Biographies / autobiographies

Raphaël Minnesota retraces the career and explores the whole oeuvre of Patrice Kirchhofer (1953-2019), one of the most mysterious and mythical filmmakers of French experimental cinema.

Wesley Brown narrates the day when trumpeter Miles Davis was assaulted by the New York Police Department. A dramatic and humorous story, told from multiple perspectives including that of Frances Taylor, Davis's wife, and the musicians in Davis's bands: a timely meditation on the psychological impact of police brutality, through the lens of a day in the life of Miles Davis.

A novel by Liam Gillick.

The fascinating story of Jack Goldstein, the beginnings of CalArts, and some of the illustrious fellows who, in the 1970s and 1980s, led the transition from conceptual art to the Pictures Generation, paints an uncompromising picture of the art world then and now.

A history of the museum of modern art, exhibitions and discourses on art and its public in the 20th century, from the trajectory of Jean Cassou (1897-1986), writer, resistance fighter, art critic, poet and chief curator of thenational museum for modern art of France from 1945 to 1965.

The first book to examine the life and work of the fascinating figure of Saul Bass, exploring the designer's revolutionary career and his lasting impact on the entertainment and advertising industries.

A collection of biographical and musical essays about composer-performer Julius Eastman—a compelling portrait of Eastman's enigmatic and intriguing life and music.

A celebration of the 40 years of career of electropop pioneers.

The biography of the singer and performer Mikami Kan, figure of the Japanese underground scene, with two unreleased concerts on CD.

The life and work of Amercian experimental musician/composer/intermedia artist Jerry Hunt (1943-1993)—an intimate portrait of a lifetime spent with one of the most eccentric figures in the world of new music

A memoir by Kawasaki-based writer and musician Kazuki Tomokawa, Try Saying You're Alive! offers a semi-fictionalized account of the vibrant Tokyo underground that he has been at the center of since the 1970s.

Between a film diary and a manifesto on the creative process, this book is a wild and enchanting journey in Karen Dalton's footsteps, the cult singer and her breathtaking voice, friend of Bob Dylan and forgotten muse of the '60s, and offers an investigation combining texts, photographs, drawings and archives, at the crossroads of the worlds of art, music and cinema.

Between a film diary and a manifesto on the creative process, this book is a wild and enchanting journey in Karen Dalton's footsteps, the cult singer and her breathtaking voice, friend of Bob Dylan and forgotten muse of the '60s, and offers an investigation combining texts, photographs, drawings and archives, at the crossroads of the worlds of art, music and cinema. The book is accompanied by Emmanuelle Antille's film A Bright Light – Karen and the Process on DVD (special offer).

A history of dance in Lyon and in France over the last 40 years through the story of the various lives of Guy Darmet, director for 30 years of the Maison de la Danse and initiator of the first International Dance Biennale.

Feathers presents a collection of notes written by the Swiss artist during the conception of an aborted documentary in 2005. Taking the shape of a diary, it offers a unique gateway into Manon's daily life, interweaving memories and reflections on her artistic practice.

An investigation into the history of Tunisian filmmaker Habib Masrouki (1950-1980).

In this provocative intellectual biography, architectural historian Mark Wigley makes the surprising claim that the thinking behind modernist architect Konrad Wachsmann's legendary projects was dominated by the idea of television.

The encounter between international artist Gary Hill and Martin Cothren, an Amerindian fisherman from the Yakama reserve, thrown in prison and died homeless shortly after his release: conceived by Gary Hill, this singular book alternates the story of their common history over twenty years, touching and tragic (an opportunity for Hill to look back on his own trajectory) and Cothren's letters, interspersed with his extraordinary naive drawings.

The encounter between international artist Gary Hill and Martin Cothren, an Amerindian fisherman from the Yakama reserve, thrown in prison and died homeless shortly after his release: conceived by Gary Hill, this singular book alternates the story of their common history over twenty years, touching and tragic (an opportunity for Hill to look back on his own trajectory) and Cothren's letters, interspersed with his extraordinary naive drawings.

An illustrated portrait of Laurent Le Deunff through interviews with various personalities, artists, filmmaker, philosopher and art critics.

When she started writing the Corona Tales, Chus Martínez had been weighing how people and the media were addressing the outbreak of the virus as an unprecedented disaster. One possible contribution, as curator and writer, would be to write a short story a day and post it on an Instagram account that many could access…

The unpublished story, reproduced in facsimile, of the journey to Paris of Frédéric Bruly Bouabré (1923-2014), Ivorian poet and artist, "prophet", creator and inventor of the Bété alphabet, who writes a "report" of his encounter with the Western world on his return from the opening of the mythical exhibition "Magiciens de la Terre".

This book merges memoir and social critique in an original fashion. By combining personal observations with a general systemic analysis, it thereby seeks to propose a new genre of writing.

A free reflection on the influence of Bertolt Brecht in the work of Nina Hagen, this hybrid text approaches two great popular figures of German culture through an unusual prism, through the margins, and paints a portrait of Nina Hagen as we have never seen her before.

A portrait of Claude Ollier (1922-2014), writer of the Nouveau Roman, where memories, reflections, hypotheses and descriptions are intertwined, with a notebook of photographs composed by Camille Rosset.

Through the detailed analysis of Antonin Artaud's psychiatric history, Lettrist master Isidore Isou delivers a real indictment in this singular text which is both an investigation and a pamphlet.

A story, between myth and reality, of Caravaggio, by parodic artist Arnaud Labelle-Rojoux.

Limited edition, numbered from 1 to 20, with an original artwork signed by the artist.

This artist’s book gathers childhood memories, some lived experiences and personal reflections on the family histories and relations, and the ways in which they interweave with geographical locations.

This autobiographical novel describes the author's esoteric quest and involvement with a shaman in the hope of saving his mother, diagnosed with terminal cancer.

In this collection of stories and illustrations, Szaflarski examines the subject of violence, in particular as it is experienced through the female body. Beginning with an autobiographical experience, the story triggers a dissociative state that plunges the book in and out of imaginary worlds and associative narrative threads.

L'Incroyable is a monographic magazine dedicated to an artist's teenage years and his cultural background. This third issue proposes an immersion into the young years of artist Nicole Eisenman in New York in the 1980s.

The story of epoch-changing activist, prolific writer, and Swedish countercultural icon Katarina Taikon's life.

Angéline Neveu, a figure of May '68 then of the French poetic underground, close to the Situationists, tells herself and offers a testimony on the years 1960-70.

The richly illustrated memoirs of 1960-1970s jet-set call-girl/muse Susi Wyss: In 800 pages and 1.000 photographs, this publication tells the sulfurous story of Wyss' first forty years. A true tale of sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll, in which the reader will meet a gallery of colorful socialites and artists like Helmut Newton, Kenneth Anger, Iggy Pop, Dennis Hopper, Brion Gysin…

Interview with one of the great figures of art photography today, in which Sophie Ristelhueber reflects on her own carrer and practice.

A biography of the founder of Pataphysics, by Alastair Brotchie.

The first volume of Peter Kurzeck's great autobiographical and poetic chronicle in 12 volumes: the opening of a colossal literary project which portrays the city of Frankfurt and Germany in the early 1980s. A must read, often compared to Proust, Joyce, and Döblin.

Fictionalized biography of Anita Berber, the sulphurous expressionist icon, dancer, actress, and muse.

Autobiographical fiction telling forty years of radio creation.

First French translation of Judy Chicago's autobiography-manifesto.

This publication presents a series of some forty autobiographical drawings in pencil, ink and watercolor. The artist chose to recount his life as a children's story, flicking through fleeting memories, dramatic events, and brief anecdotes.

The life and work of Winnaretta Singer, Princesse de Polignac, who used her fortune to support the arts, sciences and literature, and whose influence on the musical and literary worlds of the twentieth century is immeasurable.

The life and times of jazz multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy, free-jazz precursor and collaborator of Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, and Ornette Coleman.

A highly personal and sensitive exploration of motherhood.