New Decorating Books

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New DVDs in Art, Architecture, Design

The following DVDs have been recently added to our collection or are on order. The titles are linked to our online catalog. They can be checked out for 7 days.

Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens. Directed by
Barbara Leibovitz.

Profiles the celebrity photographer from her Connecticut childhood to her current work for Vanity Fair. Originally broadcast on television as an episode for the PBS series "American masters" in 2006.

Art: 21 - Art in the Twenty-First Century. Season 1 & 2. Created and produced by Susan Sollins, Susan Dowling ; directed by Catherine Tatge and Deborah Shaffer.

Meet diverse contemporary artists through revealing profiles that take viewers behind the scenes into artists' studios, homes, and communities to provide an intimate view of their lives, work, sources of inspiration and creative processes.

Bauhaus: The Face of the 20th Century. Written and narrated by Frank Whitford ; producer, Julia Cave.

Looks at the development of the Bauhaus and at the key figures involved in it, including the founder Walter Gropius, his successor Mies van der Rohe, Lásló Moholy-Nagy and Josef Albers. The program also sets the history of the Bauhaus in the context of the political unrest and economic chaos of the Weimar Republic in Germany. Former students discuss their time at the Bauhaus and architect Philip Johnson tells how it influenced his work. Contains rare archival footage of the Bauhaus at Dessau and looks at the architecture of Chicago, much influenced by Mies van der Rohe, who emmigrated there after the Bauhaus was shut by the Nazis in 1933.

Dutch Masters. Kultur Video, 2006. 6 DVDs.

This unique series chronicles the life, times and works of the greatest artists in history. Includes: Rembrandt, Vermeer, Rubens, Van Dyck, Bosch and Bruegel.

 
 

Genius of Design. produced by Wall to Wall Media for BBC 2 ; directed by Chris Wilson, Chris Rodley, Peter Sweasey. Originally broadcast on television in 2010.
 
The art, science and development of design and how people are impacted when interacting with what has been designed are explored in five episodes.

The Impressionists: their lives, times and works. 6 DVDs.
 
An in-depth look at the lives of six artists of the Impressionist movement. Monet -- Degas -- Renoir -- Pissarro -- Seurat -- Manet.









The Mystery of Picasso. A film by Henri-Georges Clouzot. Originally released as a motion picture in 1956.

Explores the mind and motivations of Pablo Picasso as he creates over fifteen works before the camera. Using a specially designed transparent 'canvas' to provide an unobstructed view, Picasso creates as the camera records. He begins with simple works that take shape after only a single brush stroke. He then progresses to more complex paintings, in which he repeatedly adds and removes elements, transforming the entire scene, until at last the work is complete.

Painters Painting: a candid history of the New York art scene, 1940-1970. A film by Emile de Antonio and Mary Lampson. Originally produced in 1972.

Artists, critics, and patrons discuss post-war art in New York City against the backdrop of footage of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's exhibition "New York painting and sculpture, 1940-1970.







Restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright's Heurtley House.

The Heurtley House is located in Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Frank Lloyd Wright constructed the house in 1902.

Van Gogh: a Brush with Genius. Directed by Francois Bertrand.

Bertrand takes the viewer into the heart of van Gogh's paintings and life. His letters are used to explain his art. The locations that inspired him are also part of the film.

Vermeer: Master of Light. A National Gallery of Art Film.
directed by Joseph J. Krakora. Narrated by Meryl Streep.

Explores Vermeer's paintings, examining his techniques of lighting and composition.

Eva Zeisel dies at 105

Eva Zeisel, a ceramic artist, died December 30, 2011 in New York City, N.Y. at age 105. She saw her work as a "playful search for beauty". She was born in Budapest on November 13, 1906. Her maiden name was Eva Amalia Striker. An aunt's Hungarian peasant pottery collection inspired her to become a ceramist. In 1925 she visited Paris. In 1930 she moved to Berlin. In 1932 she visited the Ukraine. By 1935 she was working in Moscow, but was arrested in 1936, falsely accused by a colleague. She was imprisoned for 16 months. A friend, Arthur Koestler, drew upon her experience in writing his 1941 novel DARKNESS AT NOON. She was released without explanation in 1937 and went to Vienna. In 1938, upon the Nazi's arrival in Austria, she escaped to Britain. In London she was reunited with Hans Zeisel, a lawyer and sociologist whom she had met in Berlin. They married and then emigrated to the United States soon after. During her second day in New York, she went to the public library to look up addresses of trade publications. In 1939 she began teaching ceramics as industrial design at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. She left her teaching position in 1954 and then designed collections of ceramics, glass and metal, including rugs, furniture and lighting fixtures. Her book "Eval Zeisel on Design" was published in 2004. She remained active almost until the end of her life. Eva Zeisel is survived by a daughter and a son and three grandchildren. Her husband, Hans Zeisel, a professor of sociology at the University of Chicago, died in 1992. For more information on Eva Zeisel, check out:
Pictures of Eva Zeisel and her designs (outside link)

Eva Zeisel on Design

20th Century Dinnerware

Tools for Living: a sourcebook of Iconic Designs for the Home
China and Glass in America: 1880-1980

A new public library for Stuttgart

Stuttgart in southern Germany has a new public library! How does this innovative city (known as the "cradle of the automobile") envision a public library in the 21st century? Korean architect Eun Young Yi was chosen to deliver a stunning, yet refreshingly simple design! No doubt, Steve Jobs would have approved of it! Books and people are the focus throughout, delivering a multitude of colors in a mostly white interior, similiar to the design of the new Amsterdam Public Library. There is a Café with a very appealing and smartly chosen name. It is called Café LesBar which means Reading Bar, but "lesbar" in German means also readable! Coincidentally, we just added the book "Brilliant: White in Design" by Linda O'Keeffe to our collection. More pictures of the Stuttgart Library (outside link)

New Nonfiction DVDs - Arts

We added the following titles to our collection of DVDs in the 700s. You will find them in the media room, in the nonfiction DVD collection arranged by Dewey Decimal Number. Links are provided to our online catalog.

Picasso and Braque Go to the Movies.
Produced by Arne Glimcher, Robert Greenhut, Martin Scorsese ; directed by Arne Glimcher.
Explores the influence of technological innovations, particularly cinema, on artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. Features: three short films: Slippery Jim (1910), The great train robbery (1903), Frankenstein (1910).




Paris: Luminous Years.
Written, directed and produced by Perry Miller Adato.
Examines the role of the city of Paris in the Modernist art movement, and the people who came there from all over the world.

Building the Great Cathedrals. Written and produced by Gary Glassman ; produced and directed by Scott Tiffany.
Carved from a hundred million pounds of stone, soaring effortlessly atop a spiderweb of masonry, Gothic cathedrals are marvels of human achievement and artistry. But how did medieval builders reach such spectacular heights? Consuming the labor of entire towns, sometimes taking a hundred years to build, these architectural marvels were crafted from just hand tools and stone. Many now teeter on the brink of catastrophic collapse.

Hermitage Masterpieces.

A tour of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, one of the oldest and largest museum of the world which was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great. This digitally re-mastered series includes images and rarely seen treasures that represent the development of world culture and art from Ancient China to the 20th century. The Hermitage is home to 3 million masterpieces.

Every Picture Tells a Story.
produced by Mike Lerner ; directed by James Bluemel.
Profiles the the creations and legacies of eight masterpieces of Western art. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews by Gainsborough -- The anatomy lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp by Rembrandt -- Tempest by Giorgione -- The birth of Venus by Botticelli -- Boy bitten by a lizard by Caravaggio -- Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci -- Le dejeuner sur l'herbe by Manet -- The Arnolfini marriage by Van Eyck.

American Photography: a Century of Images.

Produced and directed by Muffie Meyer and Ellen Hovde.The story of the pictures we have taken and where they have taken us. The series traces the profound effect photographs have had on American life-- influencing what we buy, how we dress, how we get the news, and in the matters of life and death, medicine, science, and war.

Art of the Western World.

Directed by Tony Cash. 3 DVDs.Explores the history of Western art from the classical ideals created by ancient Greeks to modern-day works. The classical ideal -- A white garment of churches : Romanesque and Gothic art -- The early Renaissance -- The high Renaissance -- Realms of light : the Baroque -- An age of reason, an age of passion -- A fresh view : Impressionism and post-Impressionism-- Into the 20th century -- In our own time.


Between the Folds: a film about finding inspiration in unexpected places.
Written, directed & produced by Vanessa Gould."Between the Folds chronicles the stories of ten fine artists and intrepid theoretical scientists who have abandoned careers and scoffed at hard-earned graduate degrees -- all to forge unconventional lives as modern-day paperfolders"--Production company's website.

Typeface.
Produced and directed by Justine NaganA look at the Hamilton Wood Type Museum in Two Rivers, WI which is considered the birthplace of graphic design.

Art & Copy.
Produced by Jimmy Greenway & Michael Nadeau ; directed by Doug Pray.A powerful film about advertising and inspiration. It reveals the work and wisdom of some of the most influential advertising creatives of our time, people who've profoundly impacted our culture. Their work grabbed the attention of millions and truly moved them. The social and cultural impact of their ads are brought to light in this dynamic exploration of art, commerce, and human emotion.


Craft in America: Family
Craft in America is a groundbreaking, comprehensive visual exploration of the history, vitality, and cultural significance of America's craft movement. Features Paul and Dante Marioni, Lisa Sorrelli, Philip and Matt Moulthrop, and Cliff and Holly Lee.



David Macaulay: Pyramid.
Based on the book by David Macaulay ; executive producer Ray Hubbard ; written by Mark Olshaker ; produced by Larry Klein and Mark Olshaker. Explore the process of building an ancient Egyptian pyramid and visit various historic sites and rare artifacts, including the mummy of Ramses II.

1500 government posters digitized

More than 1500 government posters are now available online.
They have been digitized through a partnership between the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) and the University of Iowa Libraries, as part of the GPO's Federal Depositary Library Program. The posters were issued from before World War II to the 1990s.

If you are interested in graphic design, we recently added some interesting titles to our collection:

The Poster
Typeface [DVD]
The Elements of Graphic Design
Menu Design in America 1850-1985
Just My Type: A Book about Fonts
A History of Design from the Victorian Era to the Present
Graphic Design: a new history

Living with Books

Here are some of our newer titles on living with books:

Living With Books

Books Make a Home






Of related interest are these recent newspaper articles:

Selling Books By Their Guilded Covers,

Should I Store My Messy Collection of Books?

See also my earlier posting about Designing with Books.

Fallingwater - 75th anniversary

America's most iconic residence - Fallingwater - was constructed in 1936, 75 years ago. It is located southeast of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, above a mountain stream called Bear Run. The architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) was 68 years old in 1935 when he designed Fallingwater as a weekend house for Edgar and Liliane Kaufmann who owned and operated Kaufmann's department store in Pittsburgh. Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece is considered the most important building of the 20th century based on a poll conducted by the American Institute of Architects. To commemorate the 75th anniversary of Fallingwater, a book with newly commissioned color photographs by Christopher Little was published in 2011 by Rizzoli. The book's editor, Lynda Waggoner, is the Director of Fallingwater.

What was it like to live and work in this special house? Find out with the Fallingwater Cookbook. It features recipes and anecdotes by Elsie Henderson, the longtime cook and baker for the Kaufmann family. Elsie Henderson, born in 1913, recently celebrated her 98th birthday. She grew up the youngest of 13 children and lost her father at age 2. In her own words: "I had a library card by the time I was six and I used it.” Even though she left school after 11th grade, she never lost her love of the printed word. Her mother taught her some baking and cooking, and she also took a cooking class at the Red cross. With little formal culinary training, she became a sought after cook among wealthy Pittsburgh families. She worked for the Kaufmanns at Fallingwater, from 1947 to 1964.
Other books of interest:
The Iconic House: Architectural Masterworks since 1900 By Dominic Bradbury, 2009.

Frank Lloyd Wright: American Master
By Alan Weintraub, 2009.

Designing with Books

Books as design objects are in demand by interior designers, high-end builders, hotel developers and architects. Multimillion dollar homes have to come with libraries: spaces with built-in shelves and lots of books. And there are people who specialize in furnishing these libraries with books: 2,000 books wrapped in white or in cream colored leather? 4,000 books wrapped in black? No problem! Will they be read? That is another question!

Selling a book by its cover, an article by Penelope Green, published in today's New York Times, Jan. 6, 2011. Books as a way to grace a room (slideshow)