5 Coffee Table Books You Didn't Know You Needed
image via Bo Bedre
These are some of my favorite books ever. I'm very inspired by artists and interior designers. I enjoy having their books amongst my collection as it's nice to reference them when decorating my home or creating new art pieces. I find that I'm very inspired by great design and when I'm surrounded by it, it takes away any artist block I may be experiencing. Even if you aren't a creative, these books are great to look at and learn from as they offer insight into the subject matter.
1. Terry Adkins: Recital
"This first career-spanning volume of dynamic artist/musician Terry Adkins surveys three decades of multimedia installations and performances. His approach to art making is similar to that of a composer, and Recital was conceived as a theatrical score that punctuates and demarcates space, creating interplay among pieces in different media and from diverse bodies of work. In his sculpture, photography, and video, Adkins transforms and re-purposes a range of found materials, archival imagery, and reclaimed actions in a process that he calls potential disclosure. This book features detailed biographical information, an interview with the artist, and a selection of Adkins’s writings." Read more and purchase here.
2. The Ecstasy of St. Kara
"Kara Walker’s work astutely examines race, gender, and identity. Walker’s newest series of large-scale drawings stem from her consideration of monuments and notions of permanence and impermanence. This series of drawings is an extensive examination of how Walker envisions the rise and fall of society." Read more and purchase here.
3. Aalto
"Alvar Aalto made a unique modernist mark. Influenced by both the landscape and the political independence of his native Finland, he designed warm, curving, compassionate buildings, wholly set apart from the slick, mechanistic, geometric designs that characterized much contemporary European practice. This book brings together Aalto's key works to introduce the architect hailed as a champion of environmentally sound, progressive design, with a deep-rooted sense of home." Read more and purchase here.
4. Home (Ellen DeGeneres)
"Full of beautiful photographs, this book is a treasure trove of amazing California architecture, unique home furnishings, breathtaking art, and hundreds of ideas on putting together the home you've always dreamed of. DeGeneres offers a personal look at every room in each of her homes. [...] and she offers tips and advice on what each house taught her. An added bonus is a look at the homes of her friends and collaborators-some of the finest designers in the country. They share their advice on home design, furnishings, as well as a glimpse at their awe-inspiring rooms." Read more and purchase here.
5. Helen Levitt
"Helen Levitt, the visual poet laureate of New York City, published her magnum opus Crosstown in 2001 to great acclaim. The book immediately sold out, never to be reprinted, making it a classic volume of street photography for the cognoscenti. Combining seven decades of New York City street life with her seminal work in Mexico City, Helen Levitt's self-titled compilation features the master works of an incomparable career." Read more and purchase here.