Artists Books

I didn't think it was possible to write a full-scale biography of Thompson because of his scattered, secret life. But Polito has pulled off the seemingly impossible. He gathers together unexpected facts from obscure sources in places all over the country. He combines this with excellent, insightful analysis of this tortured writer's work. When I first read Thompson's novels back in the mid-'80's, it felt like my brain was being turned inside out. I was so astonished I went out and bought every one. Now thanks to Polito we can begin to understand the sources of the horror and the humanity of his novels.

Savage Art is a truly remarkable work of scholarship. In it, Robert Polito meticulously separates out fact from the considerable amount of mythology that surrounds Jim Thompson's life.
Since so much of what Thompson wrote is autobiographical in origin, a knowledge of Thompson's very unusual life history helps the reader better appreciate his work. So it is not at all hard to argue that this is not only a well written and fascinating biography, it is an important one as well.
Polito explains, in exacting detail, how Thompson's life and consequently his writing was influenced by the interpersonal and societal forces he encountered as he matured.
To put it another way. Jim Thompson's worldview was shaped, nurtured and, some would say, warped by his life experiences.
He then took this unique worldview and used it to interpret the self same experiences which formed it. The result is Thompson's very significant contribution to 20th century American fiction. Dark, disturbing books inhabited by sad, desperate characters trapped in hideous circumstances. These are novels that boldly explore areas that would otherwise be unexplorable.
Savage Art is very much a monumental achievement. Essential reading for Jim Thompson fans.

I suppose when an author pens a biography of another author, the reader should not expect the biography to provide the same level of reader delight as the author whom the biography covers. Don't get me wrong, Polito does a good job, and he certainly is not a hack writer. His analysis is steady without flights of fancy about Thompson's motives, but it's not too interesting either. Yes, Thompson lived a tought life in Texas and Oklahoma as his flitty father bounced from one dream deal to another, and his time spent in the Texas oil rig jungle is informative not only about Thompson but about the times and condiitons where he lived. Bringing in excerpts from Thompson's writings to explain (or perhaps just to connect the dots) events in his life with parallels in his writings doesn't always work. Yes, the reader can see his father in life and in the person of a corrupt official in one of Thompson's novels, but one can never see the genius--the why.

This award-winning book certainly deserves any awards based on the good scholarship Polito brings to the effort. The details, though, sometimes bog the reader down in minutiae that seem to detract from who Thompson was. One of the more interestings periods of Thompson's life was while working with the WPA as a writer working on the Oklahoma Guide. The connections with the writers and the communist and socialist, including Thompson, even Thompson's activitist role in the WWW is rendered in such detail that the reader wonders why Polito brings in all the detail -- which seems almost like the minutes of a party meeting -- that he does. However, whether intentionally or not, Polito puts the lie to the contention that mystery writers are right-wing apologists for capitalism. Thompson (and perhaps even more so Lous L'Amour who was part of Thompson's group of writers who were involved in Oklahoma's communist party) were not just hacks churning out pulp fiction for the he-man magazines but were men of conscience who were well aware of the plight of the working man during this era in this time and place. The fact that Thompson gave up the party doesn't detract (or indict) from his deep feelings for injustices he experienced in his life and saw in others.

All in all, Polito's work represents excellent scholarship, and in reading this book, you will come away with a close rendering of Jim Thompson's life. However, while well documented and certainly with a pedestrian scholarship, I never felt that Polito found the source of Thomson's real genius.

I highly recommend this 1995 National Book Award winner. Thorough and utterly engrossing, Savage Art will satisfy both longtime Thompson fans and neophytes, providing stunning insight into the man as well as the autobiographical aspects of his ofttimes sordid fictional output. Definitely a must read for those who appreciate noir.

If there was ever an American original, it's Jim Thompson. His dark and deranged world-view, expressed in a series of cheap paperbacks in the fifties and sixties, revels in the that part of the American psyche that we ignore and are afraid to look at. Polito's detailed bio explains where Thompson came from, and the events that molded him into the premier writer of American noir. Even if you aren't interested in Thompson and his work, this is an exquisite biography.

I enjoyed this book very much. It started off slow in the beginning, but then after a while it started to pick up. You can learn a lot from books and this is one that really does make you think about you, your family, religion, townspeople, and even your preacher. It taught a lot of lessons. I thought a lot about this book after I got done reading it and there are several things that still throw me off, but that's the joy about books, making your own opinion and own feelings. I highly recommend this to anyone.

The small town of Casper, Alabama is a happily quiet town where everyone knows everybody's business and no one seems to care what happens. But when Adrienne Dabney from New York moves in things get really shaken up. You see Adrienne is an artist and when she decides to do an `artists' fast where she doesn't eat for a month the local priest objects because he wants none of that East Coast hocus-pocus witch craft and sinning happening in his city. But Adrienne decides to do her fast anyways. A month later when she finally emerges from her home she brings the news that she has seen Jesus. This news brings an uproar and the people will be forever changed. This is a pretty good book!

The whole point of the book, I guess, is that adults are fallible. That's the story: Charity realizing that. While I don't much like her father (he beats her) I guess I can see that Charity loves him, and he, her. As an atheist, I found it kind of amusing the way people prayed and flocked to the Jesus chair. Though the thing with Mad Joe and Vonnie and Velita was incredibly sad. While some of the characters seemed stereotyped -- Charity's dad the hell-raising Southern preacher, for instance -- I thought it was a really good book. Han Nolan's one of my favorite authors and I hope she keeps churning out works like this for decades to come.

Send Me Down A Miracle is the second book of Han Nolan's that I've read. Both of which have been fabulous. This book shows that relgion is a big part of what kind of person you are. Especially if your father is a Reverand, like Charity's is. When Adrianne comes to Kasper from NYC, Charity's entire point of view changes. She feels that Adrianne and anything she does is right and that G*d and her father are wrong. Everything changes after Adrianne annouces her vision of the Jesus chair. Now Charity doesn't know what to think. Her father is forcing her in one direction while her heart wants to go in the other. Send Me Down A Miracle is an amazing story of a girl who wants to do something for herself for a first. If you are religious or not, this book is still a great read.

I just finished this one. WOW! I couldn't put it down. Han Nolan is one of the best writers I have ever read. All her books are just as great as this one. I can't wait 'till she writes another!

ok, ill admit, ive yet to purchase this...im ashamed or myself for not owning it yet.
i dont have an intimate knowledge of Arts collection of works, but the man is a goddamn genius.
i know this personally, since i was privileged enough to experience a several hour long presentation by the man himself, about a year ago.
my idea of design will never be the same, hell my life will never be the same.
whatever anyone else here says, BUY IT.

Nothing can beat the "raw power" of Art Chantry. This book is a must in every graphic designer/student bookshelf!...

i really wasn't too familiar with Art's work before getting this. i've only seen mentionings in random other books about how influencial he is. but after seeing this i can see why. he combines the rough aesthetic of punk and shows that it can be acceptible in mainstream graphic design. it shows that there's hope for punk rock artists like myself.

In a similar manner to Paula Scher and Charles Anderson, one of the main themes of Art Chantry's work is to take old images and give them a twist. While you can see an echo of this look in almost every graphic design award annual today, Chantry has been working in this style since the late 70's. And while many have borrowed his approach, few have been able to imitate it with the same sense of grit, humor, color and power.

True to the title of the book "Some People Can't Surf" there isn't one website design to be found, but that may not be a bad thing as Chantry is a master within his medium. A very large body of work that spans three decades is showcased which includes everything from his very first poster design for a school concert to promotional work for major Hollywood record labels. One pleasant surprise is seeing quite a bit of logo design work which involves the charm and craft of hand lettering. In end Chantry reminds one of a later day Milton Glaser with a punk rock point of view.

At some points the book can become too crammed by trying to jam several posters onto a page by shrinking them down to matchbook size, however the work holds up pretty well under the strain. This volume would be valuable to any graphic designer looking for inspiration or anyone who is a fan of the Seattle music from the 90's.

...is that Art Chantry's groundbreaking artwork (and yes--unlike some snooty traditionalist art-weenies--I DO consider graphic design to be "art"!) is more often than not gobs more compelling than the work of the people who have directly benefitted from his work (i.e. most of the so-called grunge bands from the Pacific Northwest). Yet almost nobody outside of Seattle, Tacoma or underground graphic-design circles knows who the hell he is, even though almost everyone has seen his work in one form or other (The Sub Pop logo is one example that immediately comes to mind).

In early 1991, I discovered and became obsessed with underground garagepunk & instro-surf music, the most exciting of which was coming out of the Pacific Northwest, and specifically Estrus Records, in Bellingham, Washington. It was the Estrus label that started my appreciation, and later, reverence, for Art Chantry's ir-reverent style of graphic design. When Nirvana's "Nevermind" was released later that year, the wall that previously kept mainstream riffraff from crashing "our" underground party came crumbling down, and as a result, grungy Northwest music had become suddenly (and inexplicably) marketable. The sudden onslaught of new bands inspired by this alleged "rebirth" of punkrock quickly caused the quality of Estrus' releases to assume an inversely proportional relationship to the quantity of records they put out (well, that's MY theory, at least...). Simply put, the really good music on Estrus soon became a rare commodity. Thankfully, what didn't change was the brilliant package design that thier slabs o' vinyl and silver frisbees were encased in. Art Chantry was responsible for the bulk of these designs, and is the only reason why a big chunk of my record and CD collection isn't fermenting in some used-record store somewhere. His artwork transcended the actual product it was emblazoned on, and made it worth keeping even if the music it promoted was supremely lame.

Chantry's work led me to notice and gain an appreciation for artists such as Stealworks' John Yates, Frank Kozik and even Roy Lichtenstein. But as great as those artists are, Chantry's work is the perfect amalgam of irony, humor, subversion, obnoxiousness and kitsch, and no one that I'm aware of has yet to outshadow him in this regard, even though he is without a doubt a man with many imitators. In fact, many people directly point the finger at him for popularizing the now passè movement in "grunge" design and layout. Whether this is actually true or not is debatable (although it certainly makes sense), but "Some People Can't Surf" is interesting in that it showcases a non-"grunge" (god, I hate that term) side of Chantry that most people would be very surprised to see. The same man responsible for some of the most outrageous and iconoclastic posters and album covers in music history was at the same time designing nondescript logos and brochures for boring, faceless corporations--biotech companies, architectural firms, airlines, etc.--and it's extremely interesting to see this real-world dichotomy brought to light in this book.

Another notable section of the book recalls the time when Art creatively attempted to get around a draconian 1994 Seattle anti-postering ordinance by posting up 'zine-like tabloids to telephone poles instead, ostensibly daring the city to attempt to fine him for what is fundamentally a First Amendment issue. As someone who firmly believes that graphic design and traditional "art" are not mutually exclusive, I found it refreshing to read this shining example of how designers can use their talent to actively influence and challenge the cultural status quo, instead of simply generating pretty pictures for passive consumer consumption.

When I first saw Art years ago in the documentary film, "Hype!" (which I also HIGHLY recommend), talking about the early Northwest music scene, and then proceeding to chop up his super-rare (and super-expensive) posters with a paper cutter, it completely validated what I always thought--this man is an ironic and wonderfully irreverent genius. "Some People Can't Surf" bolsters this fact even further, and I enjoyed reading this book's narrative at /least/ as much as looking at all the cool, full-color images of his brilliant work. I highly recommend this to any graphic designer who is tired of all the c.r.a.p. that tries to pass itself off as "cool", "grungy" or "retro" nowadays.

I absolutely liked this devotional and you get to learn more about the CCM group Point of Grace. There are 24 chapters, its easy to read, with song lyrics, questions, etc. I'd even reccomend it to those that aren't fans of POG, because its a very well done devotional. Great for beginners and new Christians. You can use this devotional anytime of the year, since it doesn't have any calendar dates. It's also great for a small group study.

I read the book it is really good it inspires me so much.I have all their cds.I love their music so much .I can't wait to meet them.I LOVE POG.

I had been wanting this book for awhile and I got it for my birthday. I was so thrilled. It is a truly awesome book. These four girls are very talented and definetly chose the right way in which to use them! Their voices blow me away everytime I hear them. God blessed them so much. This book is SO good! Please buy it! I assure you that you will love it too!! :o)

I'm a big fan of Point of Grace, so I got this book originally because I liked them so much. When I read the book I was blown away!! The girls may not consider themselves writers but the did an incredible job on this book. I had to contain myself to only read one a day! If you are a Christian, I garuantee it will bring you closer to God, and if it doesn't touch you in any way, e-mail me:o)

Point of Grace's "Steady On" Devotional book is a beautifully written piece of literature. For individuals who may be in a "dry" spell in their walk with Christ, I reccomend you read a devotional from "Steady On" every morning- read it in the morning (do the questions through keeping a journal)and that way you have started your day on a solid foundation. Also, be sure to end your devotional time in prayer. "Steady On" is a great way to get excited about your walk with Christ. Point of Grace is a pheonomenon in the Christian music industry. With amazing harmonies and their honesty behind their words in "Steady On", it's no wonder that this group is as succesful as they are. Go out and purchase "Steady On." If you sit down and get totally honest with yourself, this devotional book can lead you into days filled with the hope, peace, and contentment that Jesus longs for you to experience. You WILL NOT be disapointed. Enjoy...

This was a gift for my boss but I just couldn't stop looking through it. What a beautiful book. Very inspiring! I got rave comments... and a raise! Definitely a amazing present.

This was my first book encounter with Andy Goldsworthy and wow- his art ideas are great. I love how he uses nature in his art- and even more so, how the changes in nature are art themselves.

In "Stone," as in his other books, Andy Goldsworthy takes the natural play of a child--fooling around with sticks, leaves, water, stones, mud, and more--and elevates it to something above and beyond its natural status. He uses his adult design skills to create great manmade beauty from existing natural beauty. He never falls over the line into obvious, coy, or precious art--he simply lets nature be what it is with a tiny little bit of rearranging on his part.

The results are never short of astonishing. Witness the sharp-edged rocks against which Goldsworthy has "glued" (with plain water) the leaves of brilliantly red Japanese maples, thereby making the edges look almost bloodied (p. 76). Witness the delicate, calligraphic tracery Goldsworthy stitched up by pinning together rush after rush after rush with thorns and then hanging these on a gallery wall so that it appears that either Calder or Matisse have wandered in and scribbled elegantly on the walls (p. 83). Witness the balanced oval boulders Goldsworthy lays in a curvaceous line from beach to the sea, and see how they roll and disappear from view as the tide comes crashing in (p. 101). These are but three of the many visual astonishments Goldsworthy shares in this book. The book is a never-ending source of delight and admiration for the feverish workings of one of 20th-century art's most creative minds.

Stone, like many of Andy Goldsworthy books, sends the observer to a land that exists only for a brief time. Using the medium of photography, Mr. Goldsworthy captures these moments, in the world he creates, that appear to me as more of a heaven than an earth. If you as a child or if you have watched your child play endlessly with nature, creating masterpieces that may end up being washed away, blown away, or covered in snow, you will appreciate this book for capturing them for all eternity.

A truly beautiful book, with rich photographs and nice summaries. Inspiring to the last page - and particularly useful for igniting one's creative juices. A small note to the Amazon reviewer: Andy Goldsworthy was born in England in 1956. He lives in Penpont, Scotland, but is English - not Scottish.

some of the most beautiful and powerful spiritual paintings i've come across. the imagery feels like meaningful dreams unfolding the subconscious tenderly unto canvas. i have some of her other works too and they are all treasured. some works have been cut out from the books framed and hung on my walls.

This book is an exquisite retrospective. Those who love Susan's work will not be disappointed and those who have not met Susan through her work will apprciate the beauty of the book. The pictures are wonderful and the writing is a lovely, and complete, tribute to Susan and her work.

An absolutely beautiful book full of Susan Seddons georgeous works , would absolutely recommend to anyone who knows her work or is interested in spirituality . I will treasure this book.

I've always loved the work of Susan--I was enchanted with her animal drawings and as an artist I was curious to learn more about how she created her works. This book was more than I could have hoped for. The book covers Susan's life and her influences it also shows her progression as an artist as well as the influences that helped shape her art.

If you are a fan of Susan's work then this is a must have book for your collection, you won't be disappointed.

i love her. i have never been so mesmerized by
an artist before. sure georgia o'keeffe, and more
but susan just because my favorite artist in the
past 4 yrs. i have several tattoos from the
goddess cards on my arms, which are connected.
i hope someone else writes a book about her
life, etc. ...

The occasional case of the mad artist -- gaunt, ragged and living solely in his own creative mind -- has dominated our view of how art is created. In fact, patronage was and is the medium in which most art is created. This beautifully printed book casts a clean scholarly light into this remarkable relationship of artist and patron. While doing so the authors also examine how the demands and desires of daily living and the strains and strengths of personal relationships -- spouses, lovers, friends -- play upon the same chords that the patron touches, for good or ill. All are amply documented by the authors and as with all biography the telling anecdote best reveals the character of the subject. The fact that for decades a fertile art community existed a thousand miles or more from patrons and markets raises the question of whether indeed something special for the art world was going on in Taos. Easily dismissed by many as regional artists in the past, the Taos artists are put in a context by the authors' examination of the skein of relationships stretching to Taos. I would think that the world of art scholarship on that basis alone needs to respond to this well-focused work by examining other colonies, schools and concentrations of artists in the history of our country, for the purpose of finding how those stories of patronage compare. On its face alone the art reproduced in this fascinating book makes the case for the importance of the Taos artists as American artists. But the patronage story raises this question: Why did big city people, living and creating the big story of its time -- industrial, urbanizing America -- choose to support the painters in the desert? It seems to be a paradox. Or is it? We await the next study in depth of artists and their patrons. "Taos Artists and Their Patrons" has set the height of the bar. I hope the authors of this book stay in the game for the next book.

While the literature on American art history has grown enormously during the last several decades, that devoted to patronage remains very scarce, usually directed toward single supporters such as Luman Reed and Mrs. Jack Gardner. Taos Artists and Their Patrons is probably the finest study to appear devoted to a single school of painting, that which arose in Taos in New Mexico at the end of the nineteenth century. The authors have thoroughly investigated all aspects of patronage--exhibitions, individual advocates, institutional support, and many other forms. At the same time, they have presented what must be the finest study of the work of the artists active in Taos, embellished by a wealth of marvellous images, beautifully reporduced. The book enjoys three major accomplishments: it is a definitive study of the nature of American art patronage; it is a thorough review of one of the most important regional schools of art in this country; and it's a fabulous read!

Excellent book showing a great deal of beautiful art from the Taos artists at the beginning of the century. The book does and excellent job of telling the history behind each painting. The book is also very inspirational to artists. I suggest this book to anyone interested in art, anyone who is an artist, or people interested in art history.

In the tradition of excellence demonstrated in his book "Victor Higgins, An American Master", Dean Porter, along with Teresa Ebie and Susan Campbell, has produced another visually and intellectually pleasing work.

Both artists and collectors will learn much by reading this book, for it proves that it is more than technical skill and artistic sensibility that contribute to an artist's financial and critical success.

Those who have instinctively turned to Europe and the Eastern American Artists when wanting to view fine works of art will be enlightened and surprised to learn that some of the finest works of art in this century have been produced not in Europe, but in the USA and in the Southwest in particular.

This is a beautiful and informative book for anyone interested in art, whether they be collectors or art historians or simply those who like to view magnificent works.

Dean Porter and his gifted associates have skillfully authored not only the best book ever written about the "Taos School of Art", but the most interesting and educational. Why is their book different? They departed from the standard biographical information generally available everywhere and continually repeated by other authors in every new book and took the time to bring into focus the collectors and art buyers who made it possible for the artists to make a living at their chosen profession. The many stories, glimpes, and setches of both the artists and collectors make this book most interesting and readable. There are also many new paintings never before shown in other books about this group of artist. There is also a art exhibit that compliments the book. This is a must read and must see for those who love and collect the "Taos School of Art". Like a fine red wine, you wish in your heart you could drink on forever.

McGinnis is a master of his craft, I mainly purchased this book not because I want to paint like him, but when I saw a piece he did for Enter the Dragon I had to commend his visual flair pertaining to movie posters.....the man is a master, and frankly, his Bond women are goddesses. This book conatins some great works of his, add it to your collection like I did.

I can't recommend this book strongly enough. Way back during an age when book illustrators were respected celebrities, Robert McGinnis would have been the toast of the town.

This book is a consumate showcase of an extremely talented artist. Every aspect of his career is covered and it lets the reader see that McGinnis had made a mark in not one, not two, but three different genres.

One: Paperback book art, in which he introduces an atomic age America to his very distinctive brand of woman: amazon tall, lean as a steel pipe and as majestic as a swan.

Two: The genre of movie poster art where he helps elevate James Bond from paperback book secret agent to one of the country's most recognizable pop icons.

And three: A return to his statuesque beauties in arguably the classiest collection of pin-up art the oil canvas has ever known.

As with many great American illustrators, Robert McGinnis settled into his later years by painting brilliant scenes of the wild and tamed West and those works are also given their own section in TAPESTRY.

A must-have for illustrators and art patrons if there ever was one.

This book has filled all my expectations. Before I bought it, I was looking a few paintings of McGinnis, but I was always sure about that this is a great publication. Excellent!

I'm in agreement with everyone else, that 1.) Robert Mcginnis is the best paperback book illustrator ever (perhaps rivaled only by Frank Frazetta); and 2.) This is the best collection of Mcginnis art available in book form. There's only one flaw in the whole thing: it never says what medium the artist uses (I found out it's egg tempera). If you love to gaze at beautiful paintings of every genre subject, or if you are yourself a painter or commercial artist, this belongs on your bookshelf. I've had it for years, and never tire of looking at it. A classic.

I had never even heard of Robert McGinnis until I was linked to this page by the editors' names (the Fenners) who I know from their affiliation with science fiction art. The reviews were so favorable that I decided to gamble on this book without any other familiarity with McGinnis. I usually lose on these impulsive gambles. Not this time. Suffice it to say this book is a total prize, it's just filled cover to cover with extreme beauty.

I am particularly impressed with this man's diversity of talent...he does great "pin up" type art of beautiful women, and then he does these embracing outdoor scenes which are almost within the genre of "Marlboro" commercials and then there are other pieces which are evocative of Norman Rockwell and Maxfield Parrish. Each painting is fantastic and to me represents a dinstinct aspect of the best phenomena in Earthly life. However, there is even a little sci-fi art in here, so not all his fantastic visions are necessarily Earth-bound!

I love unexpected treasure!

I haven't found a Royo art book I didn't like, but this is one of the best ones. He depicts harsh future worlds: some with machines, some with fallen angels, others with a "Planet of the Apes" theme. One of my favorite types is the kind with a mostly abandoned world, complete with the skeletons of buildings and torn yet sexy clothing of the women who still inhabit that world.

His women certainly are sexy, but much more than that. The women suffer, but endure these future worlds, and often come out the stronger for it, making the illustrations more touching and powerful.

There are also a few cover arts for futuristic space novels by Julie E. Czerneda, which also have strong women as depicted in Royo art.

Being a long time fan of Luis Royo's art work, I expected some of the same poses, same features and same colors in III Millenium. To my wonderful suprise, he has taken a dip in the deep end of his talents and emerged with fantastic, horrific and touching artwork. He is, without a doubt, a master at his craft and transmits feelings to the viewer that are like a raw slap in face. For those of us who appreciate fine art, there is no comparison.

Wow! When I heard about Royo, I decided to look around for some of his work. When I bought this book I was delighted to see that my favourite picture, "The Announcement" was in it. The subtle blue in the eyes of the child are beautifully hypnotic. I personally enjoy drawing and I have to say Royo inspires me deeply. His blend of the female flesh with cold automatons is beautiful. What might seem like weird to individuals who look at this book, aesthetically, Royo has won my admiration because he is bold and different and that's what makes a unique artist.

Once again Luis Royo has created a world of wonder for his fans. Anyone who is a serious collector of his work should own this book. His imagination has created a world of the future that only pure talent could capture on canvas, and make us believe that Three Millenium may look just as he presents it. Incredible!

This book will lead you into the future, as Royo sees it. It's dark, ice-cold, scary. Barren landscape, ruined cities, machine making love to astonishingly beautiful women; monkeys control humans. Fallen angels turned to stone, yet capable to make love to each other. The colors are grey, brown, green, which make the light even more vivid. The details are painstakingly taken care of - just like everything Royo makes. You will find women in this book (too) which you wish you'd meet in real life - if you're a guy, like me :)

i liked the pictures in the book though there is not a whole lot of written material on Tibet. it is a perfect book for someone who is curious about Tibet with all its beatiful pictures and some history. this is a good book to ocassionally go through the pictures again. it is an excellent book to show to a friend who drops by your house or a gift to your children.

The following is a review of The Tibetans: Photographs by Art Perry that appeared in the December issue of Photo Metro magazine.

Perhaps the best book to date on Tibet. This work goes beyond the easy cliche images of dramatic landscapes and content-less smiling figures that populate so many other books. This is no parachute in, shoot pix, and fly out to publishers and galleries book. Perry spent five years on the project and represents both the beauty and the grit of day-to-day life. It shows. The book is quite well designed with intelligent text by Robert Thurman.

The following is a review of Art Perry The Tibetans: Photographs that appeared in The Toronto Globe and Mail, April 8, 2000.

(Headline:"Turning the spotlight on photography books," by Martin Levin.) For many years, B.C. writer and photographer Art Perry has documented threatened cultures, including the Nubians and the Mayans. Here he turns his attention, and his fine black-and-white photographic sensibility, on Tibetans, the world's most famous enigmatic people. Perry takes us to remote monasteries, up the Chang Tang Plateau and to the Tibetan exile communities in India and Nepal. The whole conveys a powerful sense of meaning - and loss.

The following article appeared in The Vancouver Sun, May 10, 2000

'Tibetan images snag major prize for local photographer' by Michael Scott, Sun Visual Art Critic

Vancouver photographer Art Perry has won a major international award for his large-format photographic book The Tibetans: Photographs. Perry, an instructor at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, becomes the second winner of the $30,000 Roloff Beny Photography Book Award at a ceremony in Toronto. (Magnum photographer Larry Towell received the first Beny Award for his book El Salvador.) The publisher of Perry's 1999 book, Viking Studio (an imprint of Penguin Books), will share in the award, receiving a $20,000 prize of its own. Perry spent five years collecting images of Buddhist societies in the Himalayas, working primarily in Tibet, but travelling also to Ladakh and Nepal. Last year, the Washington Post named his book one of the year's 10 best. A Vancouver Sun reviewer wrote: "Perry takes us from the slightly familiar markets and brothels of Lhasa clear through to the monasteries and mountaintops that have not been otherwise documented. The text is as clear-eyed as the pictures, but the message it contains is not entirely pretty. Though Buddhism practiced by the Tibetans will certainly endure, Tibetan Buddhist culture is very much under attack, perhaps by we western cultural imperialists, certainly by the country's Chinese occupiers. Read it, or just look at the pictures, and those Free Tibet bumper stickers will seem a lot more immediate." Here in Vancouver, Perry teaches a multi-disciplinary course at Emily Carr on the history of bohemianism - a course that covers film, punk rock and jazz as well as visual art. (I start by telling my students to stay up all night before coming to class," he jokes.) Perry also teaches a course in contemporary literature, a field that has sparked his interest in his own Irish roots. He says he will spend part of the Beny prize money on a sabbatical year in County Monaghan in northern Ireland. Perry plans to pursue both writing and photography during this time. "I have to say I am very, very honoured to be receiving this award," he says. "My father had some of Roloff Beny's big books and I grew up handling those incredible pages. There aren't people in those images, but they were lush and magnificent." Expatriate Canadian photographer Roloff Beny made an international name for himself in the 1970s and early 1980s chronicling a world of sensual beauty, with major large-format books on subjects such as pre-revolutionary Iran and Italy. He died in 1984.

The following is an article that appeared in the National Post, Toronto, May 11, 2000

(Headline: Photography book award, by Finbarr O'Reilly, National Post)

Vancouver-based photographer Art Perry has won the second Roloff Beny Photography Book Award for The Tibetans. The country's top photography book award, presented last night in Toronto, earns Perry a cash prize of $30,000. His American publisher, Viking Studio/Penguin Putnam, also gets $20,000, while two runners-up, Courtney Milne and Linda Rutenberg, get $5,000 each. Perry, who is a lecturer at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, spent five years travelling throughout Tibet and the exiled Tibetan communities in India and Nepal, documenting with a camera the people he met along the way - monks, nomads, city dwellers. Through the Dalai Lama, Perry gained access to seldom-visited monasteries in remote regions where he captured a traditional way of life that is being threatened by the Chinese occupation of Tibet. In a current project, the Ottawa-born Perry has been documenting in both writing and photographs the fractured cultures of Northern and Southern Ireland. The project, which he began in 1998, is a lifelong dream of Perry, whose family is from Belfast. The award was created in memory of Roloff Beny, a world-renowned photographer who was born in Medicine Hat, Alta., and is intended to encourage excellence in photograph publishing.