Art Market: Phaidon Acquires The Monacelli Press

As book lovers we’ve always been big fans of the art, architecture and interior design books published by The Monacelli Press. So we’re delighted to announce that Artspace’s parent company, Phaidon, has acquired the esteemed publishing house.

“This acquisition reinforces our commitment to publish the most distinguished authors and create highly designed and edited books that inspire generations of readers,” said Phaidon CEO Keith Fox, commenting on the announcement. 

The Monacelli Press was founded in 1994 by Gianfranco Monacelli and launched with the seminal title S,M,L,XL by Rem Koolhaas and Bruce Mau in 1995. It’s widely regarded as a groundbreaking monograph that has remained unsurpassed in terms of its influence on design.

O.M.A. Rem Koolhaas and Bruce Mau – S,M,L,XL – published by The Monacelli Press

From that impressive beginning, the company went on to publish more than 400 books on architecture, fine arts, landscape and gardens, photography, and graphic and interior design. As you might imagine, the distinguished publisher has collaborated with many giants of the creative world.

A short roll call of these includes: architects Robert A.M. Stern, Henry N.Cobb, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Rafael Moneo, and SHoP; interior designers Thomas Jayne Ellie Cullman, Suzanne Tucker, and Matthew Patrick Smyth; and landscape designers Piet Oudolf, Michael Van Valkenburgh, Raymond Jungles, Edmund Hollander, and Kate Orff.

 

Robert A.M. Stern Architects – Buildings and Projects 2015-19 – published by The Monacelli Press

An applied arts imprint, Monacelli Studio, was launched in 2015, adding art instruction, photography technique, and crafts to the publisher’s roster. Its authors represent the leading artists and instructors in their fields, including Juliette Aristides, Steven B. Reddy, J. C. Amberlyn, Roberto Osti, Robert Zeller, Mario Andres Robinson, and Brenda Tharp.

Figure Drawing Atelier – published by The Monacelli Press

Fox called The Monacelli Press’s portfolio “an exciting opportunity to accelerate Phaidon’s growth and expand into new categories where Monacelli has excelled for the past twenty- five years.”

He singled out some of his personal favorites among the 400 books the company has published, citing a beautiful book on Marfa houses called Marfa Modern, and Hotel Chelsea – photographer Colin Miller and writer Ray Mock’s atmospheric profile of the residents of the legendary New York bohemian haven.

Hotel Chelsea – published by The Monacelli Press

Phaidon and Monacelli are a neat fit. Both share a mission in publishing the best in art and design, while the new venture opens an exciting new chapter for Phaidon, the world’s premier publisher of the creative arts.

“I am delighted that Phaidon will be the new owner of The Monacelli Press,” said Monacelli founder Gianfranco Monacelli. “After twenty-five years of publishing influential books that have challenged the conventions of traditional publishing, I cannot think of a better company than Phaidon to carry on our program of provocative and essential titles and to take the Press to the next level.”