Pamela A. Parmal Libri

The American quilt as modern art Quilts and Color presents more than 60 graphically bold American quilts from the Pilgrim/Roy Collection, one of the finest and largest collections of quilts in the world. Influenced by twentieth-century art developments such as Abstraction, Op art and the Color Field movement, Paul Pilgrim and Gerald Roy were among the first to appreciate quilts as more than simply decorative bedcovers, women’s fancy work or symbols of a rustic past. Reproduced brilliantly and arranged by ideas based in color theory--Vibrations, Mixtures, Gradations, Harmonies, Contrasts, Variations and Optical Illusions--each quilt in this book is celebrated as a unique work of art. The accompanying text also sheds light on the social and cultural history of the quilts and the practices and aspirations of their mostly anonymous makers, who created such works of enduring beauty and arresting visual impact. Quilts and Color accompanies an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Paris is the undisputed capital of the fashion world. Rich in talentedesigners, skilled craftsmen, and native stylishness, the City of Lights haseen capital of chic since the seventeenth century. While the internationalashion industry has evolved considerably since then, Paris's preeminence haseen a constant. "Fashion Show" explores the ideas and inspirationsotivating Paris fashion throughout the ages and investigates why, in an eraf globalisation, this venerable city remains the undisputed Mecca of greatlothing design. The catalogue features a selection of the most influentialashion couturiers and designers-among them Valentino, Lacroix, Dior, Chanel,zzedine Alaia, Hussein Chalayan, Viktor and Rolf, Rochas, and Yohji Yamamoto with brief histories of the houses, profiles of the designers, andhotographs conveying the grand sweep of Paris fashion design, from the agef kings to the age of award shows.