White, silver, nude, pink; red, purple, blue, green; yellow, gold, gray, and black. Twelve hues head the chapters of one tremendously brilliant history. Published by Rizzoli, “Dior: The Art of Color” is a kaleidoscopic anthology that traces cosmetics, art, and advertising through the magnificent world of Dior. Replete with images from fashion’s greatest—including Irving Penn, Guy Bourdin, and Richard Burbridge—as well as interviews with the three creative directors of Dior Makeup—Serge Lutens (1967-80), Tyen (1980-2014), and Peter Philips (2014-present)—the book guides readers through a spectrum of evolutions at the house ranging from aesthetic and style innovation to pigment invention, product expansion, and the ever-ongoing re-evaluation of beauty in society.

Author Jerry Stafford contextualizes the landscape of color at Dior with the inclusion of a thorough and eloquent history of the artists and art historical movements that have and continue to inspire the visual language at the house. In the Yellow chapter, an image from Lutens’ 1978 campaign “Les Fantastiques” is paired with Edgar Degas’ “L’Arlequin Jaune (Yellow Harlequin)” from 1884, along with a discussion of the early-20th century Impressionist painters who inspired the vision of the campaign. In Blue, Tyen’s 1993 beauty editorial for German Vogue is paired with Piet Mondrian’s “Composition with Double Line and Blue” from 1935, complete with a history of Mondrian and other modern artists who used color as the central element of their work.

The final section of the book is dedicated to Philips’ new vision for Dior, and includes an exclusive portfolio of his work with art direction by Document contributor Marc Ascoli and photography by Burbridge.

“Dior: The Art of Color” is available now from Rizzoli.