Books

Booksreview

An acerbic but highly readable view of the British art world

The critic and former curator Julian Spalding holds forth on his dislike of conceptual art and his love for Beryl Cook

Booksreview

From ferns to meteorites: new book explores the beautiful mysteries of nature printing

A rare collection of images created by the impressions of natural objects

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

Booksreview

Catalogue raisonné of Jean Fautrier paintings reveals a prolific subverter of genres

The long overdue tome on the French artist includes an essay by Georg Baselitz

Booksreview

Coenties Slip, the New York street that nurtured artists in the 1950s and 60s, is brought to life in new book

This corner of Manhattan played a pivotal role in the development of artists such as Robert Indiana, Agnes Martin and Ellsworth Kelly

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

As Saudi Arabia wins bid for 2030 World Expo, a new book lifts the lid on the Kingdom’s push to be a key art world player

Publication examines how the conservative Middle Eastern state is pouring resources into its culture sector

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

Book Clubfeature

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

Booksreview

A new book paints a colourful picture of the little known Mary Wykeham—poet, Surrealist, war artist and nun

The British artist retreated from her remarkable career to embrace a religious life

Book Clubinterview

How Claude Monet battled his own temperament and why the women in his life were ‘fundamental’ to his art

The art critic Jackie Wullschläger’s talks to us about her new book, the first major biography of the French Impressionist written in English

Booksreview

The bumpy road to acceptance of China's LGBTQ+ artists is explored in a new anthology

Against a backdrop of growing censorship, a book charting the struggle of the community to gain mainstream recognition offers some hope

Booksreview

Pier Paolo Pasolini’s ‘heretical’ writings on painting are spirited and contrarian

The Italian filmmaker—and occasional painter—was scathing about Picasso but delighted in Caravaggio

Booksnews

David Shrigley: The book 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' is 'still really relevant' and everyone should read it

The artist has pulped 6,000 copies of Dan Brown’s 'The Da Vinci Code' and turned them into a limited edition of George Orwell’s dystopian novel

Booksreview

Owen Jones, a pioneer of 19th-century ornamentation

An incisive study of the influential designer responsible for the V&A’s ‘Oriental Court’ in the 1860s

Bookspreview

From bonnets to ball gowns: inside Jane Austen's well-ordered closet

The author’s voluminous letters to her sister Cassandra reveal her fashion tastes and thrifty skills

Book Clubfeature

The publisher that promised ‘art for all’: a potted history of Phaidon as it celebrates its centenary

The vice-president Deborah Aaronson tells us how the company got some help from Albert Einstein and why eBooks are not necessarily the future of art publishing

Booksreview

Antonio Canova’s spirited clay sketches go under the microscope in new catalogue

This well-conceived exhibition catalogue illuminates the sculptor’s terracotta models—masterpieces in their own right

Booksreview

Complex novel echoes the life of pioneering Black American artist Edmonia Lewis

The Somali-Italian author Igiaba Scego's tale of empowerment draws on the artist's journey from Native American reservation to international fame

An expert’s guide to Paula Rego: six must-read books on the Portuguese-British artist

All you ever wanted to know about Rego, from the best catalogues to a behind-the-scenes dive into her studio—selected by her son Nick Willing

Booksreview

A deep dive into the history of China’s art market

From the devastation of the Cultural Revolution to the transformation of the contemporary art scene

Booksreview

Contested prospect: two new books see the Parthenon through the eyes of a legal expert and a lifelong scholar of Greek history

The great temple to Athena has emerged from the vicissitudes of earthquakes, war, looting and rebuilding to be caught up in a monumental restitution debate

The Bloomsbury Group, re-examined through their garments

A new book and UK exhibition by Charlie Porter explores the sartorial choices of Virginia Woolf, Vanessa Bell and the rest of the Charleston set

Booksreview

The life of Elisabetta Sirani—‘the best brush in Bologna’—explored in new publication

Despite meticulously documenting her own career, the artist was largely forgotten in the centuries after her death