Peter Stepan

Although he never set foot in Africa, Picasso had a passion for African art. Throughout the course of his life, he assembled a unique collection of statues and masks. Comprising more than 120 objects, Picasso's private collection can now be found in museums in Paris such as the Louvre, Musee Quai Branly and the Musee Picasso, as well as in the private collections of members of Picasso's family. This beautiful book documents the entire collection and examines it as a whole. It features documentary photographs, a section of stunning colour plates, and detailed ethnographic descriptions of each piece, providing a full account of Picasso's relationship with African and Oceanic art. This important publication sheds new light on the fascination non-Western art held for one of twentieth century's most important artists. Review: '...an illuminating and handsome book, copiously illustrated with fascinating original documents and excellent colour reproductions...''... a convenient and also essential reference tool for anyone interested in this important subject.''... an invaluable and also entertaining guide.''... this book not only investigates Picasso's response to tribal art with unusual thoroughness, but also reopens the larger question of the artist's 'primitivism'.'The Burlington Magazine, June 2007

Masters of Metamorphosis

Picasso's Collection of African & Oceanic Art

"Spirits Speak presents a selection of the most important African masks found in major museums and renowned private collections around the globe: an overview such as has never been compiled in this way before. Artistic mastery, charisma, age and authenticity were paramount selection criteria with only the very best examples representing each well-known mask type. An introductory essay elucidates the conceptual intricacies and varying functions of the masks and sweeps away deep-rooted misunderstandings. Enlightening commentaries offer background information about the function and origins of each mask's use within the ethnic groups from which they originate, and a foldout map places them in their original geographical context."--BOOK JACKET.

A Celebration of African Masks

Spirits Speak

Now available in an updated and revised edition, Photos that Changed the World gathers together images of pivotal moments in world history in one stunning volume. In lavish two-page spreads, this book presents nearly one hundred of history’s most memorable photographs — from the Wright Brothers’ first flight to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, from Martin Luther King’s "I Have a Dream" speech to Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, and from the inauguration of President Barack Obama to the Syrian refugee crisis. The volume features pictures from photography masters such as Lewis Hine, Dorothea Lange, Yousuf Karsh, Diane Arbus, and James Nachtwey, as well as iconic images from lesser-known and unknown photojournalists. Photos that Changed the World has been updated to include indelible images of the most significant recent events. Engaging essays accompany each photograph and tell the story behind each image.

Photos that Changed the World

Xiao Hui Wang

The delicate lips of a rose's petals, the pollen-covered stamens of the calla lily, and the twilight inside the calyxes of blossoms--these sensual images come straight from the natural world. Through the lens of Chinese photographer Xiao Hui Wang these flowers spark the erotic imagination. Her keen eye and superb technical skill have already been celebrated in previous collections of architectural, nude, and portrait photograph. Here she invites viewers into a world of botanic pleasure as hallucinatory colors, haunting abstractions, and ingenious cropping transform the average flower bed into a garden of earthly delight.

Peter Stepan

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