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Book Reviews

Books

Book reveals how Chintz—India’s precious textile pattern—became a precolonial global export

The little understood art form is explored in the collected essays of 12 leading scholars

Cyrus Najiabout 11 hours ago

22 May 2026

A hated portrait and a forged masterpiece: two new thrillers with paintings at their centre

Georgina Adam

22 May 2026

Shoot and branch: new photography book highlights the enduring majesty of trees

Rowland Bagnall

5 May 2026

The Egyptian Modernist Inji Efflatoun gains international exposure with new biographical collection

Melissa Gronlund

5 May 2026

Pleasure, parody and propaganda: rethinking the art of illustration in a new history of the genre

Christoph Irmscher

28 April 2026

Book uncovers the life of Barnett Newman, an artist who ran for New York mayor

Matthew Holman

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

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Book Club

‘A remarkably tenacious motif’: the many faces of Marilyn Monroe revealed in new book and show

Different artists’ takes on the film star are explored ahead of an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London

Gareth Harris

5 May 2026

May Book Bag: from a guide on entering the art world to a publication about artists influenced by Ovid’s Metamorphoses

Gareth Harris

5 May 2026

How the adoption of canvas in Venice changed the way artists painted

J.S. Marcus

5 May 2026

An expert's guide to Tracey Emin: five must-read books on the British artist

José da Silva

8 April 2026

April Book Bag: from a Matthew Wong catalogue to a history of dogs in art

Gareth Harris

8 April 2026

Pressing issues: the vital role of printmaking in the history of art

Gareth Harris

Ultimate reading lists

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5 May 2026

An expert's guide to Tracey Emin: five must-read books on the British artist

2 April 2026

An expert's guide to Alexander Calder: six must-read books on the US sculptor

3 March 2026

An expert's guide to John Constable: five must-read books on the British painter

6 January 2026

An expert’s guide to the Gothic: five must-read books on the topic

2 December 2025

An expert’s guide to late Pablo Picasso: five must-read books on the second half of his career

7 October 2025

An expert’s guide to Robert Rauschenberg: five must-read books on the US artist

1 September 2025

An expert’s guide to Indigenous Australian art: five must-read books on the subject

1 July 2025

An expert’s guide to Edvard Munch: five must-read books on the Norwegian Expressionist

3 June 2025

An expert’s guide to Postmodernism: five must-read books on the movement

4 May 2025

An expert's guide to artists' books: four must-read publications on the genre

Booksreview

about 11 hours ago

Book reveals how Chintz—India’s precious textile pattern—became a precolonial global export

The little understood art form is explored in the collected essays of 12 leading scholars

Cyrus Naji

Booksreview

A hated portrait and a forged masterpiece: two new thrillers with paintings at their centre

Oscar de Muriel is inspired by a real Frida Kahlo painting, while Lynda la Plante invents a Jean-Michel Basquiat forgery

Georgina Adam

Booksreview

Shoot and branch: new photography book highlights the enduring majesty of trees

"Trees of Great Britain and Ireland" offers a handsome insight into early 20th-century botanical photography

Rowland Bagnall

Booksreview

The Egyptian Modernist Inji Efflatoun gains international exposure with new biographical collection

The book on the late artist, who was imprisoned for her feminist and socialist beliefs, includes several essays and rarely seen images

Melissa Gronlund

Booksreview

Pleasure, parody and propaganda: rethinking the art of illustration in a new history of the genre

From a ninth-century Chinese frontispiece to Marxist magazine covers, this rich tome explores the power of illustration and the ways in which we read such images

Christoph Irmscher

Book Clubblog

May Book Bag: from a guide on entering the art world to a publication about artists influenced by Ovid’s Metamorphoses

Our round-up of the latest art publications

Gareth Harris

Book Clubfeature

‘A remarkably tenacious motif’: the many faces of Marilyn Monroe revealed in new book and show

Different artists’ takes on the film star are explored ahead of an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London

Gareth Harris

Book Clubfeature

How the adoption of canvas in Venice changed the way artists painted

Four key takeaways from a new book about the innovative use of canvas in 16th-century Italy

J.S. Marcus

Book Clubblog

An expert's guide to Tracey Emin: five must-read books on the British artist

The best Emin publications, from her searingly honest autobiography to a collection of revealing snapshots—selected by the Tate’s assistant curator Jess Baxter

José da Silva

Booksreview

Book uncovers the life of Barnett Newman, an artist who ran for New York mayor

He is one of the last remaining figures of the “first generation” Abstract Expressionists to be honoured with a major biography

Matthew Holman

Booksreview

Final book in trilogy asks: What is the future of the art world?

Writer and researcher András Szántó speaks to art-world movers and shakers for predictions and insights

Georgina Adam

Booksreview

New biography of Chaïm Soutine pieces together illusive artist's life and works

With scant testimony from the man himself, the book relies on the views of others

David D'Arcy

Booksreview

New catalogues reveal Royal Collection's vast sculpture holdings—and Queen Victoria's acquisition spree

The four volumes offer insight into 1,800 works, including a “uniquely weird” purchase by Edward VII

Roger Bowdler

Art marketnews

Marc Restellini’s ‘atom bomb’ of a Modigliani catalogue raisonné is finally published

Six volumes include 100 newly authenticated works—but 15 previously attributed to the artist are removed

Anna Brady

Book Clubblog

April Book Bag: from a Matthew Wong catalogue to a history of dogs in art

Our round-up of the latest art publications

Gareth Harris

Book Clubfeature

Pressing issues: the vital role of printmaking in the history of art

We speak to the author of a new book that looks at how making prints has been vital for many famous artists

Gareth Harris

Booksreview

The story of London's Great Exhibition, as seen through the eyes of artists

The Victoria and Albert Museum's extensive National Art Library provides a rich source for a new angle on the ambitious project in Julius Bryant's latest book

Charlotte Gere

Booksreview

A book exploring the evolution of J.M.W. Turner’s positions on slavery

The publication examines the journey from the artist’s early patronage, paid for by plantation money, to his depiction of a massacre in “The Slave Ship”

Ian Warrell

Book Clubfeature

Keep it in the family: how Johannes Vermeer’s paintings remained out of view for so long

In an exclusive extract from Andrew Graham-Dixon’s new biography, we learn how many of the Dutch Old Master's works stayed in one family for years

Gareth Harris

Book Clubblog

An expert's guide to Alexander Calder: six must-read books on the US sculptor

The best Calder publications, from a comprehensive two-volume biography to a children’s book about his moveable circus—selected by the curators Dieter Buchhart and Anna Karina Hofbauer

José da Silva

Booksreview

Textiles weave tales of Palestine’s rich but troubled history

Embroidery has long been a key form of artistic expression

Cyrus Naji

Booksreview

New book shows why physical maps have an important role to play in our digital world

A passionate cartographer reveals fascinating histories—and what we lose with the demise of printed maps

Anandi Mishra

Book Clubblog

March Book Bag: from a Modigliani catalogue raisonné to a career guide for artists

Our round-up of the latest art publications

Gareth Harris

Booksreview

Clash of the Renaissance titans: an intriguing double biography of Titian and Michelangelo

The book about the two Old Masters, who probably only met twice, considers what they had in common and how they differed

Keith Miller

Booksreview

The many faces and identities of Frida Kahlo are explored in exhibition catalogue

The book traces the Mexican artist’s extraordinary life and the commercial afterlife of her persona

Constanza Ontiveros Valdés

Book Clubblog

An expert's guide to John Constable: five must-read books on the British painter

The best publications to learn all about Constable, from a journey through the landscapes that inspired him to a children's activity book—selected by the curator Emma Roodhouse

José da Silva

Book Clubfeature

A short guide to the hidden meanings in great paintings

An A to C extract from the glossary of Painted Mysteries, which deciphers common motifs and symbols in famous works

Gareth Harris

Book Clubfeature

New book digs into the little-known gallery that brought Modern art to America

The publication's author on how it has taken decades of research to tell the story of the New York gallery, which exhibited artists such Picasso and Mondrian

Karen Chernick

Booksreview

Earthly delights: new book unravels the mysteries and enduring influence of rock art

A renowned expert reveals the range of techniques and aesthetics of rock art, and what it tells us about human development

Mathew Lyons

Booksreview

New biography offers well-crafted story of Louise Bourgeois’s rich life

Knife-Woman is the fullest account to date of the life of one of the most influential artists of the last century

Christoph Irmscher

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