taschen

The Classicist: The Golden Age of Globe-Trotting

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Books, The Classicist

In these days of full-body scans, machine gun-toting security forces and endless departure delays it can be difficult to recall a time when travel was more enjoyable than onerous. Unless you happen to own a private jet or yacht, however alluring your destination the business of actually getting there these days can seem like more trouble than it's worth at times. A beautiful new book from Taschen reminds us that wasn't always the case. A compendium of 100 years of travel advertisements, 20th Century Travel is a lush visual history of the golden age of globe-trotting, a look back at the era of sexy air hostesses, smoking lounges on planes and bars on private club cars. With a decade-by-decade analysis and an illustrated timeline, the book highlights the cultural and technological developments that "transformed travel from a cushioned journey of the elite into a convenient leisure pastime for the general public".

Advertising is of course one of the best ways of looking at the transformation of travel, in particular the ways in which companies attempted to make it alluring to all strata of society. "At the start of the 20th century, only people with extensive disposable income and time to spare could enjoy leisure travel," the authors note. "By the century's end, journeys took hours, not days, and mass travel - especially brief air flights - became the new normal. Along the way, ocean liners broke speed records, aerodynamic trains roared down the tracks, stylish boat-plane clippers evolved into jumbo jets. Whether aboard high-speed locomotives or ships, jets, or Greyhound buses - or when setting their own schedule on the open road - Americans demanded ever greater mobility and wider choice of destinations, thereby setting a new standard for travelers around the world."

Gallery: 20th Century Travel

Tags: Advertising, American Express, Cunard, private jet, Taschen, trains, travel, yacht

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Kate Moss by Mario Testino - The Book

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Books

Earlier this month we reported that famed fashion photographer Mario Testino is selling a series of life-size Kate Moss portraits at an exhibition held at Phillips de Pury & Co' s London branch. If you can't afford one of the $75,000 photos you might have $500 for a limited edition book by Testino dedicated to his favorite muse this fall. Kate Moss by Mario Testino, limited to just 1,500 numbered and signed copies from Taschen priced at $500 apiece, follows the iconic supermodel from early days backstage at the fashion shows, to behind-the-scenes glimpses of the ground-breaking editorials she and Testino continue to produce for the world's most respected magazines. Many of the photographs have been chosen from Testino's private archive and are published here for the first time. "Mario took me to a new level of glamour," Moss notes in the introduction. "I don't think anybody had seen me as any kind of sexy model before he did. He was the one that transformed me. Before him I was just a grungy girl, but he saw me differently.... He changed the way people thought about me as a model, for sure."

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: books, coffee table books, fashion, Kate Moss, London, Mario Testino, photographer, photography, supermodel, Taschen

Valentino Garavani - A Grand Italian Epic

by Marsha Reid (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Handbags, Books

I've always admired the work of Valentino. I mean, who hasn't? Even if you are not a fashion addict, he makes you take notice of the women he dresses because they look utterly beautiful. His exquisite gowns are impeccably made and exude a classic sophistication just from his use of color alone. I not too long ago saw his movie, Valentino The Last Emperor, and loved it. I enjoyed his story, his work ethic and dedication to long time design partner Giancarlo Giammetti. Just being able to witness his creative journey was a treat. But I was a bit taken back by the ups and downs with the business side of fashion. That aspect of fashion was like a soap opera.

I recently stumbled upon the Collector's Edition of his book, Valentino - A Grand Italian Epic ($1800). Appropriately so, the autographed book is housed in a silk box in his signature vibrant red color and is a historical overview of Valentino's rise as one of the most respected and celebrated dressmakers. There are over 700 pages of all things Valentino. His drawings, documentary photographs, magazine shoots, advertisements and of course portraits of Valentino. In addition to all of the eye candy, the book includes Vanity Fair writer Matt Tyrnauer interviews with 20 of the designer's closet collaborator and friends. While I can't justify buying a book for $1800, I can justify the more affordable version of $70.

Gallery: Valentino Garavani - A Grand Italian Epic

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Tags: books, coffee table books, fashion, Taschen, valentino

Taschen Opens in South Beach

by Deb West (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Books

The legendary publisher Taschen is opening a brand new store in the heart of South Beach, Miami. For those of you who either live in the area or just can't get enough on the literary world even while on vacation the new space should be a welcome edition to a town not known for the pursuit of intellectual goals. That being said, Taschen is known for being not only hip and contemporary but a publisher with a long list of books that more staid institutions would be afraid to print.

As always the company is concerned with not only the design of their books but the atmosphere and space where their clients can explore their merchandise. The South Beach store is no exception to this rule. The store is one of only thirteen high-end storefronts located in a brand new building designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Maeuron. Customers can turn the pages of their favorite art books in a space created by Philippe Stark, the legendary Frenchman who has designed all the Taschen stores worldwide. The company commissioned British artist Toby Ziegler to design interior murals and a hand-poured terrazzo floor. In a nod to the location the floors of the space are composed of stones native to the area of South Florida.

The inventory at this store will include the publisher's art, photography, design, architecture, sex, travel , cinema and pop culture as well as a good selection of Portuguese and Spanish language titles. Like all things South Beach the store is planning to be open late until 10pm Sundays through Thursdays and 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays. If you'd like to celebrate the opening please join the store's celebration at 1111 Lincoln Road on Saturday March 20th from 4-6pm . The event will include drinks and music from DJ Faux Real and of course lots of books.

Tags: books, bookstore, Miami, south beach, Taschen

Definitely Not the Girls Next Door: Fraulein by Ellen von Unwerth

by Deb West (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Books

Who better to capture the carnal beauty of some of the most stunning women around than Ellen von Unwerth . She has been one of the world's premier fashion photographers for many years and Taschen is publishing a collection of her photographs. A former model, before stepping behind the lens, she worked in front of it for 10 years and it shows in the sensuality she elicits from her own subjects. Her photos have been featured in the editorial pages of Vogue, Interview and Vanity Fair and she has been hired to create many advertising campaigns for some of the biggest names in fashion from Chanel to Guess and Victoria's Secret. Her work has also been shown in numerous exhibitions internationally including at MoMA in Queens.

This collector's edition features sexy photographs of Claudia Schiffer, Kate Moss, Eva Mendes, Lindsay Lohan,and too many more to list. The images are in both black and white as well as color and present a very different impression of women as sensual beings than the stereotypical "men's" magazine. While the photographs often feature their subjects nude or in lingerie the women are never objectified but rather seem to be expressing some aspect of their own femininity. Many images are previously unpublished and have been part of the photographer's personal archive for the past 15 years.

The limited edition series of 1,500 numbered and signed copies is a 482 page hardcover book in a clam shell box and retails for $700. Taschen will also be releasing 100 Art Editions which include one of two silver gelatin photographic prints by Ellen von Unwerth and will retail for $1,800 each. Pictured above we see a sample of Ellen Von Unwerth's work featured in the book, a photograph of Claudia Schiffer, titled: TEDDY London 2006.

Gallery: Fraulein by Ellen von Unwerth

Cover Art for Fraulein by Ellen von Unwerth

Tags: Claudia Schiffer, ClaudiaSchiffer, Ellen Von Unwerth, EllenVonUnwerth, fashion photography, FashionPhotography, photography, photos, sexy, Taschen

You Can Own A Piece of the Moon - Really!

by Deb West (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Books

This past summer Taschen released Moonfire the comprehensive photographic essay with text originally written by Norman Mailer to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing. For the holiday season they are releasing the Lunar Rock Edition which allows regular people to own a piece of the moon, for a price!

It is incredibly rare for an average person to have access to lunar rock. Most lunar meteorites are in the possession of scientific institutions and museum collections. Given that there are only about 70 known meteorites with a combined weight of 55 kilograms, it makes lunar rocks more valuable than diamonds, a truly rare substance on Earth.

Each of the 12 special editions come with an individual piece of lunar rock . The rock and the book are presented in a case designed by Marc Newson one of the most influential living designers of our time. His work commands the highest prices and has broken the record for auction prices paid for current designers, most notably in April 2009 when Lockheed lounge sold for $1.825 million in London.

The book itself is a fascinating compilation of photographs of what has been called the most historic event of the 20th century. The photographs have been culled from the archives of Life magazine, NASA and are paired with text by Norman Mailer. There is also an archival quality numbered photographic print signed by Buzz Aldrin included with the book.

The final 12 lunar rock editions are on sale for 60,000 Euros and come with an authenticated and documented piece of lunar rock which varies in size, color and density.

Lunar Rock edition 1,969 features a piece found in Morocco that weighs in at 348 grams and is one of the largest meteorites to be found on earth that has not been cut into smaller portions for scientific research. The purchaser of this ultimate edition will also receive an invitation to a private dinner with Buzz Aldrin in Los Angeles. The price of this unique edition will set you back almost as much as a trip to the moon itself costing 480,000 Euros!

If you'd like to see it all in person, the Lunar Rock Edition of Norman Mailer's Moonfire is being exhibited at the Taschen booth during Art Basel in Miami from December 2-5, 2009. Otherwise you can head over to the Taschen web-site for an in depth look at the book and its photos.

Gallery: Moonfire Lunar Rock Edition

Tags: Art Basel, ArtBasel, Buzz Aldrin, BuzzAldrin, life magazine, LifeMagazine, lunar roock, LunarRoock, luxury books, LuxuryBooks, Marc Newson, MarcNewson, Meteor, meteorites, Moonfire, Norman Mailer, NormanMailer, Taschen

Basquiat and Warhol Fail Christie's

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

Christie's tried in New York with a 1983 piece by Jean-Michel Basquiat and didn't succeed. The auction house may have been too aggressive in estimating the 16-foot piece at $9 million. That's what's tough about the art market right now. There are signs of recovery, and it can be tempting to push for higher prices. Unfortunately, it's easy to get a bit excited. The painting had the highest estimate at the auction. The piece with the second highest presale estimate, a piece by Andy Warhol, met a similar fate.

The Basquiat piece, "Brother Sausage," was offered anonymously by a buyer later revealed by Bloomberg News to be Peter Brant, an art collector based in Connecticut. The piece may be a casualty of his divorce from model Stephanie Seymour. Well, it won't be financing post-marital discord and could remain a contested asset for a while.

Warhol's "Tunafish Disaster" was projected to move for up to $8 million and, like the Basquiat painting, didn't receive any bids. Art dealer Robert Mnuchin of L&M Arts was stuck taking it home.

Yet, some works beat the odds in an auction that raked in $74.2 million, within the presale range of $61.5 million to $88 million. Nonetheless, this was the lowest result we've seen from a Christie's New York contemporary art effort since May 2003 and down 81 percent from the top of the market two and a half years ago.

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Tags: andy warhol, AndyWarhol, art, art auction, art auctions, art collecting, art collection, art collector, art dealer, art market, ArtAuction, ArtAuctions, ArtCollecting, ArtCollection, ArtCollector, ArtDealer, artist, ArtMarket, artwork, auction, auction-house, auctionhouse, auctions, basquiat, christies, connecticut, contemporary art, ContemporaryArt, jasper johns, JasperJohns, jean michel basquiat, JeanMichelBasquiat, jeff koons, JeffKoons, manhattan, michael jackson, MichaelJackson, new york, new york new york, NewYork, NewYorkNewYork, peter brant, PeterBrant, taschen, warhol

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Hugh Hefner's $1300, Six-Volume Autobiography

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Books

In September, Taschen will publish Playboy founder Hugh Hefner's illustrated biography in six volumes, combined with a chronological selection of highlights from the seminal men's magazine's first 25 years (1953 to 1979). Limited to 1,500 numbered and signed copies, the six-volume set comes packaged in a luxurious plexiglass box and costs $1,300. Beginning with Hef's youth and his boyhood comic collection and ending with the height of Playboy's success, the anthology is billed as "the most probing and intimate portrait of Hefner ever made."

Hefner's extensive participation and the inclusion of a wealth of memorabilia from his personal scrapbooks set this anthology apart from other Playboy books. The six volumes contain over 700 pages of autobiographical text about Hef's youth, army days, first attempts as a cartoonist, early career, girlfriends, and Playboy's launch, illustrated by original Hefner artwork and cartoons, correspondence, and a huge selection of archival photos, many previously unpublished.

Tags: Hugh Hefner, HughHefner, Playboy, sex, Taschen

Ltd. Edition Complete Works of Jean Nouvel

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Books

The complete works of Jean Nouvel, France's most unique and internationally celebrated contemporary architect and winner of the 2008 Pritzker Prize, are featured in a new limited edition book. Restricted to 1,000 signed and numbered copies, the two volume set (above) is packaged in a translucent plexiglass slipcase specially designed by Nouvel and priced at $700. Nouvel worked for five years together with author Philip Jodidio to assemble this monograph, published by Taschen. Each volume features 400 pages of completed projects and works in progress, such as the new Louvre in Abu Dhabi, the Philharmonie de Paris, and the extension of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. All of the book's graphic design and images were conceived and selected by the architect himself.

Gallery: Works of Jean Nouvel

Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art and Cartier Headquarters, Paris (France) 1991-1994

Culture and Convention Center, Lucerne (Switzerland) 1992-2000

Quai Branly Museum, Paris (France) 1999-2006

Tags: Architect, Architecture, France, Jane Nouvel, JaneNouvel, Pritzker Prize, PritzkerPrize, Taschen

Luxury Living by the Sea

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

A really great, oversized design book with beautifully-reproduced images can sometimes actually transport you to another place. Such is the case with a new volume titled New Seaside Interiors, edited by Angelika Taschen, which is anything but a mishmash of coastal clichés. Forget what you think you know about nautical décor; with examples of brilliant seaside design on all five continents, from Iceland to Chile, the architecture in this book harmonizes with the ocean in ways that go far beyond sprinkling a few seashells around the guest bath. From fashion designer Pierre Cardin's Bond villain-style floating house in St. Tropez to Dolce & Gabbana's eye-popping seaside villas in Italy, this is the né plus ultra of seaside style. See the gallery for more.

Gallery: New Seaside Interiors

Rudolf Nureyev, Saint Barths, French West Indies

Tags: Angelika Taschen, AngelikaTaschen, Architecture, Coastal, Dolce and Gabbana, DolceAndGabbana, Interior design, InteriorDesign, Ocean, Pierre Cardin, PierreCardin, Seaside, Taschen

Richard Meier's Modern Masterpieces

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Estates, Books, Real Estate Developments

Photo by Scott Frances / Esto

Every edifice ever built by rationalist architect Richard Meier -- and then some - is featured in a new mega monograph about to be published by Taschen: Richard Meier & Partners: Complete Works 1963-2008. The extra-large $150 volume showcases Meier's entire career to date, including such stunning commissions as the Getty Center in Los Angeles, the City Hall and Library at the Hague and the beauteous Southern California beach house pictured above. Meier, one of the world's top architects - or "starchitects" as he and a select few of his contemporaries such as Frank Gehry and Rem Koolhaas are known - has an insatiable appetite for large swaths of white, but it works (to say the least). Meier will be at Taschen's New York store to sign copies on June 3rd from 6 - 8 p.m. You can preview the book in the gallery below.

Gallery: The Works of Richard Meier

Tags: Architecture, Frank Gehry, FrankGehry, Getty Center, GettyCenter, Rem Koolhaas, RemKoolhaas, Richard Meier, RichardMeier, Starchitects, Taschen

Valentino's Fashionable New Book

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

've seen high-priced books from Gucci and Chanel recently and now Valentino gets the deluxe treatment. Una Grande Storia Italiana - Valentino Garavani is a new book from Taschen. The book comes in a silk-covered clamshell box that is tinted in Valentino red. Inside, the 738-page book includes drawings, magazine shoots, advertisements, portraits of Valentino, and documentary photographs. The text includes Vanity Fair writer Matt Tyrnauer's interviews with twenty of Valentino's collaborators and friends and a tribute to Valentino by fashion writer Suzy Menkes. The Collector's Edition is limited to 2,000 individually numbered copies, each signed by Valentino and sells for $1,000.

[via Vogue UK]

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Tags: book, designer, fashion, taschen, valentino