Cynthia Burlingham

Accompanying a major exhibition, this book brings together around 120 of the most significant examples of Victor Hugo's works on paper. It features previously unpublished drawings and insightful texts that reveal Hugo's extraordinary talents as a draftsman. Remarkably spontaneous and receptive to the myriad possibilities of medium and materials, Hugo produced experimental and enigmatic compositions, from haunting renditions of castles and ruins to ethereal and abstract forms and stains. This volume includes essays which place Hugo's drawings within the context of artistic movements in 19th-century France, closely examine his cosmic landscapes and visions of the night, delve into Hugo's processing of ideas and imagination, and analyze a central pair of opposing forces in his work-stones and stains. This lavishly illustrated book presents the full breadth of Hugo's talent. Hugo's drawings afford a greater insight into the creative brilliance that brought forth some of the most indelible stories of all time.

In the late 1910s, in a Europe ravaged by World War I, Danish illustrator Kay Nielsen put the finishing touches on his illustrations of A Thousand and One Nights. The results are considered masterpieces of early 20th-century illustration: bursting with sumptuous colors of deep blues, reds, and gold leaf, and evoking all the magic of this legendary collection of Indo-Persian and Arabic folktales, compiled between the 8th and 13th centuries. In the financially strapped postwar climate, however, publishers retreated from Nielsen’s project and the publication never happened. A rising star, Nielsen moved on to other work, and the spectacular pen, ink, and watercolor images of this world heritage classic remained under lock and key for 40 years. Published just once in the 1970s, the illustrations were rescued from oblivion after Nielsen’s death in 1957 and are now held by the UCLA Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, the Art Institute of Chicago, and in two private collections. Published for the first time ever in five colors including gold, this unique presentation of fine art prints revives all 21 strikingly beautiful illustrations reproduced directly from Nielsen’s original watercolors—the only complete set of his beloved illustrations to have survived. Each illustration is presented individually in an extra-large format and on fine art paper, allowing Nielsen’s graphic mastery and rich array of influences, from Art Nouveau to Japanese woodcuts to Indian painting, to dazzle. The set includes a 144-page hardcover book also printed in five colors, featuring descriptions of all of the images, and three generously illustrated essays on the making of this series, the origin of Nielsen’s unique imagery, and a history of the tales. In addition, the accompanying book features many unpublished or rarely seen artworks by Nielsen, as well as all 23 of the incredibly intricate black-and-white drawings Nielsen also created for the original publication. This is a rare chance to own exceptional reproductions of this highly influential artist’s only surviving complete set of watercolors. Limited and numbered edition of 5,000 copies.

Sparse landscapes of Lake Superior's northern shores, bold visions of the Rocky Mountains and haunting landscapes from the Eastern Arctic are hallmark themes of Lawren Harris's paintings. He was a founding member of the renowned "Group of Seven" artists' group, who believed that the Canadian landscape was central to the foundation of a national identity. Focusing on Harris's most important work of the 1920s through the early 1930s, this monograph features a selection of major works that are as iconic in Canada as those of Georgia O'Keeffe and Edward Hopper in the U. S. His remarkable use of colour, light and composition resulted in powerful scenes that reflect his progress toward a universal vision of nature's spiritual power. Drawn from the Art Gallery of Ontario's substantial holdings as well as other public collections throughout Canada, this publication repositions Harris's work and establishes him as a major figure within the wider context of 20th-century modern painting in the Americas. Published in association with the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles and the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.