Friedrich Christian Flick Collection im Hamburger Bahnhof

This is, quite possibly, one of the world's best designed art books. Featured within its pages are works from the Friedrich Christian Flick Collection--one of the world's most significant (and yes, controversial) collections of contemporary art. But this book doesn't merely present some 400 works by 40 artists, it also seeks, through its design, to provide an individual stage--or section--for each artist in order to highlight the artist's philosophy, or to play off of his or her signature works of art. For example, Raymond Pettibon's comic-like drawings unfold to a newspaper-sized spread, while Gordon Matta-Clark's opening page has a split in it that corresponds perfectly to the cut-out in the house of his now-iconic piece, Splitting. The photograph of the house is revealed in full when the page is turned. A list of each artist's works in the collection is provided at the start of their section, which is coded with a specific color for that artist, and often features changes in paper type that correspond to a specific body of work (Larry Clark's gritty black and white Tulsa images are printed on uncoated paper, while Rachel Khedoori's Pink Room color images are made even more vibrant by high-gloss paper.) With splendid color reproductions, color-coded pages, and luxurious gatefolds, this book is not just a book about art--it is art. Anyone who has a love of art, of design, or of books will treasure this volume, which also gives detailed specs on every piece of art, and a short bio on each artist. The Friedrich Christian Flick Collection reads as a book of 40 individual monographs . . . turning each page is a treat.