Yuko Shimizu; A Phantasmagorical Graphic Novel

The exceptional illustrator Yuko Shimizu creates her work melding traditional Japanese graphic prints with surreal comic art. Inspired by Matthew Barney, Jean Paul Gaultier, Raymond Pettibon, and eccentric raconteur Momus, the award-winning New York-based artist draws her basic forms and figures with calligraphy brushes and later digitally supplements them with additional colors and backgrounds. This technique results in elegant and harmoniously composed creative visions and science-fiction fantasies, which are often erotically charged and combine the best of American pop and Japanese comic culture.

Yuko Shimizu has won numerous international awards and has done commissioned work for the New Yorker, Rolling Stone, SPIN, Playboy, GQ, the New York Times and many more...

A comprehensive collection of Shimizu's different strikes and strokes, this book explores the Japan-born artist's marriage of East and West, commerce and art, mind and matter, sexy heroines and restrained sensuality.

From Yuko Shimizu

© Copyright Gestalten 2011

From Yuko Shimizu © Gestalten 2011

From Yuko Shimizu © Gestalten 2011

From Yuko Shimizu @Gestalten 2011

 From Yuko Shimizu @Gestalten 2011

From Yuko Shimizu ©Gestalten 2011

From Yuko Shimizu ©Gestalten 2011

From Yuko Shimizu @Gestalten 2011

From Yuko Shimizu @Gestalten 2011

From Yuko Shimizu ©Gestalten 2011

From Yuko Shimizu ©Gestalten 2011

From Yuko Shimizu ©Gestalten 2011

From Yuko Shimizu ©Gestalten 2011

From Yuko Shimizu ©Gestalten 2011

From Yuko Shimizu ©Gestalten 2011

From Yuko Shimizu ©Gestalten 2011

Yuko Shimizu is published by Gestalten-Berlin

Courtesy Yuko Shimizu / Gestalten-Berlin

This post is also featured on the Huffington Post

The fabulous World of Muriel Brandolini

A force of nature under normal circumstances Muriel Brandolini is ramping up into major high gear for fall. In conjunction with the launch of her book "The World of Muriel Brandolini" published by Rizzoli, Phillips de Pury & Company will present Brandolini's personal collection of furniture in a pioneering single-owner auction on October 21st, 2011, on view to the public from October 8th, with a reception and book signing to take place on the evening of October 18th.

The "Queen of Color", Brandolini will splash her signature style across Philips de Pury & Company's walls. On this occasion, she will create a series of rooms at 450 Park Avenue, inspired by the projects in her book and the pieces included in the sale. A devotee of eclecticism, Brandolini embraces many styles; works on offer will include 19th-century decorative arts, early 20th-century Viennese modernism, postwar Italian design, and limited edition works by contemporary masters Ron Arad, Martin Szekely and Pierre Charpin among others.

In addition, an 800 square foot pop-up store devoted to the designer's unique vision is currently on display at Barneys New York. Entirely designed by Brandolini, the shop features her limited edition of home furnishings and accessories hand-beaded in her native Vietnam, including an exclusive capsule collection of Taffin scented candles by bespoke jeweler and friend James de Givenchy.

Muriel Brandolini's exceptional taste and unconventional aesthetic have made her a celebrated international interior designer. Her multicultural background, which includes Vietnam, France, Martinique, and Venezuela, has influenced her unusual style, a mix of exoticism, elegance, and fantasy.

"I do not have a set of rules for how to decorate. My designs are unconventional: they have been called eclectic, flamboyant, bohemian, and hippie chic. Freedom of mind is what activates my creativity, and thrive on being able to dream without boundaries. When I imagine a room, I do not limit myself to what some might call practical or even possible. My only thought is to make it beautiful".
~~ Muriel Brandolini

Excerpts from the book © Rizzoli New York, 2011

Photo © Pieter Estersohn

© Pieter Estersohn

© Fernando Bengoechea

© Michael Mundy

© Oberto Gili

© Tim Street-Porter

© Eric Boman

© Pieter Estersohn

© Pieter Estersohn

© Pieter Estersohn

The World of Muriel Brandolini: Interiors

Rizzoli New York

Release date, October 2011

Courtesy Rizzoli New York

This post is also featured on the Huffington Post

Basquiat, the book

Simply untitled "Basquiat," this book published by Taschen, explores the extraordinary work of the young graffiti artist whose meteoric and often controversial career lasted for only eight years until his death at the age of twenty-seven.  From the streets of New York to the walls of its most prominent galleries, Jean-Michel Basquiat ( 1960-1988 ) was catapulted to international frame in his early 20s and died of a drug-overdose. The subject of a feature film by fellow artist Julian Schnabel, Basquiat is one of the most admired artists to emerge from the 1980s art boom.


"I was a really lousy artist as a kid. Too abstract expressionist, or I'd draw a ram's head, really messy. I'd never win painting contests. I remember losing to a guy who did a perfect spiderman."
Jean Michel Basquiat

Basquiat will be released on February, 2011
Publisher Taschen

Holiday Gifts: Murakami Versailles

A last minute gift, "Murakami Versailles." If you missed the exhibition of the Japanese pop art artist Takashi Murakami at the Palace of Versailles earlier this year, the once in a lifetime event was captured in the following book published by Editions Xavier Barral. The 280-page book is available at Colette -Paris, and also on line at Amazon.

 

Images courtesy Editions Xavier Barral

Holiday Gifts: The Art of Tim Burton

And my selection of gift items continues with this "whimsical" book .....

For the first time ever a comprehensive look at the personal and project artwork of Tim Burton. The Art of Tim Burton is the definitive compilation of forty years of Tim Burton's artistry, including film concepts and hundreds of illustrations from his personal archives. This 434 page book is grouped into thirteen chapters that examine common themes in Burton's work, from his fascination with clowns to his passion for misunderstood monsters, to his delight in the oddities of people.
" Some people want to know why I've got a whole chapter of holiday drawings and paintings in my art book (for what it's worth: "The Art of Tim Burton"). I've always loved the holidays. Maybe it has something to do with growing up in a California suburb, where the only way to tell the passing of seasons was when people broke out the holiday decorations. Christmas has always been one of my favorites. I love the gaudy decorations people strew everywhere and the idea of snow before I ever got to experience it."

Here are excerpts from the book, the weirdest Christmas images

All images courtesy Tim Burton via Huffington Post

To view more click on The Art of Tim Burton