New York: A Mod Portrait of the City

by Zdenek Mahler, Vladimir Fuka (Illustrator)

Overview

Similar to Rizzoli's hugely successful resurrected vintage classics of the This is series, comes a charming, illustrated ode to New York City. Appealing to New Yorkers and tourists alike, regardless of age.

Originally created in 1964, but never published, this timeless, colorful volume provides children and adults a playful illustrated tour of New York City, via the distinctive mid century European poster art style illustrations and collages by one of the greatest Czech illustrators Vladimir Fuka, and the whimsical, poetic narrative of Zdenek Mahler.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780789327277
Publisher:	Rizzoli
Publication date:	03/11/2014
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Vladimír Fuka (1926 - 1977) is a famed Czech illustrator, graphic artist, painter and sculptor. In the 1950s and 1960s Fuka created a number of innovatively conceived books for both children and adults and brought fame to Czech illustrated books. His awards include: 1959 bronze medal, Leipzig; 1964 golden medal, Bologna; 1965 Grand Diplome D´Honneur na Bienale dell´Umorismo dell´Arte, Tolentino; 1966 first prize, Leipzig; 1966 second prize, BIB Bratislava; 1959 - 1966 five first prizes for the "The Most Beautiful Book of the Year"

Zdeněk Mahler (1928) writes prosaic books for children and adults as well as screenplays for theatre, film, and television. He participated as an advisor in the preparations of Miloš Forman's film "Amadeus" (1984) and "Goya's Ghosts" (2007) and has received wide publicity as a writer and moderator of popular educational programs.

Editorial Reviews

New York: A Mod Portrait is more than a picture book—its is one of the most imaginative and beautiful travel guides ever written, and a charming companion for anyone journeying to the Big Apple. While the illustrations and punchy graphics may serve as a time capsule taking us back to midcentury NYC, certain elements have been updated to keep the book relevant—the book now lists the Freedom Tower…New York A Mod Portrait may be a very playful portrayal of the city, but the real achievement is how the book really touches the heart and soul of the city…this book will ignite the same exhilaration and enchantment felt upon arriving here for the very first time.” -ArtDaily

"In 1964, Vladimír Fuka captured the brilliance of New York in a book of drawings. All of the copies were thought to be destroyed—until now!" -Town & Country

"In 1968, an innocent guidebook fell victim to the Cold War. Its whimsical drawings and poetic lines devoted to New York City were destroyed by the Czechoslovakian secret police—all but one copy, that is. Nearly fifty years later, the grandson of its author found the original manuscript buried in an old wardrobe, and this week, it entered American circulation for the first time ever. What Mahler and his friend, an artist named Vladímir Fuka, had drafted some 44 years ago was a whimsical, poetic guide to NYC called, New York: A Mod Portrait of the City." ~Daily Beast

"The Prague Spring of 1968 left a curious legacy. New York: A Mod Portrait of the City was a book published in Czechoslovakia in that year and it is the most adorable book about NYC you've never seen... Happy ending: next week, it's back in print, slightly updated." -Manhattan Users Guide

"And so a pretty, 1960s era guidebook to New York is now the perfect coffee table book." -Gothamist

"Mahler and Fuka's books are particularly well-suited to travel types as they liked to illustrate the buildings, parks, public institutions, and people of world cities. New York: A Mod Portrait of the City is a "found" work." -About.com

From the Publisher