Art rules the world. But what about the rules of art? In our current day and age, the general consensus seems to be that creativity, divine inspiration and art can never be bound by rules. Artists need to push the envelope, be ahead of the curve, and if there are any rules out there it is the artist's prerogative, if not God-given right, to break them.

But up to the early 20th century, artists did not have the complete artistic freedom that they are believed to enjoy today. They were bound by...

Since 1846, the Vlisco company, located in Helmond, has supplied the Western and Central African market with Dutch Wax fabrics. This book is an homage to the fabric's fascinating history - more than a hundred years old, born in Indonesia, designed in the Netherlands, loved in Africa and coveted in the West. Full of layered meaning, the fabrics find their way to Parisian fashion shows, markets in Ghana and galleries in London and New York. More than 200 examples of fabrics from the Vlisco arch...