Books

An expert's guide to Frans Hals: five must-read books on the Dutch Old Master

All you ever wanted to know about Hals, from an 18th-century biography to a 1994 novel of the artist's “lost diaries”—selected by the Rijksmuseum curator Friso Lammertse

Booksreview

The presence of death: new book highlights the existential anxieties of William Gillies

A taster ahead of a later publication explores the Scottish painter’s focus on mental frailty, family and war

Van Gogh 2024 highlights: London’s National Gallery takes the lead

There will be other exhibitions in Italy, France, the Netherlands and Taiwan—plus a topical book and a plethora of immersive experiences

Booksreview

Unpacking America’s psychology: a deep dive into the career of Arthur Tress

A new book, which accompanies a Getty Center retrospective, explores the photographer’s documentation of the nation’s more sinister side

Booksblog

Top picks for spring 2024: new art books out soon

Some of the tempting art titles scheduled for publication in the coming months

An expert's guide to Sandro Botticelli: four must-read books on the Florentine painter

All you ever wanted to know about Botticelli, from a monumental monograph of 1908 to a dynamic account of the artist’s workshop practices—selected by the curator Furio Rinaldi

Book Clubinterview

Caroline Campbell on the ways in which cities have shaped art history

The director of the National Gallery of Ireland provides an alternative view of the history of art in her new book

Booksreview

Behind the curtain: new book sparks debate about how women gallerists promoted avant-garde art

This important study analyses how female dealers from 1940 to 1990 worked to advance artists but questions on gender go unanswered

Book Clubfeature

Tackling misconceptions around Pauline Boty—new publication evaluates late artist's contribution to British Pop art

A tragic figure whose 'promise went mostly unfulfilled', her legacy is now being revisited afresh

Booksreview

A new book explores the life of a pioneering Irish stained-glass artist through his glorious creations

Michael Healy’s reclusiveness belied his trailblazing role in Ireland's most prestigious studio of its kind

Booksreview

An acerbic but highly readable view of the British art world

The critic and former curator Julian Spalding holds forth on his dislike of conceptual art and his love for Beryl Cook

Booksreview

From ferns to meteorites: new book explores the beautiful mysteries of nature printing

A rare collection of images created by the impressions of natural objects

The top art books of 2023—chosen by The Art Newspaper’s book team

There is something for every art lover among our pick of the publications—from a forgotten 17th-century painter to a lively history of dyes

Booksreview

Catalogue raisonné of Jean Fautrier paintings reveals a prolific subverter of genres

The long overdue tome on the French artist includes an essay by Georg Baselitz

Booksreview

Coenties Slip, the New York street that nurtured artists in the 1950s and 60s, is brought to life in new book

This corner of Manhattan played a pivotal role in the development of artists such as Robert Indiana, Agnes Martin and Ellsworth Kelly

An expert’s guide to Mark Rothko: five must-read books on the Abstract Expressionist

All you ever wanted to know about Rothko, from the artist's own writings to the most complete study of his famous Seagram Murals

As Saudi Arabia wins bid for 2030 World Expo, a new book lifts the lid on the Kingdom’s push to be a key art world player

Publication examines how the conservative Middle Eastern state is pouring resources into its culture sector

An expert’s guide to Lee Miller: five must-read books on the American photographer

All you ever wanted to know about Miller, from a biography and collection of love letters to a book of her recipes—selected by the curator Martin Pel

Book Clubfeature

Paper, politics and poetry: why artists’ books from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia deserve a closer look

British Museum show and book by Venetia Porter tap into rich seam of works by non-Western artists

Booksreview

A new book paints a colourful picture of the little known Mary Wykeham—poet, Surrealist, war artist and nun

The British artist retreated from her remarkable career to embrace a religious life

Book Clubinterview

How Claude Monet battled his own temperament and why the women in his life were ‘fundamental’ to his art

The art critic Jackie Wullschläger’s talks to us about her new book, the first major biography of the French Impressionist written in English

Booksreview

The bumpy road to acceptance of China's LGBTQ+ artists is explored in a new anthology

Against a backdrop of growing censorship, a book charting the struggle of the community to gain mainstream recognition offers some hope

Booksreview

Pier Paolo Pasolini’s ‘heretical’ writings on painting are spirited and contrarian

The Italian filmmaker—and occasional painter—was scathing about Picasso but delighted in Caravaggio

Booksnews

David Shrigley: The book 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' is 'still really relevant' and everyone should read it

The artist has pulped 6,000 copies of Dan Brown’s 'The Da Vinci Code' and turned them into a limited edition of George Orwell’s dystopian novel

Booksreview

Owen Jones, a pioneer of 19th-century ornamentation

An incisive study of the influential designer responsible for the V&A’s ‘Oriental Court’ in the 1860s