renewal of importance in the art world; in fact, it has rarely been as widely represented in the biennials, art fairs, and exhibitions as it is now. Similar in concept, scope and structure to Phaidon’s successful volume Vitamin P, Vitamin D presents, in A to Z order, the work of 109 artists who have emerged internationally since 1990 using the medium of drawing. Whether representational or abstract, small or large in scale, using only one line or rich in colors and pattern, drawings have a highly descriptive and meticulously detailed quality that is being explored by an increasing number of contemporary artists. Extending beyond the traditional image associated with this medium, Vitamin D hopes to illustrate the complexity, variety, and relevance of the practice of drawing today.

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star Emperor’s New Clothes
Anyone who would call this art is either lacking an objective sensibility or has some measure of vested interest in the sales of this book. The “drawings” (lol) in this book are fine examples of why mainstream Americans no longer care about the fine arts.

One reviewer actually used the word “refreshing” in describing the contents. Are you kidding me? Refreshing, perhaps, if I had only been exposed to blank pages my entire life.

This is not art. This is the Emperor’s New Clothes.

5 Stars Great book!
If you are interested in a wide range of edgy drawings..this book is terrific. It is inspiring, informative and current…not a “how-to” but a survey of all the wonderful and strange drawings being done today.

5 Stars Beautifully Done Book for Art Lovers
As an artist myself, I have to first be aesthetically attracted to a book before I can look further, and the Vitamin series are truly stunning. In this edition, each of the numerous artists chosen get a two page spread, sometimes four. This spread included a lengthy blurb on the artist and images of their work. All I can do is highly recommend that you look at this book in person before buying it, and I think it will be nearly impossible to turn down after that. Great book to have in your collection!

5 Stars On reproductions
Vitamin D is an outstanding publication of drawings from contemporary artists which shows great depth in both subjectivity and theme, the one overwhelming issue seems to be the quality of the reproductions within. Context gives us the reason for this.. in that these are works by CONTEMPORARY artists and as such have not been digitized as throughly as say the often if not OVER reproduced imagery of Leonardo or Michelangelo, so yes some of the reproductions are less stunning however they are more than adequate and what is more important, they are reproduced well enough to spark interest in seeing the original. Artwork can never truly be reproduced, you must experience the original to truly appreciate the pieces. However Vitamin D does what it was designed to, as did it’s predecessor Vitamin P, giving a contemporary overview of works and the artists who create them which have yet to be studied. These books are history in the making and that alone gives them more merit than most art publications. This series is more than worth owning and will prove to be volumes you will return to again and again.

5 Stars reference
Vitamin D is a wonderful reference, with encyclopedic descriptions of contemporary artists and their work in drawing. It is filled with drawings in full color, and even has beautiful deckle-edged pages.

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