Founded in Milan in 2002, 5 Continents Editions is an independent and international publishing house specialised in high quality illustrated books. Its editorial activities range from books on art, archaeology, photography, fashion, design and the decorative arts, with a special focus on African and Asian art.
At the heart of 5 Continents Editions is a passion for the visual arts and non-European cultures cultivated by the Belgian-born founder, Eric Ghysels, who believes that a publisher can and should play an important role in transmitting multicultural values. This conviction, united with a healthy dose of passion, curiosity, artistic and intellectual independence, forms the foundation for the creation and development of editorial projects produced by this Italian publishing house.
As an independent publisher - a rare breed in today’s publishing world - 5 Continents’ editorial philosophy takes inspiration from two guiding principles: a genuine interest in the subject matter and a dedication to maintaining the highest editorial, design and production standards. The publisher as artisan: this is one of the principles that characterises 5 Continents’ books and distinguishes the way in which the members of the 5 Continents team work—with passion and precision—in the realization of editorial projects.
In addition to publishing volumes dedicated to the ethnic arts of Asia, the Americas, and Oceania, 5 Continents Editions is the premier publisher of African art books.
With a strong international distribution network, particularly in Europe and in the United States, 5 Continents Editions publishes monographs and surveys, as well as exhibition catalogues for museums and exhibition venues.
5 Continents has worked with a number of internationally renowned museums and institutions including the Musée du Louvre and Musée d’Orsay of Paris, the National Gallery of Washington D.C., the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution of Washington D.C, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Asia Society of New York, the St. Louis Art Museum, the de Young Museum of San Francisco, the Grand Palais of Paris, the Musée d’Art Contemporain of Lyon, the Barbier-Mueller of Geneva, to name a few.
Moreover, 5 Continents co-publishes a series called the Drawing Gallery with the Musée du Louvre, and has created two series with the Musée d’Orsay, one dedicated to photography and the other to drawing.
The publishing house, in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art of New York, is currently working on a new series dedicated to product and graphic design. The first two books in the MoMA Design Series are entitled Italian Design and American Design by Giampiero Bosoni and Russell Flinchum respectively, and with introductions by Paola Antonelli, senior curator of architecture and design at MoMA. Both titles will be launched in autumn 2008.
