When Phaidon first published Cream—an international survey of 100 contemporary artists deemed the "best" by an equally international group of critics in 1998—the book quickly sold out its print run and became a collector's item. Two years later, Fresh Cream followed (packaged in a very cool air pillow), and doubled its initial print run after a trip back to press.
Now, Phaidon's hot-young-artists series is a brand that's in demand. Initial orders for Cream 3 (Aug.) "are up again," said publicity director Julia Joern. "It's a much-sought-after guide to contemporary art. People buy it just to find out who's in it." Like its predecessors, Cream 3 will showcase 100 contemporary artists chosen by 10 critics, plus a new feature: each curator will cite a source artist who has influenced the younger generation. Artists in this volume include video artist Paul Pfeiffer, painter Julie Mehretu and multimedia artist Sam Durant.
Building on its success with Cream, and a similar photography survey launched last year called Blink, Phaidon's expanding its reach with another stylish series. In October, the house will publish Area, a survey of 100 contemporary graphic designers from around the world, chosen by 10 design professionals. As with Cream, the book's launch will involve a series of public events, panel discussions, exhibitions and parties in London, Paris, New York and Berlin.
The 448-page Area will sell for $69.99. Among the designers chosen are two American comics artists, Joe Sacco and Chris Ware, who are both cited for the inventive design of their graphic novels.
