Skira

Skira, also known as Editions d'Art Albert Skira, and Skira Editore, is a Swiss publishing house, founded in 1928 by Albert Skira, and currently based in Milan, Italy. For company credits, please use Skira label. See also Skira Color Studios. In the pre-war era, Albert Skira essentially invented modern "coffee table art books" by reviving the antique des Quart format and setting new standards of quality in full-color printing. Notably, Skira pioneered "tipped-in" illustrations—separately printed images on much heavier glossy stock (i.e., lithographs or woodblocks) glued only to the center of the bound page with edges "floating" freely. In the 1950s and '60s, Skira became one of the leading commercial printers, serving many international clients. Several record labels ordered booklets or sleeves from Skira: VOX (6), Vibe Plader, and RCA Victor's Soria Series. After Albert passed away in 1973, his wife Rosabianca continued Skira Editore, but in the absence of its' visionary leader, the publishing house went on a notable decline. The family passed control to several corporate owners. In 1996, the Italian publishing group Einaudi acquired Skira, subsequently selling it to Gruppo Arnoldo Mondadori Editore Spa. Two of Mondadori's former major stakeholders relaunched Skira Group, with Skira editore headquarters at the historical Palazzo Casati Stampa in Milan and offices in Genéve, Paris, and Skira Rizzoli Publications in New York.