The Gardens of Luciano Giubbilei

In the reissue of "The Gardens of Luciano Giubbilei," the photographs are so opulent and the text is so detailed you can feel the tranquility of strolling through these gardens even if you're simply sitting in your den.

Back in print to coincide with a major international speaking tour, this beautiful 240 page hardback volume features 320 illustrations and 12 plans from the designer's portfolio.

A garden means different things to different people, but Giubbilei's environs are elegant living rooms in an outdoor setting. So much more than horticulture, they are immaculate, precisely structured landscape compositions constructed of furniture, stone, terracotta, tile, water features, lighting, perfectly geometrical lawns, trees and shrubbery and exquisite art work.

Commissioned images by well-known garden photographer Steven Wooster reflect the different qualities of light on each of the spaces at different times of day; this only emphasizes the nuanced variations in designs that are uniformly understated in their sophistication.

Andrew Wilson is thorough in his description without ever making the book feel too text-heavy. He explains the way the overall look and feel was achieved through mood boards and details about the specifics of the locations, client needs and challenges within the space, as well as information about the artists and crafts people with whom Giubbilei collaborated.

Twelve significant gardens are broken into three sections. Each section contains three English gardens and one garden from another part of the world. Partitioning these sections are chapters on the design process, the artist whose (mostly sculptural) work is featured in these landscapes and a look at site development with specific case studies as examples.

Of particular interest are some of the commissions in the gardens and the marvelous artists behind them. The striking illustration of Keiichi Tahara's "Baiser" ("Kiss") featured on the front cover has been composed from images printed onto a series of glass plates.

Photographs in this book, captured at different times and from varying angles, demonstrate the way art evolves within the fluctuating temperaments of the day.

"The Gardens of Luciano Giubbilei"
By Andrew Wilson
Photography by Steven Wooster
Foreword by Tom Stuart-Smith

www.merrellpublishers.com