A diverse range of new books hitting the shelves in Arts this week.

Alex Katz : an American way of seeing: editors Riitta Valorinta, Guy Tosatto & Guido de Werdo

Katz’s almost cartoon-like portraits have been described as making “enigmas of people”, and they are at one and the same time devoid of animation and yet strangely compelling. You decide…..

 

We English by Simon Roberts

This lovely large format book of photographs is essentially a photo-essay of British landscapes, peopled by the English at leisure; and nobody does leisure in a more endearingly quirky way than the English!

 

100 best Australian albums by John O’Donnell, Toby Creswell and Craig Mathieson

The authors here put their lives on the line and name the top 100 Australian rock albums of the last 50 years! The book comes complete with background histories, photos and enough detail to keep most classic-rock tragics either nodding their heads in furious agreement or reaching for the nearest mobile texting device; witness protection scheme anyone?

 

Savage art : 20th century genre and the artists that defined it:  introduction by Frank M. Robinson

Their names may not be familiar anymore, but artists such as Walter Baumhofer and Rafael de Soto virtually invented the 20th century action/thriller genre with their beautifully painted (and often incredibly lurid!) covers for the notorious American pulp magazines of the twenties and thirties. Neglected masters, if you ask me.

 

Meerreeng-an here is my country : the story of Aboriginal Victoria told through art,  edited by Chris Keeler and Vicki Couzens

 

The story of Aboriginal life and culture in Victoria from the 19th century to the present day, as told through over 350 beautiful works of art, produced in conjunction with the Koorie Heritage Trust.

Our voices tell our story. Artists describe their own artworks, and stories and quotes from Elders and other community members provide cultural and historical context. In these ways Meerreeng-an Here Is My Country is cultural both in its content and in the way our story is told.