Michaelina Wautier, Katlijne Van der Stighelen, Lund Humphries, 152pp, 63 col. illus., £35 (hb), 28 April
The Illuminating Women Artists series goes from strength to strength, with this volume on the Brussels-based 17th century painter, and another on the 18th-century French still-life artist Anne Vallayer-Coster, both arriving in April.
Knife-Woman: The Life of Louise Bourgeois, Marie-Laure Bernadac, translated by Lauren Elkin, Yale University Press, 472pp, 36 colour & 35 b/w illus., £30 (hb), 13 January
Marie-Laure Bernadac uses unpublished material from Bourgeois’s personal archive to survey the life and oeuvre of one of the 20th century’s most significant artists.
Michelangelo and Titian: A Tale of Rivalry and Genius, William E. Wallace, Princeton University Press, 248pp, 48 colour & 49 b/w illus., $35/£30 (hb), 3 February (US) and 31 March (UK)
In a classic “Clash of the Titans”, William E. Wallace explores the unspoken rivalry that spurred on the two Renaissance superstars Michelangelo and Titian.
Frida: The Making of an Icon, Mari Carmen Ramirez et al., Museum of Fine Arts, Houston/Yale University Press, 400pp, 400 colour illus., £50 (hb),
24 March
Published to accompany the exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (19 January-17 May) and Tate Modern in London (25 June-3 January 2027), Frida focuses on how the Mexican painter became a global icon.
Francis Bacon’s Library, Monika Keska and Barbara Dawson, Skira, 240pp, 300 colour illus., $55 (pb), 31 March
This promises to be a fascinating delve into Francis Bacon’s literary interests and inspirations, with Jane Austen and Agatha Christie among the material now housed in the Hugh Lane Gallery archive.