10 Art Books Worth Owning (2009 review)

As 2009 draws to a close, we look back at the Art Books that we reviewed this year, some we missed, and a few others that will surely adorn our coffee tables and shelves in the coming months. From naked men to tiny beauty queens, here are 10 Outstanding Art Books of 2009, and 3 others you want to have on your radar.

10. Jeff Koons
by Eckhard Schneider, Ingrid Sischy, Katy Siegel, Hans Werner Holzwarth
If artist Jeff Koons is anything, he’s controversy seeking. This summer some of his best works were displayed in London’s Serpantine Gallery. In case you missed the show, then don’t miss owning “Jeff Koons” the book—perhaps the most comprehensive study of the artist’s work ever published. $70 | taschen

9. Tim Burton
by Tim Burton, Jenny He, Ron Magliozzi
Whatever you may think of Tim Burton’s films, the works on display are truly remarkable. Very few living artists are willing to exposure the inner workings of both their professional and private lives — and now you can own the book. $20 | MoMA

8. Perfection in Form
by Robert Mapplethorpe
The Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, Italy, pairs two masters in search of expressions of the beauty in human form: Michelangelo, with his drawings and sculptures, and gay icon Robert Mapplethorpe, with his formalist and classically-inspired photographs.  $95 | teNeues

7. Tom of Finland XXL
by Edward Lucie-Smith, Armistead Maupin, Todd Oldham, Camille Anna Paglia, John Waters
This over-sized book showcases the full range of Tom’s (ne Touko Laaksonen) talent, from sensitive portraits to explicit sex culture to tender expressions of love to Tom’s haunting tributes to young men struck down by the AIDS epidemic.  $200 | Taschen

6. The Stephen Sprouse Book
by Roger Padilha, Mauricio Padilha. Tama Janowitz
One of the first American designers to mix graffiti and a punk aesthetic with fashion, Sprouse manipulated conventional notions of style, and his unique sensibility has inspired designers from John Galliano to Marc Jacobs. In a collab with Deitch Projects earlier this year, this comprehensive tome of his works, aptly named “The Stephen Sprouse Book,” includes never-before-published photos from Steven Meisel and Mert and Marcus with a forward by novelist Tama Janowitz. The four different jackets (each features a different Day-Glo color) pay homage to Debbie Harry’s album cover “Rockbird” — designed by the man himself. $65 | Rizzoli

5. Avedon Fashion 1944-2000
by Carol Squiers, Vincent Aletti, Philippe Garner, Philippe Garner, Willis Hartshorn, Richard Avedon
In conjunction with the International Center of Photography, this book covers Avedon’s long career, from Harper’s Bazaar to Vogue to The New Yorker and beyond. From countless fashion editorials to the highly erotic images from his advertising collaboration with fashion designer Gianni Versace this book is proof that Avedon is the most influential fashion photographer of the 20th century. $100 | Abrams

4. Every Thing Design
by Christian Brandle, Glenn Adamson, Verena Formanek
Through images and accompanying texts, “Every Thing Design” touches on such questions such as: what is design? What determines an object’s worth? How have attitudes towards design changed in the more than 125 years of the museum’s existence? Essays by Boom, MoMA’s Paola Antonelli, London’s Royal College of Art’s Glenn Adamson and others discuss such questions, in this book which moves far beyond mere eye candy. $45 | Hatje Cantz

3. Yabu Pushelberg
http://www.homo-neurotic.com/tag/yabu-pushelberg/
by William Norwich, Carolyn Horwitz, Anthony Iannacci
“Yabu Pushelberg” features photographs of various architecture projects for posh locations like the Four Seasons Tokyo, Bergdorf Goodman, The Hazelton Hotel, Tiffany & Co. Wall Street, Lane Crawford, Louis Vuitton and six essays by Vogue contributing editor, William Norwich. It’s pretty fancy. $70 | Architecture Interiors Press

2.High Glitz

by Susan Anderson, Simon Doonan, Robert Greene
The books subtitle says it all: “The Extravagant World of Child Pageants.” And Susan Anderson’s stylized photographs deliver. America’s obsession with youth, beauty, fame, and fortune never looked so pretty. $40 | powerHouse

1. Moonmilk OUT OF PRINT
by Ryan Mcginley, Raphael Gygax, Dillon Brian
A solid combination of beautiful landmarks, creative photography techniques and beautiful, naked bodies, “Moonmilk” is the must-own coffee table accoutremont of 2009–if you can find a copy. This is an instant collectible, limited edition, out of print work of art within a work of art. Shutterbug described, “Moonmilk” as “a collection of dramatic images that often emphasize the smallness of humanity in the face of nature while simultaneously exposing and celebrating the idea of the beauty of things hidden.” $300-$500 | Morel Books

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Three more books to check out this year:

Maison Martin Margiela
by Maison Martin Margiela | $100 | Rizzoli ($63 at Amazon)

Marc Jacobs Advertising 1998-2009 OUT OF PRINT
by Mark Jacobs, Jeurgen Teller | $350 | Steidl

The Wild Things
by Dave Eggers | $30 | McSweeney’s ($19 at Amazon)

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