BELLAS ARTES

New York City, arguably the world’s Art Deco capital, is well known for its striking and still iconic towers that were early expressions of the style writ large most famously the Empire State and Chrysler buildings, both of which still speak so eloquently of the future and the machine age that continues to move us all forward. Art Deco is drawn in steel, in tile, in brass, in bronze, and in stone upon great buildings and small and in the details, as so engagingly shown here. The reader is brought, for example, into the extraordinary Fred F. French Building at 551 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, a treasure house of the form whose ornate lobby is a wonder of sparkling seduction in all directions: racing above is a fan palm and fleur de lis decorated architrave, and golden Assyrian equestrian archers on a field of onyx take aim while stunning chandeliers set with crystal feathers and bronze shoot out their own thin arrows of illumination.

In his first book, renowned interiors photographer Simon Upton turns his camera on one of his most-loved destinations in this personal exploration of fashionable homes in New York City. Urbane and characterful, New York Interiors unveils the photographer’s favorite interior projects from the city, among them the homes of Aerin Lauder, Hamish Bowles, Stephen Sills, Michael S. Smith, Steven Gambrel, and Cynthia Frank, intertwined with atmospheric images of the metropolis and its most stylish residents. Presented in two halves—City and Getaway—the book showcases city living from uptown to downtown, as well as the chic retreats of the Hamptons and other exclusive weekend destinations where New Yorkers head to relax.

Focusing on the profound effect that art, craft, and color can play in any interior, this book presents Hollis’s masterful new residential projects, in which the curation of art, objects, and custom furnishings are key to the character of the spaces.

Ocean Soul is a love story. It is a story of discovery. It is a story of hope. The story begins when a boy who loves the sea attends an event with underwater photographers and has an epiphany: "I had always wanted to explore the oceans, but I now understood how I would do this. I would do it with a camera." With sheer deter­mination, hard work, and a little bit of luck the boy, named Brian Skerry, realized his dream with more than 20 awe-inspiring articles for National Geographic magazine. Now, with Ocean Soul, he showcases his stunning photography and describes his adventurous life in a gripping portrait of the ocean as a place of beauty and mystery, a place in trouble, and ultimately, a place of hope that will rebound with the proper attention and care.