Five Must-Have Titles From The Annual Taschen Book Sale

The luxury art book publisher, TASCHEN, has been showcasing beautiful and covetable coffee table books for four decades. The company has established a diverse and inclusive collection, publishing books that span art, photography, architecture, design, pop culture, as well as fetish, erotica, and queer art. While printed media sadly struggles to maintain relevance in the digital information age, TASCHEN remains a global brand with global influence.

From August 28 through September 1, art enthusiasts and book lovers alike can explore great deals online at taschen.com and in TASCHEN flagship stores worldwide. The biannual sale from the iconic book publisher features display copies at up to 75% off across a wide array of categories, including art, fashion, photography, design, architecture, travel, and more. So, if you’ve had your eye on a few titles, or have a bookshelf to fill, now is the time to snap up a book (or several) before they sell out!

Here are post-ism’s picks across art, film and photography. Save the date and load up your cart!

Ren Hang

The late Chinese photographer and poet, Ren Hang, built an impressive body of work over his brief six-year career, and has continued to gain a cult following internationally for his surreal, sexually provocative images. Models and friends were photographed naked, often outdoors, in a tangle of bodies, stacked on top of one another, perched in trees or on the rooftops of Beijing, with heads wrapped in octopi or snakes, and body cavities sprouting phone cords and flowers. Taschen’s Ren Hang is his only international collection, covering his entire career, with well-loved favourites and many never-before-seen photos of men, women, Beijing, and boners, captured in his distinctive, and highly influential, visual language.

Jean-Michel Basquiat

TASCHEN’s Jean-Michel Basquiat provides an unprecedented insight into the work of the titular American artist whose name to this day remains synonymous with the New York art scene of the 1980s. The book traces the artist’s career from his early spray-painted poems and social commentary on the walls of the city, to the career-defining, and auction record-breaking, subversive paintings that today adorn the walls of museums and international collections. Sampling from his everyday life, Basquiat filled his canvases with black figures, words, signs and ciphers, to create startlingly energetic and raw paintings that are just as fresh today as when they were created a quarter of a century ago. The book features colour reproductions of his most seminal paintings, drawings and notebook sketches, as well as insight into the artist’s world and inspiration, from jazz, hip hop, pop culture, graffiti, boxing, basketball and art. A great gift idea and addition to any art lover’s library.

100 All-Time Favorite Movies

If you’re tired of mindlessly bingeing on unmemorable streamed content and need some film inspo, pick up a copy of 100 All Time Favorite Movies of the 20^th Century. This carefully curated list of films covers everything from comedy to high-brow art-house movies from around the world, furnished with stills, production photos, movie posters and informative text about the films. You’ll find cult classics like Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange and Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, and Wong Kar Wai Chungking Mansion, as well as lesser known masterpieces like Akira Kurosawa’s Roshomon and Andrei Tarkovsky’s Andrei Rublev. An indispensable tome for film lovers, and anyone who loves to pepper dinner conversations with impressive film trivia.

Helmut Newton

Following on from TASCHEN’s collectible Helmut Newton: Sumo, Helmut Newton: Legacy spans more than five decades of erotically-charged photography by the visionary and highly influential fashion photographer. Newton, whose work was a mainstay of numerous fashion publications, and is cited as a reference and inspiration by countless contemporary fashion photographers, transcended genres. He brought elegance, style, sex appeal and voyeurism to fashion, portraiture, and nude photography through a body of work that remains as inimitable as it is unrivalled. Helmut Newton: Legacy showcases highlights from Newton’s career in photography, including rediscovered images, where women — including Catherine Deneuve, Liz Taylor, Charlotte Rampling and statuesque supermodels—take centre stage. A prolific image maker and genuine visionary, this book celebrates Newton’s lasting influence on modern photography and visual art to this day. A very chic addition to your library, coffee table, or a fabulous gift for your fashion and photography loving friends.

FEEDING CREATIVITY: Mary McCartney

Photographer, renowned vegetarian chef, and activist, Mary McCartney, brings together two of her favorite passions in Feeding Creativity — food and art. Cooking 60 of her favourite vegetarian recipes to share with friends, family (like her dad, Paul McCartney, and her sister, fashion designer Stella McCartney), musicians, actors, and artists, she shares her photographs, recipes, and anecdotes from those culinary encounters. The book features Jeff Koons (and Rainbow Sprinkle Cake), David Hockney, Chrissie Hynde, and Johnny Marr, Tracey Emin, Cindy Sherman, and more, enjoying her delish food and chats. Want to try the Citrus Syrup Polenta cake served up to the artist Ed Ruscha, or the Peanut, Pretzel, and Chocolate cookies enjoyed by George Condo? Well, now you can. Grab yourself a copy!