Books of Art / Body Art & Tattooing

  • Bushido: Legacies of the Japanese Tattoo
    Bushido: Legacies of the Japanese Tattoo
    By Takahiro Kitamura, Katie M. Kitamura

    This gorgeous book delves into the elusive world of traditional Japanese tattooing. The Samurai spirit, Bushido, is an integral component of Japanese tattooing that is traced through the imagery and...

  • The Japanese Tattoo
    The Japanese Tattoo
    By Ian Buruma, Donald Richie

    This text offers a treatment of the history, symbolism, and social function of tattooing in Japan, from its earliest beginnings to the present day.

  • The New Tattoo
    The New Tattoo
    By Victoria Lautman

    This sophisticated look at the latest high-style skin decorations, created by the most creative contemporary tattoo artists, is divided into five chapters: Tribal; Paintings, Prints, and Portraits; Imagination and Fantasy;...

  • Orlan: The Narrative/le Recit
    Orlan: The Narrative/le Recit
    By Lorand Hegyi, Orlan, Eugenio Viola

    Since 1990, French-born artist Orlan has done seven plastic surgery "performances" which have radically reconstructed her face. She last added futuristic-looking pads of skin to each temple--utilizing the process which...

  • The Japanese Tattoo
    The Japanese Tattoo

    A collection of photographs of the Irezumi, a secretive group of people drawn from the Japanese underworld who have chosen to have themselves transformed through tattooing into living works of...

  • Vintage Tattoos: The Book of Old-School Skin Art
    Vintage Tattoos: The Book of Old-School Skin Art
    By Carol Clerk

    Tattoos have gone from badges of rebellion to fashion statements fully absorbed into mainstream culture. They are enjoying a renaissance, with graphic designers and artists creating specialty tattoos for a...

  • Skin Deep: Tattoos, the Disappearing West, Very Bad Men, and My Deep Love for Them All
    Skin Deep: Tattoos, the Disappearing West, Very Bad Men, and My Deep Love for Them All
    By Karol Griffin

    Believing herself a daughter of the West, Karol Griffin took the myths of the place-and of the outlaw-on faith. When she walked into the Body Art Workshop in Laramie, Wyoming,...

  • The Serra Effect
    The Serra Effect
    By Ivory SERRA

    Ivory has continually amazed me not only in his ability to catch a moment but to do it beautifully with spirit and panache. -Aaron Rose Conceived by Ivory Serra for...

  • The Art of Henna: The Ultimate Body Art Book
    The Art of Henna: The Ultimate Body Art Book
    By Pamela Nichols

    Healthy Planet Products with makeup artist and hairstylist Pamela Nichols have created simply the best henna book and kit on the market today. It contains everything you'll need to make...

  • Yves Klein
    Yves Klein
    By Nicolas Charlet

    In 1957 Yves Klein took out a patent on a certain blue, an intense brilliant ultramarine which he called International Klein Blue (IKB). His apparently identical monochrome paintings were made...

  • Skin Shows: The Tattoo Bible
    Skin Shows: The Tattoo Bible
    By Chris Wroblewski

    'Skin Shows: The Tattoo Bible' is a rich and provocative pictorial survey of an ancient art form that, until recently, remained hidden in our society's cultural underground. Tracing a global...

  • The Art of the Tattoo
    The Art of the Tattoo
    By Henry Ferguson, Lynn Procter

    From Native American designs to bikers' insignias, this one-of-kind collection of photographs features work done by more than 25 of the world's top tattoo artists in over 250 archival and...

  • The Tattoo History Source Book HC
    The Tattoo History Source Book HC
    By Steve Gilbert

    The Tattoo History Source Book is an exhaustingly thorough, lavishly illustrated collection of historical records of tattooing throughout the world, from ancient times to the present. Collected together in one...

  • Vintage Tattoos: A Sourcebook for Old-school Designs and Tattoo Artists
    Vintage Tattoos: A Sourcebook for Old-school Designs and Tattoo Artists
    By Carol Clerk

    "With its nautical symbolism, hearts and daggers, ribbon banners and scantily clad women, old-school tattoo designs reveal the history of an art form as well as a fascinating subculture. Showcasing...

  • Skin Deep: The Mystery of Tattooing
    By R. W. B. Scutt, Christopher Gotch

    Skin Deep: The Mystery of Tattooing

  • Body Art: The Human Canvas--ink and Steel
    Body Art: The Human Canvas--ink and Steel
    By Gary Lee Heard, David Cultrara

    Throughout time, numerous cultures have used body markings to signify status or enhance beauty. In western society, during the early part of the 20th century, tattooing was primarily limited to...

  • A History of Japanese Body Suit Tattooing
    A History of Japanese Body Suit Tattooing
    By Marco Bratt, Mark Poysden

    * Traces the history of the practice and artistry of body suit tattooing in Japan. * Highly illustrated: color and b/w photos and illus throughoutTattooing has had a long and...

  • The Painted Body
    The Painted Body
    By Michel Thevoz

    The conclusion of this unusual study, based on a wealth of evidence from all six continents, is both aesthetic and anthropological. There is no body but the painted or decorated...