From Colorado landscapes to Central European photography, publishers once again offered a sprawling array of art and photography books in 2007. It’s just a matter of finding titles that will appeal to the tastes and interests of the people on your gift list.
A look at some of the year’s highlights:
Unusual format
“Richard Misrach: On the Beach” $85. Measuring a whopping 16 by 20 inches, this is a coffee-table book on steroids. But the oversized format is more than just a gimmick. It helps convey the expansiveness of Misrach’s extraordinary photographs, which convey a sense of human vulnerability in the face of the sea’s seeming endlessness.
Regional
“Landscapes of Colorado,” $85. It is possible to quibble with some of the choices of artists, but this nonacademic coffee- table book will no doubt be popular with people interested in the history of Colorado art and the state’s natural beauty.
“Marsden Hartley and the West: The Search for an American Modernism,” $50. Hartley, one of this country’s most important early modernists, traveled to the American Southwest in 1918. He stayed for 18 months, creating distinctive depictions of the region that have continuously influenced artists since.
Iconic artists
“Van Gogh Paintings: The Masterpieces,” $45. The title aptly sums up this straightforward book. It offers a well-illustrated, loosely historical overview of one of the best-known and most popular artists of all time.
“Frida Kahlo,” $49.95. Kahlo’s instantly identifiable, folk-influenced paintings have struck an amazing chord with contemporary viewers, turning her into an art-world superstar. This beautiful volume accompanies a traveling retrospective on view at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.
Contemporary
“Kara Walker: After the Deluge,” $29.95. Using the Victorian medium of silhouettes, this key artist creates provocative, often gut-wrenching works that acidly expose issues of race, gender and sexuality. In this book, which was inspired by Hurricane Katrina, she juxtaposes her imagery with 19th-century artworks.
“Antony Gormley: Blind Light,” $55. Because of his seemingly levitating sculpture in the tip of the Denver Art Museum’s Hamilton Building, this British artist has gained significant local recognition. This book, published in connection with an exhibition at the Hayward in London, explores his multifaceted work.
“Take Your Time: Olafur Eliasson,” $50. This book, which accompanies a traveling exhibition, offers an overview of this master manipulator of light. The Scandinavian artist is best known for his simulated, brilliant, yellow sun in the massive atrium of London’s Tate Modern in 2003.
Photography
“Foto: Modernity in Central Europe,” $60. Central Europe was a hotbed of photographic innovation and experimentation in the early decades of the 20th century. This book offers a wide-ranging look at 100 or so of the region’s leading figures.
Kyle MacMillan: 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com
