Art, Architecture & Photography - artists

Take a trip through New Zealand art via Dick Frizzell's point of view. He shines a light on some of the works he's always loved - a number of which have seemed to miss muster in the usual round-ups. It's an eclectic bunch of paintings and begins with images he was drawn to (because that's what it was all about. images) back before he was told what he'd be better off looking at. From Peter McIntyre inviting him up onto the scaffolding to watch him painting the WWII mural in the Hastings War Memorial Library, through to discovering ... read more

Timeless Land is a unique collaboration between three of New Zealand's most steadfast and individual talents painter Grahame Sydney, poet Brian Turner and writer Owen Marshall. Much of their best and most enduring work has grown out of their deep attachment to, and familiarity with, the essence of the memorable landscapes of the Central South Island.

Graham Percy is one of New Zealand's highest achieving illustrators on a global scale. Though he lived in London from 1964 until his death in 2008, he grew up here and never ceased thinking of himself as an expatriate Kiwi. A Micronaut in the Wide World re-discovers the life and work of this talented, original artist/illustrator/typographer. A tribute to the exquisite beauty of the hand-drawn line, the book also features large, colour reproductions of art works, documentary photos and a biographical, art historical text exploring t... read more

This is TASCHEN's 25th anniversary-special edition!This title presents a revolutionary approach to spatial and visual values. Perhaps best known for his exceptional apples and pears, Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) was one of the founding fathers of modern art. Though he was underappreciated and highly criticized during his life, as time passed Cezanne's work came to be considered of inestimable importance. His method of experimentation with abstraction and perspective was an important precursor to modern painting, particularly cubism.

This season's fashions are good enough to eat; in fact they are entirely edible. In A Matter of Taste Fulvio Bonavia fuses haute couture with cuisine with results that are guaranteed to tantalize fashionistas and foodies alike. Step out in style in a pair of corn espadrilles. A tagliatelle belt makes for a delicious main course, but should always be worn al dente. Later, for dessert, you can dine on fruit-paste bangles and a cheese necklace, then dance the night away in a pair of aubergine slippers. Accompanying Fulvio's images is ... read more

From James Busby on, European settlers made gardens from the moment they set foot on New Zealand soil, and of course Maori had extensive cultivations of kumara around their kainga. Many settler gardens were matters of survival - kitchen gardens on which families were reliant - but as individual circumstances allowed and prosperity spread, many gardens became increasingly ambitious and extensive. It is hardly surprising that artists were drawn to depicting them, as they have from the 1820s right through to the present day. This col... read more

Sir Peter Siddell's intricately detailed paintings of New Zealand urban scenes and landscapes that are not quite a replication of actuality are much loved and enduringly popular.
Both technical tours de force and rich with acute observation, they feature in all our national art collections and never fail to fascinate. This major book, the first to ever bring his work together, celebrates both Siddell's life and his art, with 150 images, and an essay by both Sir Peter himself and the renowned art historian Professor Michael Dunn.

Seeing something in Nature that intensifies my joy in being alive, I want to try to reproduce it in such a form that when I see it again I re-live my joy at that divine moment. By so painting I hope to share my own delight with other people. – Austen Deans, 1967 At twelve Austen Deans knew he wanted to spend his life exploring the high country and mountain ranges of Canterbury. He became an en plein air artist and has made his living for nearly seventy-five years capturing images of mountains and natural landscapes in water ... read more

The most recent material from the legendary street artist Following the runaway success of the original edition, this unique book collects the rest of Banksys graffiti from the last five years. With more than 100 different locations highlighted and color photographs of Banksys street art, this is a thoroughly up-to-date catalog of his most recent work. Also included with the photographs are trivia regarding each location, a full walking tour of the remaining work in Banksys native Bristol, and snippets of graffiti by several other ... read more

Dramatic paintings of New Zealand life on the margins including 152 paintings and notes about each.

With an engaging text by renowned Michelangelo scholar William E. Wallace, Michelangelo: The Complete Sculpture, Painting, Architecture brings together in one exquisite volume the powerful sculptures, the awe-inspiring paintings, and the classical architectural works of one of the greatest artists of all time. Including everything from his sculptures Pietas and David to his beautiful paintings of the Sistine Chapel and the Doni Tondo, the book provides an opportunity to view Michelangelo's work as never before, and to more fully un... read more

What would you see if you could peek inside the mind of Clive Barker, creator of such classics as Weaveworld, Hellraiser, and Candyman? Would you dare look? Crack open Visions of Heaven and Hell, and you have unlocked a Pandora's box of images that are certain to stay inside your head. For more than twenty-five years, Barker has awed fans and critics alike with his groundbreaking works of fiction, but what few know is that the heart of his fantastic worlds lies in pictures. Now, for the first time, this book brings out from the dar... read more

A colourful biography of George Gershwin, arguably the 20th-century's greatest songwriter.George Gershwin (1898-1937) is arguably the century's greatest songwriter, admired and loved for hit songs such as 'The Man I Love' and 'S Wonderful'. He achieved early acclaim and riches from the song 'Swanee' (1919) and was one of the first composers to realize the exciting potential of combining elements of jazz and popular song with the forms and instrumentation of symphonic music. In the wake of his successful concert pieces that followed... read more

East is a sampling of 136 of Stanley Palmer's works ranging across four decades. From early woodcuts through Palmer's unique bamboo engravings, to his delicate monoprints and evocative paintings, this extensive selection celebrates the work of one of our most-loved and prolific artists and also our own edge of the Pacific.

Published to celebrate the centenary of Rita Angus's birth marked by a major new exhibition of her work at Te Papa. This catalogue will be the first to acknowledge Angus's status as an artist, with full-page colour reproductions of every work included in the show. Drawing on public and private collections, it will present a range of Angus' work never seen before, from iconic paintings like Rutu (1951), Cass (1936) and Flight (1969) to Angus's celebrated and intriguing self-portraits, and previously undocumented works in a surprisin... read more

Born near Paris in 1862, Claude Debussy was one of the most influential composers of his age, affecting profoundly the works of later generations of composers, both in his native France and elsewhere. He was trained at the Paris Conservatoire, and decided there on a career as a composer rather than as a pianist, his original intention. His highly characteristic musical language, thoroughly French in inspiration, extended the contemporary limits of harmony and form, with a remarkably delicate command of nuance, whether in compositio... read more

Francis Bacon (1909-1992) possessed the rare ability to transform unconscious compulsions into figurative, human-like forms that seem to evoke the raw emotions that bore them. Mixing realism and abstraction, Bacon delves deep beneath the surfaces of things, opening up the human body to reveal the chaos that lies within and struggling with all that is inexplicable. Erotic and grotesquely beautiful is the work of this legendary painter whose haunting, distorted figures have inspired entire generations of painters who seek to emulate ... read more

The Medici court painter Botticelli is one of the unequivocal artists of the Italian Renaissance alongside Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael. Favoring feminine portraits, Botticelli stands apart through the finesse of his lines and the unbridled sensuality of his paintings. Between religious and private commissions this Florentine artist introduced the profane into art through works of complex mythological subjects, such as the incontrovertibly masterful Primavera and The Birth of Venus.

Denis Robinson's latest offering is something of an artist's road trip - a journey from the top to the bottom of New Zealand through the paintings of nearly 60 artists. The tour begins with Northland and runs cross-country to the south of the South Island. Work from more than one artist highlights the nuances of each particular region or city. There are 20 regions covered in the book, with an additional focus on the four main cities, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch - including a commemorative selection of paintings - and Dunedi... read more