Thames & Hudson

Louis Cartier (1875-1942), the grandson of Cartier founder Louis-Francois, was an impassioned collector and lover of the arts. He was particularly entranced by Islamic arts, especially Persian book arts, geometric shapes and colour combinations, and its motifs and exotic colour palette are apparent (...)

The couturiere Elsa Schiaparelli (1890-1973) was a key figure in Paris fashion between the two World Wars. Following in the footsteps of her mentor Paul Poiret, she designed her first knitwear collection in January 1927 announcing the arrival of a major new designer. Decorated with trompe-l'oeil (...)

A unique approach to the history of art told through the story of colour and pigments.Did you know that the ultramarine that shimmers at the centre of Vermeer's Milkmaid connects that masterpiece with 6th-century Zoroastrian paintings found on the walls of cave temples in Bamiyan, Afghanistan? Or (...)

A richly illustrated history and sourcebook spanning the world of Islamic architecture.Islamic architecture is a broad topic, covering some 1,400 years up to the present day. The richness of building types, regional styles, and architectural details is reflected here, with a striking balance of (...)

A concise, accessible and up-to-date overview of the arts of Africa from prehistoric times to the present day.This indispensable introductory guide explores the art of the African continent from its early origins over 150,000 years ago to the contemporary, set in the context of post-colonial (...)

A dazzling immersion in the universe of Chaumet, the Parisian high-jewelry Maison founded in 1780 and known for its exceptional creations, crafted at the very heart of the place Vendôme.The Spirit of Chaumet offers an unparalleled journey into the world of the exclusive Parisian high-jewelry house, (...)

Brooklyn-born photographer Helen Levitt (1913 2009) was an assistant to Walker Evans and a friend of Henri Cartier-Bresson, but forged her own path with fierce independence and endless curiosity about the world around her. She is best known for her street photography, capturing children at play on (...)

Ruth Orkin (1921 85) always dreamed of becoming a filmmaker, and although that ambition was thwarted until later in her career, she quickly found other ways of engaging with the world of images. She was given her first camera at the age of ten and by the age of seventeen, she was cycling across (...)