FTN-blog

Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen (1859-1923) Poster for The Black Cat’s Tour (1896) Steinlen abandoned his studies in philosophy in his hometown of Lausanne to work as a textile designer in Mulhouse. The socially conscious, gentle artist moved to Paris in 1881 with his wife, settling in the hilltop district of Montmartre, which was on the cusp of becoming the epicenter of the French avant-garde. There, he befriended painter Adolphe Willette, who introduced him to the artistic circles surrounding Le Chat Noir cabaret. In the early 1890s, Steinlen continued to paint traditional subjects such as landscapes, floral still lifes, and nudes, which were first exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants. His later work showed increasing characteristics of social realism. Steinlen became a sought-after illustrator for legendary magazines like Le Rire and Gil Bas. Some of his illustrations were published under pseudonyms to avoid political controversy. In 1881, Rudolphe Salis opened the Le Chat Noir cabaret on Boulevard Rochechouart (later moving to Rue de Laval). It quickly became a legendary haven for the performing arts, with Steinlen at its center. He designed sets, contributed to popular shadow plays, and most notably, created the famous poster that was plastered all over Paris. The cat in red and black, the colors of anarchism, became the symbol of the Montmartre art district. The text “Montjoie Montmartre” (Montmartre my joy) served as an aureole behind its mystical head. The law on freedom of the press and advances in printing technology allowed Salis to also publish a magazine. The publication, Le Chat Noir, was a huge success, even beyond French borders, which reflected positively on Steinlen as its main illustrator. The cat always played a major role in Steinlen’s work. He, like most of his colleagues, had a fondness for the feral cats on the rooftops of Montmartre and took in many, much to the chagrin of his wife.

www.ftn-books.com has several titles on Steinlen available.

Terry Frost served as a vanguard in the advancement of British Abstract art during the mid-20th century. His intricate nested forms and vibrant palettes of tonal blues, lavenders, oranges, and pinks cemented his noteworthy position in the country’s abstract movement. Frost’s journey into painting began as a prisoner of war, alongside the artist Adrian Heath, who instilled a passion for art within him. His pursuit of abstraction blossomed under the guidance of esteemed artists Victor Pasmore, Ben Nicholson, and William Coldstream while attending the Camberwell College of Arts. He further refined his techniques while showcasing his work with the esteemed St. Ives Society of Artists. Frost’s aesthetic, influenced by the coastal landscapes of his home in Cornwall, harmoniously blends sharp and defined geometric planes with fluid and expressive brushstrokes, along with embellished pointillism. His artworks gained widespread recognition during his lifetime, with exhibitions at renowned institutions such as the Hermitage Museum, the ICA London, the Brooklyn Museum, the Tate St. Ives, and the British Council in New York.

www.ftn-books.com hast he Frost leporello from 1994 available.

Residing in Montreuil, a suburb of Paris, Véronique Bourgoin’s artistic repertoire encompasses a diverse range of mediums, including painting, ceramics, photography, installations, videos, performance, and artist books. Within the myriad of her creations, she delves into the intricacies and complexities of constructing “contemporary paradises.” Her fascination lies in exploring the physical, chemical, and psychological “baths of elements” that ignite the transformative power of perception and creativity. In her artistic journey, she shines a spotlight on the captivating and often dramatic effects that seemingly mundane contexts can evoke.

www.ftn-books.com has the WILLIE OU PAS WILLIE book now available.

Anze’s repertoire encompasses both the artistic and technological dimensions that define contemporary photography. On the surface, the images exude a captivating visual charm that boldly embraces the digital medium, brimming with vibrant hues and textures. But beyond the lens lies a deeper conceptual framework that guides the entire body of work. The presence of the 50Hz frequency, a symbol of Tokyo’s electric infrastructure, goes beyond a mere geographical marker. It also alludes to the lasting impact of a past disaster, though no longer at the forefront of everyday life. Thus, the project leans more towards conceptual art rather than conforming to traditional photography norms.

www,ftn-books.com has now the UNZEE invitation from 2015 available.

The French artist Henri Prosi (born 1936) completed his education in the l’École des Beaux-Arts and l’École des Arts Appliqués, both in Paris. His artistic style revolves around the simplicity and purity of geometric shapes, devoid of any narrative representation, psychological connotations or gesturing. His pieces are characterized by their strict symmetry and fragmentation, ultimately conveying a sense of centrifugal force.

Renowned French art historian Domitille d’Orgeval elaborates further on Prosi’s work: “At the beginning of his career in the mid-1960s, Henri Prosi gravitated towards geometry not because he saw it as a reflection of moral truth or absolute geometric order, but for its vivacity. In fact, he once said about his early geometric paintings, ‘There is a dynamic action, something happens. It seems to me that something comes alive. Like people who meet in the street, like life.’ This energy, derived from the dialectic of relationships, governs all of Prosi’s art. He explored its endless possibilities through his remarkable ability to continuously reinvent himself, studying the role of color (limited to primary colors, black, and white), rectangles, squares, verticals and horizontals, solids and voids, while emphasizing a specific aspect like the structure, surface, or outline of his work.”

Prosi’s debut exhibition was at the 4th Biennale de Paris in 1965, and his most recent showcase was the Code and Algorithm – Hommage á Vera Molnar at the Vasarely Museum in Budapest, Hungary in 2019. Throughout the years, his work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions (often alongside other renowned artists such as Charles Bézie and Jean-François Dubreuil) at prestigious galleries, museums, and prominent art fairs in France, Austria, Germany, Japan, Belgium, Sweden, The Netherlands, and Italy. His pieces are also part of public collections, including the National Contemporary Art Fund .

www.ftn-books.com has the VIERDE DIMENSIE publication on Prosi now available.

This Daan SAmson on his work:

Since 2019, I have been working on “Welvaartsbiotopen.” As humanity, we yearn for an existence surrounded by untouched nature. On the other hand, we desire a life filled with well-being and comfort. This dilemma is depicted through the placement of milk frothers, insulation materials, and other symbols of prosperity in a version of nature where flora and fauna remain untouched.

For example, a Dyson fan is positioned in the habitat of the Indian state of Karnataka. In this biotope, the product is flanked by the red and yellow clusters of the (endemic to this region) climbing plant Thunbergia mysorensis. There is also room for ants of the species Technomyrmex albipes. In one corner, we can see one of the insects milking honeydew from aphids (which are kept as “livestock” by this species of ants). The accompanying fact sheet reveals that Dyson’s headquarters are located in Singapore, and that the Dyson Purifier can purify the air in rooms by 99%.

My biotopes exude a contemporary sense of life. They pay tribute to sciences that provide objective knowledge and contribute (now or in the future) to human well-being and a more balanced preservation of natural harmony.

At the international art fair Art Rotterdam, prosperity artist Daan Samson and photographer Jeronimus van Pelt present a photo series featuring alluring “babes” in the modern art field.

Eight female curators, theorists, artists, critics, museum directors, and other women in the art world have agreed to be portrayed as sexual beings. The purpose of this photo series is to explore whether society accepts intellectual women showcasing their sexual capabilities.

The Torch invitation for this series is now available at www.ftn-books.com

In his series on the vulnerability of human existence, Brodwolf never shies away from tackling grand themes. His commitment and emotional fortitude to depict these themes can now be seen permanently in the new installation at MKM Museum Küppersmühle Duisburg (one of Germany’s largest private museums, expanded by Herzog & de Meuron in 2021), where his Theresienstadt Cycle is showcased in its entirety in its own room.

As early as 1959, the first tube figures were born in the form of a human torso, created by squeezing paint tubes. To portray the vulnerability and dangers of human existence, he places his tube figures in cabinets starting in 1965. From that point on, he also creates larger figures from lead, bronze, paper pulp, and linen, which he employs in his grand installations at events such as Documenta Kassel and the Venice Biennale. With this impressive display in Duisburg, Germany, the 90-year-old Brodwolf proves how relevant artists are in understanding the world of today.

www.ftn-books.com has several Brodwolf titles now available.

Mona Kuhn, a Brazilian-born American contemporary photographer, born in 1969 in São Paulo, is renowned for her strikingly large-scale depictions of the human form and its essence. Her work delves deeply into our innate desire for spiritual connection and solidarity, imbuing it with an underlying current that is both singular and evocative. What sets Kuhn’s approach apart is her close rapport with her subjects, resulting in images that evoke a sense of hushed intimacy. Her work captures the raw beauty of the human figure in its natural form, while simultaneously reimagining the idea of nudity as a contemporary masterpiece. Kuhn’s oeuvre often alludes to classical motifs, and has received widespread acclaim through international exhibitions and inclusion in notable collections such as the J. Paul Getty Museum, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Hammer Museum, and the Pérez Art Museum Miami.

www.ftn-books.com has the Ravesteijn gallery invitation now available.

Collaborating twin artists Gert and Uwe Tobias, born in Romania in 1973, have created an eclectic body of work including woodcuts, sculptures, collages, and drawings. After moving to Germany in 1985, they pursued studies in Braunschweig and now reside and create in Cologne. Their artistic style draws from the influence of communism-era aesthetics, coupled with European folklore and German post-war painting.

The Tobias brothers’ oversized woodcuts and grandiose murals pay homage to modernist geometric abstraction, yet merge elements of line, form, color, and typography with the storytelling imagery and ornamental designs of folk art. Depictions of flowers, plants, patterns, embroidery, and domestic objects adorn their pieces, transforming them into whimsical stage sets where splashes of pigments and found images of animals or humans perform a vibrant drama. A playful air coalesces with violent undertones as body parts are fragmented and dispersed throughout the composition. These dismembered figures often mutate into flora or fauna, evoking a macabre yet innocent surreality that is signature to the Tobias’ repertoire. In addition, the duo employs an antiquated typewriter to create intricate drawings that capture the eye with their raw intensity.

Embracing ceramics as an extension of their diverse portfolio, the artists warps mass-produced crockery with added ceramic protrusions and colorful glazes, transforming an ordinary plate or vase into an expressionistic sculpture. The Tobias brothers blur the lines between traditional craft and fine art, abstract concepts and subconscious fantasies, and modernity and tradition with their thought-provoking creations.

The Silver Camera is a Dutch photography competition. The associated prize has been awarded since 1949 to the photographer who has captured the best press photo of the year. This venture is spearheaded by the Dutch Association of Photojournalists (NVF), a subsection of the Dutch Association of Journalists.

in the last 2 decades www.ftn-books.com has added several publications on the ZILVEREN CAMERA partcipants.