From the distributor, D.A.P.: "This definitive monograph spans 40 years, from 1984 to the present day, in the career of the iconic artist, shedding light on Yoshitomo Nara’s conceptual process through paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics and installations that reflect his empathetic vision of the world around him. Published in conjunction with the epochal exhibition at Museo Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain, this eponymous monograph divides Nara’s oeuvre into three chronological periods, beginning with his first artworks created in Japan in the 1980s, in which recurring elements of his personal history appear, such as his family’s house and childlike figures, developed under the influence of artists such as Takeshi Motai. The volume then highlights the artist’s fruitful stay in Germany, where Nara reacted to the isolation imposed by the language barrier while he studied and discovered German Expressionism with A.R. Penck at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and introduced in his production the central characters that would soon be recognized as part of his signature language. Finally, the monograph closes by exploring the work Nara produced after his return to Japan in 2000, presenting an essential selection of his late paintings, drawings, installations and sculptures."

From the publisher: "In the follow-up to his breakout monograph I can't stand to see you cry, Rahim Fortune borrows from the language of vernacular and archival photography to interrogate the historical relationship of his community to photography; rooted in the landscape, Fortune often uses sites of historical and cultural interest as a guide but not a subject, implying the deep ties that bind modern Black communities resiliently to their regions, in the face of both adversity and joy. A significant theme in Hardtack is Fortune’s striking portraits of coming-of-age traditions. Inside, young bull-riders, praise dancers, and pageant queens inherit and gracefully embrace these forms of community ritual. Fortune's dignifying eye pays tribute to these cultural performances' rigour, discipline and creative flair, alongside the intergenerational conversation between young people and elders handing down these traditions. Collecting together nearly a decade of work, Hardtack continues Fortune’s weaving of documentary and personal history, marking a sincere expression of love and passion to a region that has nourished the artist personally and creatively, while also marking an important contribution to photographing the American South."

In the second volume of his Mark of the Beast series of books, the artist Brandy Flower incisively lampoons well-known logos of corporations large and small. With a mind for revolutionary politics and conspiracy-theory playfulness, Flower's first volume was a popular item here at Arcana. This new installment promises to find more new fans. 

From the gallery: "Peter Hujar (1934–1987) produced only one book during his lifetime, the landmark publication Portraits in Life and Death, published in 1976. This monograph combines 29 portraits of Hujar’s friends, photographed in 1974–75 specifically for the book, with eleven photographs of catacombs Hujar shot in Palermo, Italy, in 1963. The book juxtaposes the faces of such legendary figures as John Waters, Diana Vreeland, Edwin Denby, Divine, Fran Liebowitz, and Robert Wilson with images of decomposing human forms." A new, lovely edition of a formerly scarce landmark photo book!

From the distributor: "After the publication of his photobook Paris du Nuit (1933), Hungarian French photographer Brassaï (1899–1984) became inextricably linked with the City of Light. Yet his influence spread far beyond the French borders: from his collaboration with Edward Steichen to his 1957 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Curated by the photographer’s nephew, Philippe Ribeyrolles, The Eye of Paris revives Brassai’s body of work, offering a full overview of his evolution. Arranged thematically, it journeys through different views of the city as well as different facets of Brassaï’s oeuvre. “Paris by Day” and “Paris by Night” contain his most iconic photographs, from Paris landmarks to ordinary street scenes. One chapter focuses on graffiti, which he documented not only in Paris but across Europe. Another section explores Brassaï’s relationship with other Paris-based artists, including Colette, Matisse, Picasso, Leonor Fini and Germaine Richier. Peppered throughout with Brassaï’s sculptures and sketches, The Eye of Paris is a comprehensive look at the artist and the city he called home."

From the publisher: "Rammellzee was an enigmatic yet key figure in the nexus of creative forces that defined New York City’s heady downtown scene in the late 1970s and 1980s. In the first major monograph on the multi-hyphenate artist, his inspired vision and wildly diverse artistic output are considered in depth. The oversize volume presents a treasure trove of material, providing extraordinary insight into his creative genius: a comprehensive selection of artworks (his iconic resin frescoes, paintings, sculpture, and performance paraphernalia), never-before-seen documentation of his graffiti work and performances, archival material, and ephemera. Gathered here for the first time, these materials tell this complex artist’s origin story and details his artistic evolution, cementing Rammellzee’s place in the art historical canon.

Maxwell Wolf, lead curator of the much-lauded retrospective in 2018 on which this book is largely based, and co-editor Jeff Mao convene a historic gathering of the key actors of the time to tell Rammellzee’s extraordinary story in their own words in an extensive oral history. From graffiti writers, artists, musicians, and actors to filmmakers, photographers, gallerists, and family, those close to the late artist—including Toxic, Futura, Lee Quiñones, Charlie Ahearn, Jim Jarmusch, and Henry Chalfant—provide critical context about his life and work. This richly layered volume is a must-have for the legions of Rammellzee fans, as well as enthusiasts of contemporary underground art and culture, “old” New York, graffiti, and the history of hip-hop."

From the publisher: "HR Giger (1940–2014) is one of the outstanding figures in Swiss art and design history, celebrated around the world for his design of the fantastic creatures and eerie environments that terrified moviegoers in Ridley Scott’s 1979 science fiction film Alien. Yet, very little is known about Giger’s childhood and youth in his native town of Chur. A trove of photographs, drawings by the young boy Hansruedi, and early artworks that already reveal the future of HR Giger’s artistic force, recently unearthed in the Giger family’s former holiday home in the Grisons, now offer intimate insights into his early years until the early 1960s.

Richly illustrated with more than 230 images from that collection, HR Giger: The Early Years tells, for the first time, the story of those two decades before Giger decided to move to Zurich and train as an architect and designer in 1962. Supplemented by brief texts as well as by statements from his schoolmates, friends, and others, these images form a lively picture of that period: family episodes; the Mickey Mouse adaptations Giger created at the age of ten; his growing love of jazz music, photography, and weapons; the trips around Europe he took together with his friends; and the youth culture of Chur of the 1950s and 1960s that shaped him. The volume will appeal to any fan of the extraordinary art and the fascinating personality of HR Giger."

From the publisher: "Alien worlds, alter-egos, and Pleasure Domes--Sci-Fi, Magick, Queer L.A.: Sexual Science and the Imagi-Nation explores the overlooked importance of science-fiction fandom and the occult to U.S. queer history. Science fiction and occult communities helped pave the way for the LGBTQ+ movement by providing a place for individuals to meet, imagine, and create a life less restricted by societal norms. Focusing on Los Angeles from the late 1930s through the 1950s, this reader follows the lives of artists, writers, publishers, early sci-fi enthusiasts, and progressive communities, from Kenneth Anger, Lisa Ben, and Jack Parsons to the L.A. Science Fantasy Society (LASFS) and Ordo Templi Orientis at the Agape Lodge (O.T.O.). Spanning sci-fi fandom, aerospace, queer history, and the occult, Sci-Fi, Magick, Queer L.A.: Sexual Science and the Imagi-Nation reveals how visionary artists, filmmakers, scientists, science-fiction writers and fans worked together to build a world of their own making. Featuring copious illustrations of salacious pulps, ritual paintings, and archival materials, authors Joseph Hawkins, Joan Lubin, Alexis Bard Johnson, Ben Miller, Judith Noble, Kelly Filreis, and Susan Aberth tell the interconnected stories behind the underground communities of early Los Angeles."

"In 1966, at the age of 28, photographer Joel Meyerowitz embarked on a journey that would take him to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, France, Germany, Eastern Europe, Turkey and Greece. In total, he drove 20,000 miles through 10 countries and ended up taking 25,000 photographs. This trip was a transcendental experience and formative in shaping Meyerowitz's instinctive and brilliant identity that he is known for today. Europa 1966–1967 compiles a selection of photographs taken by Meyerowitz on his yearlong trip through Europe, offering an exciting glimpse of the 'New Old World' that, having lately overcome the trauma of World War II, opened itself to modernity and progress. Meyerowitz witnessed societies in transition, stuck between dictatorship and economic blossoming. Yet he also documented unshakable cultural traditions, such as when he lived with a flamenco-performing family in Francoist Spain for six months. The strength and freshness of Meyerowitz’s gaze and the new codes that were captured in these pictures inspired the next generation of photographers."