Giuseppe Sommaruga (1867-1917). Un protagonista del Liberty (Giuseppe Sommaruga (1867-1917): A Liberty Star) is the catalogue for the show that ran in Varese and Milan over spring and summer 2017, commemorating the centenary of Giuseppe Sommaruga's death and 150th anniversary of his birth. Sommaruga was not merely one of the major exponents of Italian Liberty, but also a daring innovator and avantgarde visionary who redefined Art Nouveau's very style.
Andrea Speziali's monograph proposes a journey of discovery through Sommaruga's architectural legacy, making special reference to Varese and Milan. It deals with several of the period's emblematic themes, such as urban mansions, rental accommodation, funerary architecture and town and summer villas.

SPEZIALI, Andrea, 2017 / Giuseppe Sommaruga (1867-1917). Un protagonista del Liberty
CARTACANTA, FORLÌ
381 pp, 21 x 28 cm, colour and black and white illustrations. Published in Italian
Available in paperback: Euros 30

For more information: www.italialiberty.it

Several frescoes by Galileo Chini (1873 - 1956), one of the major figures of Italian Liberty style, have been located in an abandoned villa on the outskirts of Castelfiorentino (Florence). They were discovered by Italia Liberty director Andrea Speziali based on some clues in Flickr, where photographer J. Dellagiacoma had posted several images of the frescoes. "They are undoubtedly the work of this major artist from Florence," claims Speziali after making comparisons and conducting research into the authenticity of the works.

The large frescoes decorate the walls of several of the rooms in the villa Cipressi and are not in the very best of conditions. Speziali has therefore proposed to the current owners of the building to raise funds in order to save Chini's paintings, an initiative that would also serve to organise a congress in Florence dedicated to Liberty style and Chini's work. Also part of the event would be the idea to create the first Liberty museum, a new cultural space that could indeed be located in the villa.

Ismael Smith. La bellesa i els monstres (Ismael Smith: The Beauty and the Monsters) is the catalogue of the exhibition presented at the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya from June to September 2017. The show covered Ismael Smith's full artistic trajectory, bringing together works from the many disciplines he practised, such as sculpture, drawing, illustration, poster art, interior design, ceramics, jewellery design, engraving, exlibris, as well as painting, a practically unknown facet of this artist.

Ismael Smith was one of the great Catalan sculptors of the twentieth century, but as a result of his transgressive production, he was labelled a satirical illustrator and trinket maker, never receiving the recognition he was due.

CASAMARTINA, Josep 2017 / Ismael Smith. La bellesa i els monstres
Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona
296 pp., 21 x 24 cm, colour illustrations. Published in Catalan and Spanish, both editions including translation of the texts in English
Available in paperback / euros 33
For more information: www.laie.es

The book Catalogue Rodin. Le livre du centenaire (Rodin Catalogue: the Centenary Book) is published by Les Editions Rmn-Grand Palais on the centenary of the death of the celebrated sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). Beyond his oeuvre as a sculptor, the catalogue highlights other artístic practices of Rodin such as the invention of the assemblage technique, collage, drawing and the use of photography.

Various authors, 2017 / Catalogue Rodin. Le livre du centenaire
Les Éditions Rmn-Grand Palais, Paris
400 pp., 25.5 x 30 cm, 420 illustrations. Published in French
Available in hardcover / euros 49
For more information: www.boutiquesdemusees.fr

Ghost of Gaudí is a comic book whose elegant drawings narrate a tale of terrible events inside the buildings of architect Antoni Gaudi.
The story unfolds from the moment that Antonia - just a supermarket checkout girl - saves an old man from being knocked down. From then on, a series of horrific yet intriguing events are unleashed within the famous Catalan architect's buildings, where terribly mutilated bodies are found. The police are at an impasse while Antonia keeps insisting that she has seen Gaudi's ghost.
This publication is the result of a perfect match between El Torres' drawings and Jesús Alonso Iglesias' terrifying and enthralling text.

TORRES, Juan and ALONSO IGLESIAS, Jesús, 2015 / Ghost of Gaudí
Dibbuks, Madrid
124 pp., 19.5 x 27.5 cm, colour illustrations. Published in English, Catalan, Spanish, French, Dutch and German
Available in hardcover / euros 22
For more information: www.dibbuks.es