Cultural History

James Loeb (1867–1933), the son of a German-Jewish banker in New York, followed his artistic and art historical inclinations and used his tremendous financial wealth for the purpose of cultural and social philanthropism. This publication examines the patron’s life and work and outlines his scholarly achievements.

Seen as an expression of individuality and personality, fashion around 1900 became a synonym for the physical and social emancipation of women and progressed to become an object of artistic interest. The clothes designs of famous artists like Heinrich Vogeler, Henry van de Velde, Josef Hoffmann and Sonia Delaunay reveal both a new aesthetic and a new attitude to the role of women.

The sports cars of the 1950s to the 1970s are fast, beautiful, eccentric and innovative. In recent decades these automobiles not only became coveted collector’s items; they also enjoy cult status. In an exciting journey through time the volume presents 25 outstanding sports cars as design icons and illuminates their presentation in film and photography.

DHC/ART LIBRE tells the story of a contemporary art foundation unlike any other. Situated in the cosmopolitan city of Montreal, DHC/ART – as well as this publication – is dedicated to bringing impactful experiences with contemporary art to the public with a mission of accessibility on multiple levels. The critically acclaimed program includes major artists from around the world, like Christian Marclay, Joan Jonas and Yinka Shonibare MBE.

DHC/ART LIBRE tells the story of a contemporary art foundation unlike any other. Situated in the cosmopolitan city of Montreal, DHC/ART – as well as this publication – is dedicated to bringing impactful experiences with contemporary art to the public with a mission of accessibility on multiple levels. The critically acclaimed program includes major artists from around the world, like Christian Marclay, Joan Jonas and Yinka Shonibare MBE.

Giambologna (1529–1606) is regarded as the most important European sculptor between Michelangelo and Bernini. How did he achieve this status? This volume investigates this question and examines above all Giambologna’s study of Michelangelo, his all-powerful role model, and how he successfully prevailed.   

The Chocolate Girl is one of the most famous works by the Swiss artist Jean-Étienne Liotard. This richly illustrated volume leads the reader through the age in which it was created during the French-inspired Rococo and into the Vienna of Empress Maria Theresia, where the work was painted. It also explains the art of pastel painting, in which this enchanting work has been executed.

The private collection of 80 inrō, ojime and netsuke presented here was donated to the Museum for Lacquer Art in 2017. The wealth of objects reproduces plants and animals with symbolic significance, literary subjects, historical scenes and famous landscape scenarios – and thus presents an image of Japan in miniature.

How were Germany’s gold reserves created, and what role has gold played as a means of payment over the centuries? What meaning have gold reserves had in the past, and what is their significance in the present? This book provides a vivid illustration of the Bundesbank’s gold reserves, presenting them in such an informative way that readers will almost feel as if they can reach out and touch them.

The world-famous Buddhist monastery of Alchi lies at 3,500 metres in Ladakh (Northwest India) and is the best-preserved temple complex in the Himalayas. Inside it houses thousands of rare and incomparable paintings and sculptures dating back to 11th-century Western Tibet. For the first and only time in their history the Dalai Lama has authorised their comprehensive documentation.