The Art of Not Making: The New Artist/Artisan Relationship

Using examples from a wide range of media, Michael Petry presents art by more than 115 contemporary artists who have one thing in common: they do not make their own work. Instead, they either employ others to produce it on their behalf or appropriate objects made by someone else. Master craftsmen, artisans, and fabricators are just some of the technical specialists who help realize the creative vision of these artists. But when an artist does not make his or her own work, what does it mean for the nature of art and for the status of the artist? What is the relationship between creativity and production?
The book explores these and other questions about authorship, artistic originality, skill, craftsmanship, and the creative act. Beginning with a historical overview and continuing through the history of modern art, it highlights the vital role that skills from craft and industrial production play in creating some of today 's most innovative and highly sought-after works of art. Organized by the materials from which the works are made, five chapters examine the relationships between many of the world 's most important artists and the artisans and fabricators they work with.
Request The Art of Not Making from the catalog. 

Robert Capa: The Paris Years 1933-1954

Publishers Weekly (03/12/2012):
Perhaps best known for his iconic photo of a Spanish soldier as he is being shot known as "Death of Loyalist Militiaman," which hangs in New York's Museum of Modern Art,  Robert Capa (born Endre Erno Friedmann) was one of the progenitors of modern-day war photojournalism, covering the Spanish Civil War, D-Day, the beginnings of the Vietnam conflict, and many other momentous occasions during his tenure behind the lens.
Though these milestones and others are addressed in war correspondent Lebrun (Normandie 44) and Le Monde journalist Lefebvre's biography of Capa, their primary focus here is the work he and his colleagues produced while based out of an apartment in Paris' fourteenth arrondissement.
 Led largely by Capa, the collective's commitment to immersing themselves in the moments they sought to document had serious consequences as Capa's longtime collaborator and girlfriend Gerda Taro was crushed and killed by a tank while covering the Spanish Civil War but their commitment to documenting life in a war zone, from both a military and civilian perspective, revolutionized reporting and brought the battles home. Historians and photographers alike will be rewarded by the authors' excellent blend of narration and academic analysis, coupled with a generous helping of groundbreaking photos, many of which have never been published before. Photos & illus. (Mar.) Copyright 2012 Reed Business Information.
Request Robert Capa : the Paris Years from the catalog. 

Lucian Freud: Painting People

This beautifully illustrated book features fifty of Lucian Freud's portraits and figure paintings, offering an excellent introduction to the work of one of the most innovative figurative artists of the 20th century. Arranged chronologically and ranging over seven decades, from the early 1940s to Freud's death in July of 2011, the book features Freud's portraits of subjects including Kitty Garman and Lady Caroline Blackwood, both of whom were married to the artist; his mother, Lucie Freud; friends and colleagues Martin Gayford and David Hockney; and more formal portraits of subjects including Andrew Parker Bowles and Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza.
In his essay, critic Martin Gayford discusses Freud's standing as an artist and his place in art history and offers personal insights into the artist's life and approach to portraiture. Artist and longtime friend David Hockney gives a revealing account of his own experience sitting for a portrait by Freud. An illustrated chronology and previously unpublished documentary photographs place Freud's works within the context of his remarkable biography.
An ideal introduction to Freud's work, "Lucian Freud: Painting People" offers an excellent survey of an artist considered one of the world's greatest realist painters.
Request Lucian Freud : painting people from the catalog.