Books published by publisher Prestel

This generously illustrated book explores the connections between Thomas Hart Benton’s art and Hollywood movies from groundbreaking perspectives. Thomas Hart Benton was a thoroughly American artist. His regionally focused paintings and murals depicted everyday American life as well as the country’s history. This volume focuses on one of the most American of Benton’s associations: Hollywood. Not only did Benton create commissioned murals and portraits of film stars and movies, but he also developed a style that was highly theatrical and narrative. This volume is the first to collect all the works conceived by Benton for the film industry. It includes related ephemera, photographs, and documents of Benton at work, along with a series of thought-provoking essays that explore a diverse array of topics―from Benton’s engagement with American identity from the 1920s to the 1960s, to parallels between Benton’s use of Old Master methods and film production techniques. Fans of Thomas Hart Benton will find surprising insights into his career, while those fascinated by Hollywood history will discover how one of America’s most revered artists shaped and was in turn influenced by the film industry.

This fun-filled book teaches young readers all about color by leading them on a fascinating journey through the history of western art.What better way to learn about art’s greatest masterpieces than through the lens of color? From the richest red through the most royal purple to the cheeriest yellow, this book explores how artists through the ages have used color in concept, symbolism, composition and theme. As they read the book, children are invited to wander through a virtual art gallery where each room features a different color. Beginning with black and white, going through the primary colors, the mixed colors, and finishing with brown and gold, the book presents the evolution of pigment in art works from cave drawings to contemporary paintings. In addition, entertaining puzzles, quizzes and activities will spark children’s creativity. Beautifully designed for reading alone or with an adult, Red Yellow Blue gives children access to the complex world of color in a language and style they will respond to and enjoy.

This beautiful and affordable volume offers high-quality reproductions and the latest biographical information on Paul Klee, who helped pave the way for Modernism. Readers of this book will find much to discover and relish in Paul Klee's art. Several lavish reproductions of his iconic works, as well as those that are more rarely exhibited, are featured alongside in-depth biographical information that looks beyond his many artistic achievements to explore the life and times of the man himself. Never-before-published photographs of Klee and his circle, as well as entertaining and enlightening anecdotes, offer a multifaceted perspective on a groundbreaking artist and the events that helped shape his colorful, imaginative work.

This fun and informative book on major fashion styles from the early 20th century to today is the perfect accessory for budding fashion enthusiasts everywhere. Many of today’s top designers can trace their obsession with fashion to their early years―but they didn’t have a book like this to help and inspire them. Spanning a century, this book focuses on the trends and styles that marked a definitive shift in how people dressed. Lively spreads filled with illustrations, sidebar information, important events, and designer profiles allow readers to watch hemlines and shoulder pads rise and fall, understand the effects of culture and history, and trace the origins of popular trends such as Harajuku, preppy, and hipster. An excellent introduction to fashion history for young readers, this book is a visual guide to the changing styles that have defined the past 100 years.

Following his hugely successful Funny Birds, Philippe UG has created a pop-up storybook filled with color, movement, shape, and charm. You don’t have to be an eight-year-old boy to appreciate the plight of a robot caught in the rain―if, that is, the story is told in pop-up images by the brilliant Philippe UG. In his latest book, one of the world’s most imaginative paper artists delivers a delightful glimpse into the inner workings, movement, and emotion of a hapless robot. Once he gets wet, he goes to the doctor and voilà! His creaky gears are fixed, and the robot returns to his happy, finely tuned self. As readers turn the page, each ingeniously constructed spread explodes with brilliant hues, striking contours, and vivid personality. Quirky and inspiring, this book shows why pop-up art appeals to adults and children alike.

Filled with Gaudí's whimsical designs, this sticker book lets kids flex their creative muscles in the style of one of the world's favorite architects. Antoni Gaudí is among history's most recognized and beloved architects. His masterpiece, the still-uncompleted Sagrada Família basilica of Barcelona, is one of the most visited monuments in Spain. But this Catalonian architect is especially inspiring to children, who marvel at the nontraditional forms he employed in his buildings and designs. Using pages of colorful stickers to inspire learning and creativity, this entertaining book will encourage young readers to build their own Gaudí-like creations while teaching them much about the architect's life and accomplishments.

Henri Matisse’s massive and joyous cutout work, The Parakeet and the Mermaid, is the basis for this delightful children’s book about the unlikely friendship between a mermaid and a parakeet. Henri Matisse once said, “What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity, devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter.” It’s no wonder his works are loved by children everywhere. In this charming book, Vanessa Hié and Veronique Massenot create a world based on Matisse’s vision, in which a mermaid is thrust out of the sea by a massive storm. Stranded in a tree, not knowing how she can return to her home without legs, she meets a parakeet who is so moved by her plight he finds a way to help her. Vanessa Hié’s gorgeous, deeply hued illustrations incorporate the shapes and colors found in Matisse’s original masterpiece, which is reproduced at the end of the book. Massenot’s simple but profound story of bravery and friendship is a delight to read. Together, the words and pictures tell a timeless story, while introducing young people to Matisse’s artistry.

Certain to provide hours of entertainment and a fun-filled way to learn about the art, this sticker book features the work of Renaissance master Hieronymus Bosch and his delightful world of real and fantastical animals, plants, and fruits. Bosch’s elaborate paintings have always been hugely popular and are well known for their use of fantastic imagery. Bosch’s best-known painting remains the Garden of Earthly Delights triptych that can be seen at the Prado Museum in Madrid. Hislandscapes depicting humans, animals, and fabulous creaturesare sure to appeal to children and encourage imaginativecreative play with the stickers included in this book. This stickerbook introduces children to amazing landscapes, fantastic fruitsand flowers, and fabulous animals which Bosch painted morethan 500 years ago. It will inspire young readers to create theirown imaginative works of art.

This sticker book, filled with Hundertwasser’s spirit and love of art, is the perfect way to inspire creativity in children as they learn the joys of architecture.Who wouldn’t want to try and design a building in harmony with nature like Hundertwasser? The artist and architect’s love of vibrant hues, organic forms, natural elements, and individuality make his houses, schools, factories, museums, and churches some of the most recognizable and popular structures in the world. This delightful sticker book opens a window and guides children through their own adventures in architecture, while letting them realize their own architectural dreams. Filled with examples of existing, realized architectural works and numerous opportunities for designing, sketching, and even building one’s own architectural structures, this unique playful and highly engaging book includes six pages of brightly colored stickers and promises hours of fun and fulfillment.

Henri Matisse created some of his most exquisite works by cutting shapes out of paper. Delightfully entertaining and playfully inventive, his “drawings with scissors” are also a superb introduction to the most basic artistic concepts: color, line, and form. This engaging and accessible look at Matisse’s cut-outs, arguably the highlight of his magnificent career, follows the artist as he goes in search of pure forms of expression. Illustrated with beautiful reproductions of Matisse’s most famous works, the book relates an imaginary tale about how the colors and shapes created by Matisse come to life, carrying the reader off into the artist’s fantasy world. It reflects Matisse’s spontaneity, his love of bold colors, and his seemingly effortless ability to capture movement on paper, which make him an artist of great appeal to children. Fun and easy-to-follow, this exploration of Matisse’s cut-outs invites children of all ages to draw with scissors just like the artist, using the sheets of paper printed in Matisse-inspired colors included in the book.