Just in time for the short and dark days of January, "Backyard Oasis" is a sunny book and exhibition including works by such photographers and artists as John Baldessari, Ruth Bernhard, David Hockney, Herb Ritts, Ed Ruscha and Larry Sultan. Thematically grouped into topics including celebrity culture, avant-garde architectural landscape design and the cult of the body, these images are a celebration of the culture of the swimming pool. Accompanying essays examine the development of the swimming pool and its attendant aesthetic and social aspects. The exhibition is on view at the Palm Springs Art Museum in California from...