by Editorial Desk | Books
EXOTIC a fetish for the foreign Is anything ‘exotic’ anymore? I am surprised that I can even ask such a question. But seriously – can anything be ‘exotic’ in a globalised world of cheap travel, unprecedented interconnectedness, a daily tsunami of images on...
by Raci | Books
Turquerie a tale of turbans tents and tassels A Fantastical European Love Affair with the Turk Turquerie is the story of the migration and evolution of emotions; of how fear turned first into fascination and then into fantasy. But the truth is that fear always...
by James Bradburne | Books
THE POET’S EYE Michael Glover’s Encounter With Great Works of Art The Poet’s Eye By James Bradburne Director General, Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan It is difficult to know how to write about Michael Glover’s art criticism in isolation. Were either of us...
by Timothy Hyman | Books, Features
THE WORLD NEW MADE Figurative Painting in the 20th Century Figurative painting – we are all too often told – is dead. This was certainly the narrative of the modernist orthodoxy throughout the 20th century. Now anxious to dominate the current narrative,...
by Robert Harbison | Books, Features
RUINS and FRAGMENTS Tales of Loss and Rediscovery At least since the 18th century, many of us have found ruins and fragments to be tantalisingly alluring. We have celebrated their aesthetic appeal in paintings by Robert Des Ruines and in architectural follies. But...
by Raci | Architecture, Books
Geoffrey Bawa – Explore the Best of Sri Lankan Architecture There is only one modern architect who has indelibly stamped his mark and authority on Sri Lankan architecture, and who remains a benchmark of quality against which all succeeding architects are...
by Raci | Architecture, Books
100 of the World’s Most Important Buildings 100 YEARS 100 BUILDINGS 100 Years 100 Buildings is the first of its kind: a global survey of the most important buildings year by year from 1916 to 2015. Among the criteria for selection – each structure must...
by Despina Stratigakos | Books
Hitler at Home How Interior Design Became a Tool of Dictatorship Like many kings, emperors and maniacal rulers before him, Hitler correctly understood the enduring power of design as a potent tool of propaganda in image-building. He understood its potential both in...
by Editorial Desk | Architecture, Books
Waterside Modern The dining area with its dramatic sea view of Oporti House, Spain Waterside Modern is an escapist sourcebook of stunning contemporary waterside homes. From Kent to Cap d’Antibes, Cornwall to California, Australia, Brazil and Thailand, these...
by Robert Bevan | Books, Features
The Destruction of Memory – Architecture at War It is because we – in the West – have a highly developed concept of ‘global heritage’, that the systematic destruction of architectural totems at Palmyra and Nimrud by Islamic State, is able...
by Clive Aslet, Introduction by Raci | Architecture, Books
The Country House Ideal – Recent Work by ADAM Architecture There’s no stopping the rise of the traditional English country house now! Evelyn Waugh was not far off the mark when he referred to the English country house as ‘our chief national artistic...
by Raci | Books, Spotlight
Guillermo Srodek-Hart’s Stories on a Road Less Travelled ‘Stories’ is the result of ten years of off grid roaming by Guillermo Srodek-Hart in the remote backwaters of Argentina. This collection of photographs is an intriguing and evocative record of...
by Ian Jenkins, Introduction by Raci | Books
There are so many questions that arise when we contemplate ancient Greek art: Why was nudity – particularly male nudity – so central to Greek art, when other ancient civilisations both in Europe and Asia thought nudity shameful? Why are these male bodies...
by Raci | Books
Cecil Beaton Photography Cecil Beaton photography will never go out of fashion and his name will always be associated with the very pinnacles of glamour. The usual highs and lows in the careers and reputations of most creatives have never applied to him, even now 35...
by Raci | Architecture, Books
New Sri Lanka House Designs – Legacy of Geoffrey Bawa Living room entrance of Siva and Vasuki House Sri Lanka house designs are once again justifiably attracting world attention with a new generation of talented architects. The inescapable shadow of one man is a...
