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

An expert’s guide to Hokusai: four must-read books on the Japanese artist

All you ever wanted to know about Hokusai, from a history of The Great Wave to a novel about the artist's daughter—selected by the curator Sarah E. Thompson

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Extract | When the Picasso was almost knocked off the wall during a blockbuster show

A new memoir by Patrick Bringley details what it was like to work as a guard at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art

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‘That’s not enough’: Willem de Kooning’s advice to a young Wayne Thiebaud

An excerpt from one of Thiebaud’s final interviews, which features in the catalogue of a survey at the Fondation Beyeler, reveals how the US artist arrived at his signature style

What will museums of the future be like? Three key takeaways from a new book

András Szántó spoke to 21 architects about how museum architecture is shaping up, here are some of his findings

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Q&A: Jennifer Higgie on her new book about spiritualism and its importance to early Modernist women artists

The former editor of Frieze magazine says the idea that modernity had to be rational, cool and atheist was detrimental to art

An expert’s guide to Johannes Vermeer: five must-read books (and a website) on the Dutch Old Master

All you ever wanted to know about Vermeer, from a “legendary” show catalogue to an illustrated book for kids—selected by the curators Pieter Roelofs and Gregor J. M. Weber

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A daring Sargent portrait and the millions that changed everything for Isabella Stewart Gardner

An extract from a biography of the US collector and museum founder looks at how her modest taste was transformed by her inheritance and why her husband was not pleased by a revealing painting

Art books coming soon in 2023: the pick of the crop

The Art Newspaper’s books editor Jacqueline Riding selects spring and summer publications to look out for, from the Surrealism of Leonora Carrington to 100 years of Black figuration

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‘I never run out of ideas’: an interview with Yayoi Kusama and highlights from her new catalogue

The artist, who is now in her 90s and voluntarily living in a psychiatric hospital, has a major retrospective under way in Hong Kong

The top art books of 2022—chosen by The Art Newspaper's books team

Struggling for Christmas gifts? Take a look at the publications we enjoyed over the past year—from an exploration of art and motherhood to an interrogation of the culture wars

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David Shrigley tells us about his new book and why he chose the ‘shit’ title

The British artist gives us an insight into the work behind his latest publication, which brings together more than 200 recent drawings

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Fertile inspiration: how the humble egg has played an enduring role in women’s art

This except from Taschen's new book The Gourmand’s Egg: A Collection of Stories and Recipes shows how artists including Judy Chicago and Sarah Lucas have used egg imagery

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

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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

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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

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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

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

Compiled by José da Silva and Gareth Harris
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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