Book Club
The Art Newspaper’s Book Club shines a light on art books in their myriad forms and brings you exclusive extracts, interviews, picture galleries and recommendations from leading art world figures. Sign up to our newsletter and follow us on social media using #TANbookclub
Lucian Freud’s revealing letters—replete with illustrations and doodles— show a different side to his character
A new book brings together letters and postcards that the artist sent his lovers, friends and fellow artists
Ultimate reading lists
Features
Four things you probably didn’t know about Tutankhamun’s mask
To mark 100 years since its discovery, Garry Shaw, the author of a new biography of the Egyptian Boy King, reveals some little-known facts about the world’s most famous death mask
Tate collection's dalliance with the occult is explored in new book
A new publication picks out art, artefacts and ephemera from the institution's collection that deal with occult themes, many of which have never been seen publicly. Here, the book’s author selects some of the highlights
The sensory language of paint, from Matisse banishing blue to Rococo’s love affair with pink
In her new book, Chloë Ashby explores the power of colour in art. Here, she takes us on a whirlwind tour and recommends four other fascinating new books on colour
What is the art world reading?
Interviews with writers
In Pictures
Book extracts
An expert's guide to Henri Matisse: four must-read books on the Modern master
All you ever wanted to know about Matisse, from a definitive two-volume biography to the writings of the artist himself—selected by the curator Dorthe Aagesen
Q&A: Osei Bonsu on his book about artists shaping the contemporary African art scene
The curator has brought together the work of 50 artists from across the continent for his new book African Art Now
An expert's guide to Tutankhamun: five must-read books on the Egyptian pharaoh
All you ever wanted to know about King Tut, from CT scans and DNA studies to the perfect book for “any little pharaohs that you might know”—selected by the biographer and journalist Garry Shaw
Q&A | Hettie Judah on how galleries, museums and art schools treat artist mothers
A new publication unpicks how becoming a parent can detrimentally affect an artist’s career and suggests ways the art world can do better
October book bag: from the merry portraits and financial woes of Frans Hals to a graphic novel about Banksy
Our roundup of the latest art publications
Susan Sontag's influential 1977 book On Photography is reissued
New version published by The Folio Society includes new insights from curator Mia Fineman who has selected key accompanying images
September book bag: from Lucian Freud’s love letters to an Edie Sedgwick biography
Our roundup of the latest art publications
Who is Octavia Butler and why is the art world obsessed with her writing?
The late author’s sci-fi stories have inspired artists such as Alberta Whittle, Candice Breitz, Toyin Ojih Odutola and Precious Okoyomon
August Book Bag: from Fourth Plinth artist Samson Kambalu’s memoir to a story of art through the ages minus the men
Our roundup of the latest and forthcoming art publications
The best art books for summer 2022—as recommended by artists, curators, museum directors and dealers
From artist biographies and essay collections to a dystopian novel, surf culture and a rock’n’roll autobiography
July book bag: from a major Piet Mondrian biography to the Bechers’ pioneering industrial photographs
Our roundup of the latest art publications
An expert's guide to Raphael: five must-read books on the Italian Old Master
All you ever wanted to know about Raphael, from a page-turner monograph to a tome of his “irresistible” drawings—selected by the art historian David Ekserdjian
Brazilian kinetic and optical art pioneer Abraham Palatnik surveyed in visually remarkable book
The monographic publication Enchantment/Experimentation coincided with an extensive exhibition organised by Galeria Nara Roesler in New York this year
Meet Blaise Cendrars: the one-armed poet who worked with Sonia Delaunay, Fernand Léger and Robert Doisneau
New overview brings Modernism trailblazer to the fore
June book bag: the marvels of marble, the latest on Marina Abramović and the memoir of forgotten dealer Berthe Weill
Our roundup of the latest art publications
Old Master meets YBAs: James Cahill tells us all about his debut novel
The author explains why his new coming-of-age novel is set against the backdrop of the 1990s art world and what drew him to the paintings of the titular Tiepolo
An expert's guide to Piet Mondrian: four must-read books on the Dutch artist
All you ever wanted to know about Mondrian, from a comprehensive biography to a book about his various studios—selected by the curator Ulf Küster
What is the life of a muse like? Not as amusing as you may think
The subjects of great works of art have not always led the romanticised life we imagine, as examples from a new book show
May Book Bag: from the Hirshhorn Museum’s collection catalogue to Tom of Finland’s sketches of bulging, er, muscles
Our roundup of the latest art publications
An expert's guide to Louise Bourgeois: five must-read books on the French-American artist
All you ever wanted to know about Bourgeois, from the artist in her own words to an illustrated book for children—selected by the Hayward Gallery’s Ralph Rugoff and Katie Guggenheim
In Pictures | Ukraine before the 2022 Russian invasion, from holidaymakers in Odesa to the frontlines of Mariupol
Mark Neville’s new photobook—of images taken over the past six years—is a call to action that has been sent to hundreds of politicians and other influential people around the world
Take a fresh look: a new little history of art offers a global perspective
In her forthcoming book, Charlotte Mullins aims to challenge the “myopic prioritisation of male Western art” in earlier art history publications
April Book Bag: from the first Dennis Creffield monograph to a book of ‘rising stars in contemporary art’
Our roundup of the latest art publications
Five of the best recently published art-inspired novels
Our pick of new fiction with an art theme, from seasoned writers to exciting newcomers
What now? Lessons for the art world in the BLM and #MeToo era
In a new book Farah Nayeri says that “cancel culture” is nothing new, politics and art have always been intertwined—but now it is citizens, not kings and popes, who call the shots
‘Don’t smudge’: Paula Rego gives a unique insight into her work as she is interviewed by leading artists
The artist's peers, including Tracey Emin and Marlene Dumas, asked the veteran Portuguese artist about different aspects of her artistic practice for a new book
March Book Bag: from a history of protest art to a limited edition book about Picasso in exile
Our roundup of the latest art publications
Q&A | Osman Yousefzada on wrapping a department store and having early works destroyed by his family
The artist and designer tells us about his new memoir, which details growing up in Birmingham and taking his mum to a museum for the first time to see his installation of her bedroom
Extract | Surrealism’s tricky global transformation
The art historian Partha Mitter looks at Surrealism’s uneasy relationship with colonialism and primitivism in this extract from a catalogue accompanying a new Tate show about the movement’s worldwide impact
February Book Bag: from Bernini ‘cementing his position as Baroque Rome’s dominant artist’ to a compendium of what makes artists tick
Our roundup of the latest art publications