Five Art Tomes to Gift Your Loved Ones This Year
A visual anthology of more than a decade of portraits, the latest compendium of Annie Leibovitz's work confirms, if ever there was any doubt, that the photographer knows how to capture the complexity of her time better than anyone else.
Among the most telling examples of her unparalleled acuity is the picture of Kim Kardashian dressed to the nines, taking a selfie with her daughter North in her arms while Kanye West immortalizes them on his iPad.
Throughout the pages, we rediscover David Beckham in 2004, then at the height of his sex appeal, Jack Nicholson at dusk on Mullholland Drive, Venus Williams pregnant with her first child, and a young Scarlett Johansson stripped naked in her suite at the Chateau Marmont.
Annie Leibovitz also takes a fresh look at the mysteries of power, as evidenced by her intimate portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama, her shot of Michael Bloomberg in the messy open space of the office of the New York City Hall, and the striking photo of Hillary Clinton, immortalized in 2009 in her Washington office while she was still secretary of state.
Annie Leibovitz, Portraits 2005–2016 is available from Phaidon for $89.95
Broke out of gift idea for your beauty addicted best friend?
For once, bet on a gift that will last a little longer than a stick of lipstick: the new beauty bible Life is a Stage by Dany Sanz, founder and artistic director of Make Up For Ever.
Textures, colors and pigments are all elements that allow Dany Sanz to imagine memorable looks in the air of human paintings, grouped in this portfolio of exclusive images by photographer Ellen Von Unwerth.
It's an unforgettable, entirely unique dive into the heart of the work of this talented beauty guru trained at the Beaux-Arts, who has helped to elevate makeup to the rank of art.
Which photographer can claim to have sublimated the female body as much as Giacobetti?
Through a magnificent 305-page book, Editions Assouline and the author Jérôme Neutres celebrate the 55-year career of Francis Giacobetti, undisputed master of the nude.
A discovery of the shadows, lights, and specific techniques developed by this gifted autodidact photographer, who breathed an incomparable elegance to a category often decried as obscene.
Nothing better to warm up with in the middle of winter than the sublime landscapes of the Bahamas, one of the favorite places of the photographer. Discover the famous portraits of so-called amazons posing languid, tanned and in full form for the Pirelli calendar that Giacobetti propelled to the rank of a vintage masterpiece.
Those who missed the extraordinary Dior exhibition at the Museum of Decorative Arts can be gifted a catch-up session, and the opportunity to travel through the decades at the mercy of 368 pages of the sublime book, Christian Dior, Couturier du Rêve.
The tome is comprised of a rich selection of images that will delight fans of the house, including sketches, cult photographs and 70 iconic silhouettes presented in every detail, created by Christian Dior and his illustrious successors Yves Saint Laurent, John Galliano, Raf Simons or Maria Grazia Chiuri. Not to mention the client lists and the muses of yesterday and today who contributed to the legend of the sign, from Grace of Monaco to Liz Taylor through Natalie Portman and Jennifer Lawrence.
Christian Dior, Couturier du Rêve is available from Amazon for $255
The two new volumes of David LaChapelle's work, Lost + Found, Part I and Good News, Part II shed new light on the prolific work of the artist.
In Lost + Found, LaChapelle is the mirror of a time without concessions where the appearance is queen, examining a considerable selection of photos never published before.
The book features many different and controversial personalities, such as Julian Assange, the Jenner-Kardashian family, Rihanna, Pamela Anderson, and David Bowie. It illuminates LaChapelle at his best, capturing modern beings of myth and revealing their subtleties.
Lost + Found, Part I is available from Taschen Editions for $69.99
