Coffee Table Curator: Gio Ponti, Jamie Hawkesworth, and the Glory of Provence

Coffee Table Curator is a monthly series showing—no, telling—you which art and culture books to add to your living room repertoire (your remote control and beer-stained coasters will look chic by association). Here’s what we recommend for the month of July when you want to escape the heat and cuddle up with your air conditioner. 

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Provence Glory, Assouline, $95.00

Two summers ago, the French designer Simon Porte Jacquemus wove a hot pink runway through the rambling hills of Provence’s lavender fields for his 10th anniversary fashion show. The scene was quite the spectacle: a theatre smack in the middle of a pastoral landscape set the stage for a brand that has come to epitomize the modern Cote D’Azur aesthetic. Pictured in Assouline’s Provence Glory, there’s no question why Jacquemus continues to be inspired by his native region—the province dazzles with its bucolic beauty. After flipping through the pages of the publisher’s newest travel tome, readers will find themselves scouring the internet for the next Air France flight out. 

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Peter Lindbergh. Azzedine Alaia, Taschen, $80.00

When Cher Horowitz uttered those famous words—“You don’t understand, this is an Alaïa! It’s like a totally important designer!”— the iconic Tunisian couture label was on a steady rise through the fashion world’s ranks. More than 25 years later, the cult classic film has endured as a popular favorite, and Alaïa continues to be a totally important designer. In fact, the legendary clothier was on the tip of every fashion lover’s tongue last week as Pieter Mulier debuted his first Couture collection as the house’s new creative director. The collection echoes the signature aesthetic developed by the brand’s founder, Azzedine Alaïa, whose legendary designs are the subject of Taschen’s new publication, featuring unforgettable images captured by the late, great Peter Lindbergh.

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I Can’t Stand To See You Cry, Loose Joints, $50.00

Photographer Rahim Fortune offers a multilayered interpretation of the word “homecoming” in his new monograph I Can’t Stand To See You Cry. After leaving New York City for his home state of Texas in the midst of the pandemic and a summer of civil unrest, Fortune captures a portfolio of images that are both visceral and intimate. The book paints a beguiling and romantic portrait of the human experience, set against the backdrop of an arid Texas landscape.  

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Hamptons Private, Assouline, $95.00

Interview’s founder, Andy Warhol, was notorious for working hard and playing harder, but the Hamptons is where the pop artist caught some much-needed Zs. Warhol’s former Montauk estate was a beachy escape for artists and icons like Halston, Lee Radziwill, and Mick Jagger to gather for buttery lobster buffets and seaside champagne sipping. A hop, skip, and Jitney ride east of New York City, this sumptuous and sandy stretch of Long Island is at the heart of Hamptons Private, an enticing blue volume that surfs the waves of nostalgia from summers past. 

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The British Isles, MACK, $70.00

Photographer Jamie Hawkesworth’s contribution to modern portrait photography something like malt vinegar’s contribution to fish and chips—pure harmony. A longtime collaborator with brands like Loewe and J.W. Anderson, Hawkesworth’s images have brought a salt-of-the-earth quality and sense of familial camaraderie to the pages of Vogue and Fantastic Man, and his latest book is no exception. The British Isles offers a selection of luscious snapshots, captured over a thirteen-year period, of the United Kingdom’s denizens. 

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Gio Ponti, Taschen, $250.00

Gio Ponti boasts an unparalleled resume of artistic and architectural accomplishments, from New York’s Time/Life building to his iconic Superleggera chairs. This week, Taschen released a new tome on the late Italian artist. Weighing in at nearly 600 pages, the bold monograph offers a technicolor glimpse into the life and work of the godfather of Milanese design.