BELLAS ARTES

In 1952, after becoming one of the first-ever recipients of a Master of Science degree in Photography at Chicago’s Institute of Design, native New Yorker Marvin E. Newman returned to his hometown. Like many artists before, he set about chronicling the city. Unlike his predecessors, Newman chose color photography as the preeminent medium for capturing the people and energy of New York, and its emergence in the 1950s as the self-proclaimed “Greatest City in the World.”

Avedon 100 celebrates Richard Avedon’s enduring influence on photography and makes clear his profound impression on visual culture worldwide. Published on the occasion of the eponymous exhibition at Gagosian, New York, in 2023, this striking illustrated catalog celebrates the centenary of the iconic photographer’s birth. Over one hundred celebrated artists, designers, musicians, writers, curators, and figures from the world of fashion were asked to select a photograph by Avedon and elaborate on the ways in which both the image and artist have made an impact on their lives. Participants include Hilton Als, Naomi Campbell, Elton John, Spike Lee, Sally Mann, Polly Mellen, Kate Moss, Chloë Sevigny, Taryn Simon, Christy Turlington, and Jonas Wood.

The treasures of mid-century American architecture have long been celebrated. Less appreciated has been the landscape design that provides the framing for these masterworks. But more than frame, landscape architecture is an art worthy of the spotlight, particularly at mid-century, when the notion that “gardens are outdoor spaces for people to live in” was championed and brought to the fore; now gardens and landscapes are not just external attributes to the house but a continuation of it and its living spaces in a relationship of symbiosis, with its pools and terraces, its winding lawns, and its partly enclosed room-like spaces flanked by brick or stone or plantings in a range of colors and forms.

Across small cottages and lavish villas, beach houses and forest refuges, discover the world’s finest crop of new homes. This cutting-edge global digest features such talents as Shigeru Ban, MVRDV, and Marcio Kogan alongside up-and-coming names like Aires Mateus, Xu Fu-Min, Vo Trong Nghia, Desai Chia, and Shunri Nishizawa. Here, there are homes in Australia and New Zealand, from China and Vietnam, in the United States and Mexico, and on to less expected places like Ecuador and Costa Rica. The result is a sweeping survey of the contemporary house and a revelation that homes across the globe may have more in common than expected. Among guava trees and abandoned forts in Western India is a sanctuary designed for and by Kamal Malik of Malik Architecture. The House of Three Streams is a sprawling spectacle with high ceilings, verandas, and pavilions, perched atop a ridge overlooking two ravines. A medley of steel, glass, wood, and stone, the house weaves along the contour of the landscape, almost as an extension of the forest. Encina House by Aranguren & Gallegos, an elegant, sloping structure reminiscent of a gazebo, similarly inhabits its surrounding vista. Ensconced in a pine forest north of Madrid, the lower level is embedded in rock and connected to the upper by a natural stone wall. Shinichi Ogawa’s Seaside House is an immaculate two-story minimalist marvel in Kanagawa that overlooks the Pacific. Its living area spills onto a cantilevered terrace and infinity pool, almost dissolving into the ocean as one seamless entity. In Vietnam, Shunri Nishizawa’s House in Chau Doc exudes tropical sophistication with exposed timber beams, woven bamboo, plants, concrete panels, and inner balconies and terraces. Its corrugated iron panels act as moveable walls and shutters, ushering in views of surrounding rice fields. These homes―along with more than 50 others―are each remarkably distinct in design. They all, however, toe the line between inside and outside, each one symbiotic with its surroundings.

On November 18, 1928, the world’s most famous mouse made his very first public debut. Today, we celebrate 90+ years of Mickey in one of the most expansive illustrated publications on the Disney universe. Starting with the first sketches of a character who was almost named Mortimer, we trace the career of Walt Disney’s and Ub Iwerks’s most famous creation, one met with an explosion of worldwide popularity preceded only by the earlier successes of Charlie Chaplin. This edition is derived from the XXL book that was produced with unlimited access to Disney’s vast historical collections as well as public and private collections. The authors bring Mickey’s success story to life: concept art, story sketches, background paintings, and animation drawings as well as historical photographs trace the origins and evolution of such timeless favorites as Steamboat Willie, The Band Concert, and Brave Little Tailor. They also follow Mickey as he builds on this legendary library of short cartoons by appearing in two historic feature-length films, Fantasia and Fun and Fancy Free.

A comprehensive look at Istanbul-based interior designer Zeynep Fadillioglu’s most striking projects, from a modern minimalist mosque to the city’s largest luxury hotel. Renowned for her striking, multilayered projects that are rich in materials, arts, and crafts, Zeynep Fadillioglu’s interiors express a bold contemporary sophistication and modern understanding of traditional values. Born and raised in Istanbul, Fadillioglu studied computer science and then art history and design at London’s Inchbald School of Design before setting up her design company in Istanbul. Today, having designed many notable landmarks, she is one of the most sought-after designers both at home and abroad. Her thoughtful, creative, and interdisciplinary approach to interior design bridges history, community, cities, climate, and culture with meticulous attention to detail and to storytelling.