As we get ready to say goodbye to 2024, we’re celebrating some of our favorite books shared on Colossal throughout the year. We published dozens of articles on spectacular new monographs, photography, architecture, painting, science, history and more. View our top 10 below and find many more in the Colossal store and on Bookstore.
The women who changed photography: and how to master their techniques
From bold black-and-white faces to masters of disguise, identity plays a crucial role in many of the practices featured in this book. The women who changed photography. The book explores the groundbreaking practices of Lee Miller, Shirin Neshat, and many more, describing the individuals, aesthetics, and approaches that shaped the field.
Available in the Colossal store
Color cards: a history
From chemists’ vegetable dyes to consumer paint samples on display at the hardware store, the history of color charts reflects a varied relationship between pigments, science, culture and commerce. Anne Varichon explores the intertwined evolution of this categorization through nearly 200 vivid examples from the 15th century to modern times.
Available in the Colossal store
The art book for children
Twenty years ago Phaidon published the first part in The art book for children series, which quickly became loved by children and parents around the world. To share his legacy with a new generation of readers, this edition combines a selection of ‘best of’ artists from the original series with 30 brand new contemporary entries.
This year was a bountiful time for art books for children, and we also enjoyed the informative story, I am an artist.
Available in the Colossal store
Sacred Places (Library of Esoterica)
From ancient pyramids to underground labyrinths to mountaintop meccas, we have always been drawn to visiting or building sites that inspire reverence and awe. Sacred places celebrates how we traverse and transform the world around us through ritual and art. Compiled by Jessica Hundlej, the book highlights a remarkable range of places and works of art through more than 400 images surrounding pilgrimages, performances and devotion.
Available in the Colossal store
Tree: exploring the tree world
Covering 3,500 years of art, science, culture and history, Tree: exploring the tree world explores the awe-inspiring beauty and romance of trees. The book contains more than 300 illustrations, ranging from centuries-old murals and botanical illustrations to captivating photography and multimedia work by today’s most important artists.
Available in the Colossal store
Eight seconds: black rodeo culture
Eight seconds consists of 118 photographs by Ivan McClellan, a Portland, Oregon photographer who has spent nearly a decade documenting the lives, victories, and losses of the black rodeo community from Alabama to Los Angeles. He offers an inside look, capturing the addictive energy of the sport and the rich sense of camaraderie it fosters.
Available on Bookstore
Camo
Camo is the first publication to chronicle the work of Thandiwe Muriu and celebrates her vibrant portraits that combine cultural textiles and beauty ideologies. Muriu takes us on a colorful, reflective journey through her world as a woman living in modern Kenya, as she reinterprets contemporary African portraits.
Available in the Colossal store
Hidden portraits: old masters reimagined
This monograph collects a typical selection of Volker Hermes’ works in one book. The selection emphasizes the artist’s wry commentary on luxury, social status and fame and delves into the history of portrait art through a humorous lens.
Available on Bookstore
Great female sculptors
Presenting a more comprehensive and inclusive history of sculpture, Great female sculptors surveys the work of more than 300 pioneering artists from more than 60 countries, spanning 500 years, from the Renaissance to the present.
Available in the Colossal store
Art is art: collaborating with neurodiverse artists at Creativity Explored
Spurred by the belief that art changes lives, Florence and Elias Katz founded Creativity Explored in 1983, a San Francisco-based nonprofit studio and gallery designed for disabled, neurodivergent artists. More than 135 people are currently participating in the programming, learning techniques in painting, drawing, clay, textiles and more. In Art is art, Ann Kappes, director of artist partnerships at Creativity Explored, is celebrating the organization’s 40th anniversary with hundreds of works of art.
Available on Bookstore
