Inspiration from New York 21.02.2017 – Posted in: Inspiration

I just returned home from a few days trip to New York, and although I should hastily update our shop shelves with our new acquisitions, I thought to first share some books & architecture related inspiration. The purpose of my trip was to give a paper at the 105th annual conference of the College Art Association, which is the largest professional association for visual artists and art historians in the US. What an awesome event it was: Four full days packed with fantastic sessions and papers by scholars from all corners of the art world.

My CAA experience would not have been complete without some book-related field work. The first stop was at the book and trade fair included in the programme. Practically all the international publishing houses who do titles on art, architecture and art history were present, both big and small. On the basis of conversations, catalogs, and the general ambiance, I dare to predict that high-quality books are making a strong comeback.

My second stop was at the reputable McNally Jackson Books on Prince Street. Awesome store! Intriguing selection of architecture titles, cool atmosphere, lovely coffee shop in the corner — what more could  you ask for?

The conference itself was very successful for my part, but the trip would not have been complete without some free strolling around the city. It’s almost 30 years since my last visit, so it was about high time to update my relationship with the Big Apple. Something had definitely changed, but the beat was as energizing as ever. New York is one heck of a creation: ugly, noisy, dirty and cruel, but at the same time splendid, friendly and unfailingly supercool. For those of you who are in the neighborhood, don’t miss the exhibition “How Should We Live? Propositions for the Modern Interior” at MoMa through 23rd April. Curator Juliet Kinchin and her team have put together a delightful and educational show about the Modern Movement on the home front.