The Ken Adam Archive Book - Signed & Numbered XL Edition by Taschen is a special release of 1,200 numbered copies, each signed by Sir Ken Adam, with an engraved orange acrylic bookstand.
A giant of production design, Sir Ken Adam was the inspiration behind the sinister lairs of many of James Bond’s adversaries. Featuring an unmatched wealth of material from his archive of sketches, concepts, and photographs held by the Deutsche Kinemathek, this signed edition honors an indelible, decorated career.
Backstory. The production designs of the Oscar-winning Sir Ken Adam Winner of two Academy Awards, two BAFTAs, and the Art Directors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, and knighted for distinguished services to film, Sir Ken Adam is widely acknowledged as the world’s most influential production designer.
Details. This Collector’s Edition of 1,200 numbered copies is signed at the front by Sir Ken Adam and has a hardcover in iridescent fabric with a four-phase lenticular detail. The 360 page book is realised in collaboration with the Deutsche Kinemathek, which was honored with Adam’s personal archive in 2012, and is illustrated by hundreds of sketches and photographs, many of them never published to this date. Whether in the sprawling extravagance of You Only Live Twice’s volcanic lair, or the unassuming simplicity of the sinister anteroom in Dr. No, Adam’s designs were indispensable to the look and feel of seven of the early James Bond films.
In The Ken Adam Archive, his artworks are carefully complimented by a wealth of behind-the scenes photographs, documents, and archival material on the films, courtesy of EON Productions. Not only did Adam craft the space stations, bunkers, and laboratories of 007’s villains, he was responsible for many of his memorable vehicles, as whimsical as they were menacing: from the amphibious Lotus Esprit in The Spy Who Loved Me to Goldfinger’s gadget-laden Aston Martin DB5, the ultimate combination of futuristic weaponry and tongue-in-cheek wit.
Through a series of illuminating interviews between Adam and author Sir Christopher Frayling, The Ken Adam Archive reflects upon the life and work of the German-British refugee and fighter pilot who would go on to realize a celebrated career in production design, spanning seven decades and over 50 films.
The book comes boxed with a special orange acrylic bookstand.
Dimensions. W36cm/14.2", H36 cm/14.2", 3.88 kg/8.54 lb
