Graphic Arts

Sports Banger is a genre-defying, boundary-breaking fashion collective run by Jonny Banger, who interrogates British pop culture, fashion, class and politics through the subversion and (mis)appropriation of branding. Sports Banger: Lifestyles of the Poor, Rich and Famous tells the story of the first ten years of the irreverent brand, from its foundation in 2013 to the present day. It charts the rise of the brand from an underground bootlegging operation to an all-inclusive, internationally recognized DIY fashion house, record label and socially conscious satirist in the mould of a modern-day Hogarth.

In a layout created by the Sports Banger studio, the book’s images reflect the anarchic story: photographs of studio ephemera, couture pieces, community projects, protests and fashion shows feature alongside one off pieces produced for Skepta, 2 Chainz, Samantha Morton, David Hoyle and more. The book contains a full t-shirt archive of iconic Sports Banger bootleg t-shirts. Reappropriated Nike, NHS and Adidas logos rub shoulders with images of defaced government letters, raves, food banks and official collaborations with Tommy Hilfiger and Slazenger. The book is an of-our-times hybrid of political comment, DIY fashion and proud class consciousness. Essays featured come from influential figures from the worlds of fashion, art and music, including Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller, writer and curator Anastasiia Fedorova, and fashion writer and curator Nathalie Khan as well as voices of the general public and reviews from Vogue, Dazed and the V&A.

Read more

This book gathers together, for the first time, every Dior haute couture collection, including also ready-to-wear collections after the arrival of John Galliano (when ready-to-wear presentations took on a new importance), and the first two collections designed by creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri, appointed in 2016. It offers a unique opportunity to chart the development of one of the world’s most famous fashion brands and discover rarely seen collections.

This definitive publication opens with a concise history of the house of Dior before exploring the collections themselves, which are organized chronologically. Each new ‘era’ in Dior’s history is inaugurated by a brief overview and biography of the new designer, while individual collections are introduced by a short text unveiling their influences and highlights and illustrated with carefully curated catwalk images. A rich reference section, including an extensive index, concludes the book. After Chanel, Dior is the second volume in a series of high-end, cloth-bound books that offer a complete and unrivalled overview of the collections of the world’s top fashion houses through original catwalk photography.

Read more

A genius of fluid fashion, Harry Styles is redefining fashion for all genders.

From his moment on the 2019 Met Gala red carpet that broke the internet and appearing on the cover of Vogue, to his collaboration with Gucci and resplendent stage costumes, Styles has broken the mould again and again.

With this beautiful guide to his style trajectory, key looks and signature pieces, dive into the kooky, eccentric and utterly unique world of Harry Styles’s style.

A fun and complete guide to a modern-day icon’s signature style.

Read more

Read more

“An authoritative and moving insight into the legacy of the British designer.”—Carola Long, Financial Times

“McQueen’s brilliance is celebrated in this sumptuous tome.”—Harper’s Bazaar

“Excellent.”—Huffington Post

Arguably the most influential, imaginative, and provocative designer of his generation, Alexander McQueen both challenged and expanded fashion conventions to express ideas about race, class, sexuality, religion, and the environment. Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty examines the full breadth of the designer’s career, from the start of his fledgling label to the triumphs of his own world-renowned London house. It features his most iconic and radical designs, revealing how McQueen adapted and combined the fundamentals of Savile Row tailoring, the specialized techniques of haute couture, and technological innovation to achieve his distinctive aesthetic. It also focuses on the highly sophisticated narrative structures underpinning his collections and extravagant runway presentations, with their echoes of avant-garde installation and performance art.

Published to coincide with an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art organized by The Costume Institute, this stunning book includes a preface by Andrew Bolton; an introduction by Susannah Frankel; an interview by Tim Blanks with Sarah Burton, creative director of the house of Alexander McQueen; illuminating quotes from the designer himself; provocative and captivating new photography by renowned photographer Sølve Sundsbø; and a lenticular cover by Gary James McQueen.

Read more

“You must read this book.” —Neil Gaiman

The bestselling international classic on storytelling and visual communication.

Praised throughout the cartoon industry by such luminaries as Art Spiegelman, Matt Groening, and Will Eisner, Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics is a seminal examination of comics art: its rich history, surprising technical components, and major cultural significance. Explore the secret world between the panels, through the lines, and within the hidden symbols of a powerful but misunderstood art form.

Read more

Torrid Times is the brilliant and unflinching new collection of sketches of contemporary political life by The Times’s master of satire, Peter Brookes.

Within these pages, the multiple winner of the British Press Awards Cartoonist of the Year showcases the standout pieces from his political cartoons in The Times, up to the minute and breathtaking in their bite and wit.

Cataloguing two of the most turbulent years on record, Torrid Times provides an unsparing critique of political leaders and events at home and abroad. From Partygate and Prince Harry to Liz Truss’s disastrous time in office and Putin’s devastating war in Ukraine, this collection of exquisitely crafted cartoons provides vivid proof, were it needed, that we are indeed living through torrid times.

Read more

Phaidon’s much-loved monograph on the legendary Italian designer and architect, Ettore Sottsass

The re-release of this highly acclaimed title demonstrates the continual fascination, from both fans and collectors, with the life and work of Italian architect and designer Ettore Sottsass. The designer’s work is popular and influential in equal measure, from his designs for Olivetti (such as the striking, bright red, manual typewriter, the Valentine, with its ingenious carry-case) to the post-modern brilliance of the work of the Memphis Group, founded by Sottsass in Milan in 1980.

Packed with beautiful images taken from the extensive Sottsass archives and including drawings and sketches from the designer’s countless sketchbooks, the book explores his entire career from the 1940s to the 2000s, covering everything from his architectural projects and product design to his ceramics, sculpture, and graphics.

Read more

Read more

Read more

Swiss artist HR Giger (1940–2014) is most famous for his creation of the space monster in Ridley Scott’s 1979 horror sci-fi film Alien, which earned him an Oscar. In retrospect, this was just one of the most popular expressions of Giger’s biomechanical arsenal of creatures, which consistently merged hybrids of human and machine into images of haunting power and dark psychedelia.

The visions drew on demons of the past, harking back as far as Giger’s earliest childhood fears as well as evoking mythologies for the future. Above all, they gave expression to the collective fears and fantasies of his age: fear of the atom, of pollution and wasted resources, and of a future in which our bodies depend on machines for survival.

From surrealist dream landscapes created with a spray gun and stencils to album cover designs, from guillotine-like sculptures to self-designed bars, Giger personally guides us through his multi-faceted universe in this definitive introduction to a master of horror. Detailed reproductions and designs and a foreword by Timothy Leary complement Giger’s intimate autobiographical texts.

About the series

Born back in 1985, the Basic Art Series has evolved into the best-selling art book collection ever published. Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art series features:

a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance

a concise biography

approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions

Read more

KNOW ANYONE WHO COULD DO WITH BEING MORE ZEN? THIS STORY OF A WISE CAT FROM BIG PANDA AND TINY DRAGON AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR JAMES MNORBURY IS THE PERFECT GIFT . . .

“I’ve learnt that what we want is seldom what we need, and what we need is almost never what we want”

This is the tale of a cat wise in the ways of zen, journeying to discover a fabled ancient pine, under which infinite wisdom may be found.

Along the way he meets a vivid cast of animals: from an anxious monkey and a tortoise tired of life, to a tiger struggling with anger, a confused wolf cub and a covetous crow.

But it’s a surprise encounter with a playful kitten, that forces the cat to question everything . . .

Told in a gentle, calming style, The Cat Who Taught Zen introduces a new cast of characters for readers of all ages to fall in love with, offering timeless wisdom wrapped up into a tale of beguiling beauty.
__________

Read more

The latest – superb – collection from everyone’s favourite cartoonist!

‘The master of the pocket cartoon. You can’t be better than the best’ Gyles Brandreth

‘Like a sunrise, he lifts the heart. He’s so touching and achingly funny’ Jilly Cooper

‘That rare thing – a daily cartoonist who never fails’ THE TIMES

‘However bad the day’s news, there’ll still be a Matt cartoon the morning after, and we’ll still laugh – he’s a genius’ Jeremy Vine

There is no doubt: award-winning Matt definitely makes the world a happier place!

Read more

Little Book of Louis Vuitton is the pocket-sized and fully illustrated story of one of the world’s most luxurious fashion houses.

Louis Vuitton’s monogrammed bags have been seen on the arms of celebrities and royals alike for over 150 years. From the young Louis seeking his fortune in Paris through to two world wars, the Great Depression, the Jazz Age and the Swinging Sixties, there is no era in which this most opulent of brands hasn’t thrived.

Detailing the global expansion of Louis Vuitton in the 1980s, the creation of the powerful fashion conglomerate LVMH, and the appointment in 1997 of Marc Jacobs, this is the story of a transformation from luggage company to high-fashion label. Louis Vuitton’s continued evolution under the creative direction of Nicolas Ghesquière and Virgil Abloh is also depicted through fabulous images and captivating text.

Read more

At the intersection of the visual, graphic, and cinematic arts, film posters are a unique and thrilling record of a particular cultural Zeitgeist. This book brings together 250 posters from the Soviet Union of the 1920s and early 1930s to explore the energy and invention of this period, before Soviet Realism became the official art doctrine.

Drawn from the private collection of connoisseur Susan Pack, the selection includes the work of 27 different artists. From bold figuration to architectural elements, each artist displays a distinct style and aesthetic, as much as they collectively eschew the glamour of Hollywood for more stark, striking, even challenging images, often marked by unusual angles, dynamic compositions, and startling close-ups.

Read more

This Christmas introduce someone to Big Panda and Tiny Dragon – two friends for life . . .

‘James has a way to speak to your soul. This book is nothing short of comforting and heartwarming’ VEX KING
‘While the drawings have the charm of Winnie-the-Pooh, the captions have the depth of ancient proverbs’ GUARDIAN
‘A beautifully illustrated book which draws on tender moments. Exquisite’ DR RANGAN CHATTERJEE
________

A guiding light in the darker months, Big Panda and Tiny Dragon is the beautifully illustrated and mindful journey of two friends through the seasons, inspired by Buddhist philosophy

‘Which is more important,’ asked Big Panda, ‘the journey or the destination?’
‘The company,’ said Tiny Dragon.

Friends Big Panda and Tiny Dragon journey through the seasons of the year together, day and night, in rain and in sun. Travelling through nature, they find hope and inspiration in the world around them, realising that even in the darkest of days, Spring will always return.

Feel the calming influence of Big Panda, who reminds us of the bigger picture while appreciating the simplicity of small moments.

Explore your surroundings with the inquisitive eye of Tiny Dragon, our friend who is big in heart if not in stature.

And on their journey through the ever-changing seasons, join these two friends as they learn how to live in the moment, be at peace with uncertainty, and find the strength to overcome life’s obstacles, together.

Inspired by Buddhist philosophy and spirituality, the story of these whimsical characters makes the perfect gift for anyone looking for a little hope and comfort.
________

‘The two friends often find themselves lost but discover beautiful sights they never would have found if they had gone the right way. While the drawings have the charm of Winnie-the-Pooh, the captions have the depth of ancient proverbs’ GUARDIAN

Read more

Take your creativity to the next level with the ultimate artist’s bible!

Covering everything from how to draw and paint to ceramics, sculptures and printmaking, you’ll get the most out of your passion for art with this beautifully illustrated artist’s handbook. It also includes newer areas such as digital art and animation – perfect for modern artists!

Discover everything you need to help you release the artist within! This essential art book includes:

– All areas of visual art; including drawing, painting, 3D art, printmaking, textiles, and digital arts including photography
– Each section is written by an acknowledged expert in that field – both practising professionals and university-level teachers
– Comprehensive coverage of equipment and tools, including step-by-step sequences, where appropriate on how to use
– Techniques are illustrated in step-by-step sequences by professional artists, with basic skills leading on to more advanced techniques

Whether you’re dipping in to find a specific painting technique or browsing for artistic inspiration, this artist’s reference book covers all the elements of painting and drawing. Brush up on the art basics like choosing the right tool, mixing watercolours, and preparing a canvas. Take your skills further and learn how to glaze a pot, try out 3D printing and mosaic, or create a digital collage.

The Artist’s Manual will help you become a more confident, creative artist. Equipment, materials, and methods are fully explained and beautifully illustrated. Perfect for artists of every skill level, you’ll be creating your own masterpieces in no time with this guide to art. It’s a must-have for every artist’s studio!

Read more