Five New Art and Architecture Books Reviewed

A multidisciplinary selection of five recent publications covers topics from the Duomo di Siena's marble floor to Hitler's aesthetic ideology. Marilena Caciorgna's 'Un libro di marmo. Il Pavimento del Duomo di Siena' (Sillabe, 2023) results from three decades of research on the cathedral's intarsia pavement, which Vasari called the most beautiful ever made. Alessandro Armando and Giovanni Durbiano's 'Critica della ragione progettuale' (Il Mulino, 2023) examines the hybrid nature of architectural design practice, blending technical, social, and ideal aspects. 'Soggetti cinematografici mai realizzati' (Marsilio, 2023), edited by Mauro Salvador and Nicola Dusi, collects about 160 unrealized film subjects by Cesare Zavattini, many unpublished, as the first volume of the Edizione Nazionale delle Opere. Frederic Spotts's 'Hitler e il potere dell'estetica' (Johan & Levi, 2023) explores how Hitler used aesthetics as a means to power. Gian Alberto dell'Acqua's 'Ricordi di una lunga vita' (Skira, 2023) is an autobiography covering his role in saving Brera's artworks during WWII, his tenure as superintendent of Milan from 1957, professorship at Università Cattolica (1954–1980), and secretary of the Venice Biennale (1957–1970).