Long taboo, lived experience of motherhood--and all that accompanies it--has become the subject of urgent discussions within the art world. Acts of Creation: On Art and Motherhood proposes the artist mother as an important cultural figure, though one long overlooked. Modern and contemporary artists such as Berthe Morisot, Barbara Hepworth, Jenny Saville, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Betye Saar, Suzanne Valadon, Louise Bourgeois, Carrie Mae Weems, and many others, address motherhood as a creative enterprise, albeit one tempered variously by ambivalence, exhaustion, and grief. Renowned author and critic Hettie Judah also addresses the conventions and expectations of motherhood through the lens of queer theory, environmental anxiety, and alternative family models. Acts of Creation reflects on the work of a new generation of artists examining the meaning of maternity and the ongoing struggles surrounding reproductive rights. From ancient goddess artifacts to contemporary interpretations of pregnancy in popular culture, this captivating, accessible, and well-illustrated narrative challenges perceptions and illuminates the complexities of motherhood in our ever-changing world.

Inspired by the lapidaries of the ancient world, this book is a beautifully designed collection of true stories about sixty different stones that have influenced our shared history

The earliest scientists ground and processed minerals in a centuries-long quest for a mythic stone that would prolong human life. Michelangelo climbed mountains in Tuscany searching for the sugar-white marble that would yield his sculptures. Catherine the Great wore the wealth of Russia stitched in gemstones onto the front of her bodices.

Through the realms of art, myth, geology, philosophy and power, the story of humanity can be told through the minerals and materials that have allowed us to evolve and create. From the Taiwanese national treasure known as the Meat-Shaped Stone to Malta's prehistoric fat lady temples carved in globigerina limestone to the amethyst crystals still believed to have healing powers, Lapidarium is a jewel box of sixty far-flung stones and the stories that accompany them. Together, they explore how human culture has formed stone, and the roles stone has played in forming human culture.

For too long, artists have been told that they can't have both motherhood and a successful career. In this polemical volume, critic and campaigner Hettie Judah argues that a paradigm shift is needed within the art world to take account of the needs of artist mothers (and other parents: artist fathers, parents who don't identify with the term 'mother', and parents in other sectors of the art world).

Drawing on interviews with artists internationally, the book highlights some of the success stories that offer models for the future, from alternative support networks and residency models, to studio complexes with onsite childcare, and galleries with family-friendly policies.

Some artists have described motherhood as providing them with renewed focus, a new direction in their work, and even inspiration for a complete change of career. Other artists choose to keep their domestic and creative lives compartmentalised. All are placed at a disadvantage by the art world as it is currently structured. This book argues that by making changes and becoming more sensitive to the needs of artist parents, the art world has much to gain.

• An engaging and accessible guide to the galleries, art museums and artists of London, past and present
• Authored by Hettie Judah, contributor on art for The Guardian, The New York Times and Vogue
• Exclusive photography includes portraits of Tracey Emin, Anish Kapoor, Grayson Perry, Chantal Joffe, Rasheed Araeen, Jeremy Deller, Yinka Shonibare and many more, in their own studios
• Part of a new series exploring London culture, joined by Vinyl London, Rock 'n' Roll London, Writers' London and London Peculiars

Prodigies, revolutionaries, defiers of the patriarchy; drunks, rebels and impassioned immigrants; queer pioneers, paint-spattered punks and proto-feminists: there have always been artists in London. Some were celebrated in their lifetime, others were out-of-step with the spirit of their age: too radical, too subversive, too modest, too female, too foreign.

Art London is more than a guidebook. It will accompany you on a journey through this great city, telling stories, uncovering histories, sharing insights into those who have made, collected and influenced art past and present. Moving neighbourhood by neighbourhood, Art London travels the streets with you, revealing art in museums, galleries and beyond, from palace to pub to studio.

Anish Kapoor, Grayson Perry, Mona Hatoum, John Akomfra, Rasheed Araeen, Sunil Gupta, Tracey Emin and Yinka Shonibare were among the artists who agreed to have their portraits taken for this book, while at work in their studios. Alex Schneiderman's exclusive photographs reveal the human element behind contemporary art, while pictures of streetside galleries place London's art scene within an ever-expanding cosmopolitan world.

Fascinating, entertaining, full of anecdote and insights, Art London reflects the city itself: energetic, diverse, resilient, occasionally outrageous, and never short of fresh ideas.

Step into the world of Frida Kahlo: behind the portraits and the surrealist art discover the fascinating woman who has transfixed the world.

Fridamania has made Frida Kahlo's image ubiquitous: she has been reborn as a Halloween costume, Barbie doll, children's book character, textile print, phone cover and the inspiration for everything from cocktails to fashion shoots. But it is more difficult to get a clear vision of this bold and brilliant, foul-mouthed, heavy-drinking, hard-smoking, husband-stealing, occasionally bisexual, often bed-bound, wheelchair-using, needy, forthright and passionate woman. Hettie Judah sets out to correct that with this superb biography of one of the most charismatic artists of the last hundred years.

Follow Frida's life through tumultuous love and life-altering accidents, towards recognition in the art world from the likes of Andr Breton and Marcel Duchamp, to becoming the first Mexican artist held at the Louvre. Judah delves into Kahlo's experiences and how these came together to inspire the art that has been described as an uncompromising depiction of the female experience and form. From an early battle with Polio, to a debilitating bus accident at 18, through love and heart ache, the life of Frida Kahlo was one of pain but a pain that bore great beauty.

Hettie Judah is a contributing writer for publications including the Guardian, Vogue, The New York Times, Frieze and Art Quarterly.

Lives of the Artists is a new series by Laurence King. Concise, highly readable biographies of some of the world's greatest artists written by authoritative and respected names from the world of art. Learn about the artist behind the masterpieces.

Currently available: Andy Warhol and Artemisia Gentileschi

Unearth the secret lives of stones in this dazzling cabinet of curiosities exploring the fascinating stories of 25 spectacular rocks and gems.

Delve into a world of gemstones, rocks, and minerals to discover the golden amber that once dripped as liquid resin in prehistoric forests, capturing ancient creatures for eternity. Find out how deep-blue lapis lazuli has been prized for thousands of years and used to make a rare paint pigment by artists during the Renaissance and discover the amazing magnetic properties of lodestone, and how this helped Chinese sailors navigate the oceans over 2,000 years ago.

Covering geology, history, myth, and folklore, renowned art-critic Hettie Judah brings the stories of stones to life, with beautiful illustrations by award-winning artist Jennifer N R Smith. All stones have a story to tell--stories that teach us about the history of the planet and our human past.

Readers will also get to:

- Explore Greek cities with gleaming-white temples made from marble.

-Travel to Earth's satellite and uncover the secrets of moon rock.

- Unearth the mystery of how a Greek monster created coral.

-Meet the civilization that prized green jade over gold.