Books published by Hatje Cantz Verlag GmbH

Competition is one of the driving forces of our time - everything can suddenly turn into a challenge or a contest. Art, on the other hand - that is outside the art market - can be seen as a free space in which something genuinely unique emerges. That this construct is a historical exception is revealed by a fresh look at the early modern period: Here, the principle of competition was thought to be decisive for artistic work. What is more, the competitive habitus of imitation, competition and surpassing - imitatio, aemulatio and superatio - was supposed to bring about cultural progress as such. Even Leonardo knew that "good envy" spurs high performance. Hence, some of the most famous works of the Renaissance and Baroque periods emerged from the competitive battles that artists in early modern Europe fought among themselves, as well as with long-dead models from antiquity. This splendid catalogue reveals mutual inspiration and cooperation, but also sheds light on the dark side of competition for prestigious commissions - envy, intrigue, and slander.

Inspired by dioramas of wild flora and fauna found in natural history museums, Jim Naughten's digital reimaginations of a familiar yet alien world, explore the idea of wildlife becoming a lost fantasy. From orangutans swinging through psychedelic forests, to deer roaming pastel-hued canyons-Naughten's depictions of nature in an artificial color palette convey a distinct sense of dislocation and growing estrangement. His fantastical tableaus question our rose-tinted image of a natural world that is largely fictional. In fact we are entering the Eremozoic-a term coined by biologist and writer E. O. Wilson to describe the current era of mass extinction triggered by human activity. Also referred to as "The Age of Loneliness," the term alludes to the isolation that will follow the destruction of our deeply rooted relationships with other species.JIM NAUGHTEN (*1969, Horsham, Sussex) explores historical and natural history subject matters using photography, stereoscopy, and painting. Trained in both photography and painting, the London-based artist combines these backgrounds in a practice he refers to as "digital painting". Treating photographs like oil paintings on canvas, he uses digital enhancement to alter reality.