Spanning 200+ Works, a New Book Celebrates the World of Fungi

Following surveys of butterflies, birds, oceans, and trees, the editors at Phaidon have settled on their next topic of inquiry: fungi. This October, the publisher will release an expansive tome gathering more than 200 photographs, artworks, historical objects, and more all devoted to the vast diversity and creative potential of mycology.

Fungi: The World of Mushrooms spans more than 200 pages and several millennia, compiling a breadth of imagery from ancient history to the present day. Included are the uncanny costumes shot in-situ by Riitta Ikonen and Anni Koponen, Hima af Klint’s delicate illustrations, and Carsten Höller’s disorienting installation of suspended toadstools.

Fungi is slated for release on October 15, and you can reserve your copy in the Colossal Shop.

a photo of a person wearing a yellow mushroom costume in a forest — Riitta Ikonen and Anni Koponen, “Chanterelle” (2009), 29½ × 29½ inches

a collection of glowing outdoor mushroom sculptures at dusk — FoldHaus Collective, “Shrumen Lumen” (2016), aluminum, steel, polypropylene, interactive electronics, 11 to 17 × 9 to 12 feet. Photo by Rene Smith

a carved stone sculpture of a mythic figure emerging from a mushroom — Mushroom stone, (400–250 BCE), stone, 13 1/8 × 7 1/2 × 6 3/4 inches. Photo courtesy of Museum Rietberg Zürich, Rainer Wolfsberger

red-orange fungi grow on a rectangular shape — Chris Ritson, “Mushroom Picture” (2022), live fungus and sawdust, 20 × 14 inches. Photo by Chris Ritson

an illustration of a collection of mushrooms — Hilma af Klint, probably Agaricus bisporus (cultivated mushroom) (1893), watercolor, gouache, pencil, and ink on paper, 16 3/8 × 12 inches. Photo courtesy of Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, Stockholm

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