Fungi - by Phaidon Editors (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

With millions of species worldwide, fungi and mushrooms are some of the most diverse living things on the planet, and have inspired everything from spirituality, pop culture, and art to design, fashion, and film.

This beautifully illustrated book celebrates the indelible role of mushrooms and fungi in visual culture. Readers will discover more than 200 full-page images arranged into artful pairings: a pre-Columbian gold pendant next to a Tiffany Studios glass table lamp; an Hermès scarf across from a sixteenth-century botanical illustration; a Yayoi Kusama painting juxtaposed with a plastic figurine of the Nintendo character Toad. Work by Marc Chagall, Hilma af Klint, Andy Warhol, and Takashi Murakami appear alongside ancient Roman frescoes, drawings by pioneering mycologists, iconic children's picture books, classic films, and vintage ceramicware.

Together, the images reveal how fungi and mushrooms have intrigued and inspired humankind across time and around the world.

Review Quotes

'Examines how fungal forms and associations have travelled across different cultural contexts, from historical botanical illustrations to contemporary artworks and everyday objects.' - Design Boom

'A record of the many ways people have tried to observe, understand, use, and imagine fungi.' - Myconeer

About the Author

Francesca Gavin is Editor in Chief of EPOCH Review and Director of Visual Arts at Murmur. She is the author of twelve books on art and visual culture and regularly contributes to publications including the Financial Times, Konfekt, and CURA. Among her curatorial work, Gavin has produced three exhibitions on mushrooms in contemporary art and design, including shows at Somerset House in London and Fundação de Serralves in Porto, Portugal.