BELLAS ARTES

The American painter Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) sparked an artistic renewal in his country when he burst onto the scene dominated by Abstract Expressionism in New York in the late 1950s, defining a new creative language for a new era. With his innovative use of industrial production techniques and mundane, everyday imagery, such as cartoons, comic strips, and advertising, Lichtenstein joined contemporary artists such as Andy Warhol and James Rosenquist in portraying and satirizing American media and consumer culture.

In November 1936, publisher Henry R. Luce launched Life as a photo-led weekly news magazine with a clear purpose: “To see life; to see the world; to eyewitness great events.” Before readers’ attention was consumed by television, Life served as their window to the world, and by the late 1940s, it was being viewed by 1 in 3 Americans. Jean Harlow was the first movie star to appear on a Life cover in 1937, and from then until 1972 over 200 covers featured Hollywood-related subjects, illustrating the strength of the bond between Life and the film industry.

So rich and unique is traditional Japanese architecture that it’s nearly impossible to improve upon. Yet contemporary Japanese designers and architects keep finding fresh approaches to refurbish and take inspiration from the ways of old. Whether it’s a pristinely preserved traditional house or a sleek modern apartment, the best Japanese homes share a love of cleverly designed spaces and warm materials like wood, brick, and bamboo. From a thatched roof farmhouse occupied by a Zen priest to Tadao Ando’s experimental 4x4 House, from Shigeru Ban’s conceptual Shutter House to a beautiful domestic homage to bamboo, this elegant compendium traverses the multifaceted landscape of Japanese living today. Enriched by 170 brand new, unpublished photographs, this edition takes you on breathtaking journey through the Land of the Rising Sun―complete with a list of addresses, should you wish to undertake this journey to Japan’s most fascinating inns and homes yourself. An insightful glossary of key terms, such as tatami, shoji, and noren, will also help you come to grips with all elements of Japan’s unique aesthetic of Eastern minimalism.

Though it lies just across the Mediterranean from Europe, barely a stone’s throw from Spain’s southernmost tip, Morocco couldn’t possibly be farther away.With its mountainous and desert landscapes, labyrinthine souks, delectable cuisine, exquisite rugs and textiles, vibrant mosaics, fragrant odors, mesmerizing music, and welcoming people, Morocco is a most alluring and tantalizingly exotic destination. Digging a little deeper into the myth of Morocco, Barbara and René Stoeltie bring us this eclectic selection of homes to demonstrate all that is most wonderful about the Moroccan style: from tiled, turquoise swimming pools and lavish gardens to carved wooden furniture and jade-colored marble fountains.With more than 500 pages featuring stunning, inspiring photographs, flipping through these fairy tale-like visions of exotic havens (ideally while sipping a steaming cup of sweet, fragrant mint tea) will instantly whisk you away.

Visite una tierra de plazas adoquinadas, cerámica rústica y campos de lavanda, y descubra el encanto rural que sedujo a artistas de la talla de van Gogh y Picasso con esta monografía dedicada a las casas e interiores de la Provenza, ya sean espléndidos castillos o retiros campestres, a través de textos reveladores y preciosas fotografías.

Adéntrese en algunas de las viviendas más bonitas de la Toscana. Grandes casas patricias y ermitas rurales abren sus puertas para revelar la cerámica de los Medici, salones bañados por el sol y coloridos suelos de baldosas. Con detalladas explicaciones y magníficas fotografías, este volumen nos ofrece una hermosa imagen del estilo de vida toscano.