Book Club

The Art Newspaper’s Book Club shines a light on art books in their myriad forms and brings you exclusive extracts, interviews and recommendations from leading art world figures. Sign up to our monthly newsletter above

Maria Balshaw on the roles of museums today and what Tate’s sponsorship red line is

The Tate director discusses her new book about art institutions and their challenges in the 21st century

Ultimate reading lists

What is the art world reading?

Interviews with writers

Features

A golden age for photobooks? As publishers join forces we find out what the future holds

The London-based publisher Mack is acquiring smaller firms and widening its visual culture coverage

The rise of a queer art history: three new publications and the stories behind them

Recently published books aim to bring a deeper understanding of the canon, from the work of LGBTQ+ photographers to the pioneers who paved the way for later generations

Missing Mona Lisa: the story behind the 1911 theft of Leonardo’s masterpiece

The author of a new book tells us why it was stolen and how Picasso got embroiled in the scandal

Book extracts

In Pictures

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Katherine Parr: power, patronage and the first full-length portrait of an English queen

In this exclusive extract from a new book about Henry VIII’s six wives, the art historian Suzannah Lipscomb writes about “perhaps the greatest artistic patron of them all”

An expert's guide to sculpture: five must-read books on the art of the three dimensional

All you ever wanted to know about the topic, from the latest experimentations in contemporary art to some lesser-known Surrealist sculpture—selected by the head of the Henry Moore Institute, Laurence Sillars

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What it's like modelling naked for Lucian Freud when he's your father

Rose Boyt’s memoir explores the highs, lows and contradictions of sitting for the artist

Book Clubinterview

Tears, tantrums and Turner Prize titbits: Lynn Barber on the messy art of interviewing artists

In her latest book, the veteran UK journalist recalls her many encounters with artists such as Salvador Dalí, Howard Hodgkin and the Chapman brothers

An expert’s guide to Michelangelo: five must-read books on the Renaissance Old Master

All you ever wanted to know about Michelangelo, from a “masterly” catalogue of drawings to a collection of letters covering art, deliveries and the artist’s favourite wine—selected by the curator Grant Lewis

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A move to London, the famous logo and liquid lunches: a short history of Thames & Hudson

As it marks its 75th anniversary, we hear how the “amazing melting pot” of Vienna shaped the publisher’s identity and what’s in store for the future

Book Clubinterview

The art critic Robert Storr on the slow road to social and racial justice

A new series of books titled Focal Points launches with three volumes of essays and articles by the former curator

An expert's guide to colour: five must-read books on all things chromatic

All you ever wanted to know about the topic, from our difficult relationship with colour to a remarkable monochrome children’s book—selected by the colour historian Alexandra Loske

Book Clubinterview

Former Tate Britain director Penelope Curtis on why she became a novelist

As the art historian makes the move into fiction writing, she tells us how learning about her family history inspired her

An expert's guide to Frank Auerbach: three must-read books (and a film) on the German-British painter

All you ever wanted to know about Auerbach, from a biography by one of his sitters to a collection of essays about his drawings—selected by the Courtauld Gallery curator Barnaby Wright

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‘Have you ever been sat on before?’ What it's like taking part in a (surprisingly) private view

An exclusive extract from a new book by Bianca Bosker that lifts the lid on the secret life of the art world

Bianca Bosker. With an introduction by Gareth Harris

An expert's guide to Constantin Brâncuși: five must-read books on the Romanian sculptor

All you ever wanted to know about Brâncuși, from a landmark catalogue to a comic retelling of his run-in with US Customs—selected by the Centre Pompidou curator Ariane Coulondre

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Why Anthony van Dyck was summoned to paint a recently deceased noblewoman

This extract from a new book about works in the Dulwich Picture Gallery by Helen Hillyard and Jennifer Scott reveals the story behind the artist's 1663 portrait of Lady Digby

Helen Hillyard and Jennifer Scott. With an introduction by José da Silva

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

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

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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

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

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

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

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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