One of the best parts of a Christmas vacation is finally curling up with a good book (perhaps the one that’s been waiting patiently on your nightstand for months!).
Below, we have selected 20 novels, memoirs, biographies and other books related to art or the art world. happy reading!
You are reading: Best books about artists
See Also: 29 Book Publishing Companies that Accept Submissions without an Agent
1. far from respectable: dave hickey and his art by daniel oppenheimer (2021)
The late art critic and iconoclast Dave Hickey rose to fame with his 1993 cult classic book The Invisible Dragon. “Bad taste is true taste, of course, and good taste is the residue of someone else’s privilege,” he famously wrote. his writings are a controversial takedown of the art establishment and encourage us to rethink our relationship with beauty. David Oppenheimer’s new book traces the history of this unique mind and his impact on art and writing.
find it at: university of texas press.
—kate brown
See Also: 29 Book Publishing Companies that Accept Submissions without an Agent
2. the golden edge: two bold women and the cyanide love triangle that shook america by catherine prendergast (2021)
In this golden tale of a bohemian fairy tale gone wrong, catherine predergast delves into the history of the carmel-by-the-sea artist colony on the monterey peninsula, california, and how a tumultuous love triangle turned deadly. It stars a gifted poet, Nora May French, who has been unfairly forgotten in the U.S. literary history.
find it at: random penguin house
—sarah cascone
See Also: How I tab books – My Bookish Court
See Also: 29 Book Publishing Companies that Accept Submissions without an Agent
3. my new ottessa moshfegh novel (2021)
Although it never directly addresses the art world, moshfegh’s standalone story engages some of its most grueling characters as it mercilessly lampoons the creative process (or what goes through it, at least) of a man with more resources. What talent, vision, or commitment. but the best connection to contemporary art lives outside the pages; as the inaugural entry in gagosian’s new “picture book” series, uniting celebrated authors with celebrated artists, each copy of my new novel comes with a limited edition poster of a painting by issy wood that was made in response to the moshfegh story
find it at: the gagosian store.
—tim schneider
See Also: 29 Book Publishing Companies that Accept Submissions without an Agent
4. the ultimate art museum by ferren gipson (2021)
ferren gipson’s captivating book offers a curated collection of world art in the form of an imaginary museum for children ages 8-14. Gibson is a museum tour guide that takes the reader through 40,000 years of art, from prehistoric caves to contemporary paintings in three wings, 18 galleries, and 129 rooms. there are also interactive elements such as “detective” boxes and fold-out maps.
“I think it’s good for people of any age to share their thoughts and opinions about art, and to be encouraged that there are no wrong or bad opinions,” gipson told artnet news. “There are so many ways to approach a piece of art, from how it makes you feel, to the symbolism within the piece and beyond. I think one of the most important things to do is make sure people know that their opinions are welcome and valid.”
find it at: phaidon
—eileen kinsella
6. the lost notebook of édouard manet: a novel by maureen gibbon (2021)
This work of historical fiction transports the viewer to 19th-century Paris, where Édouard Manet, ravaged by syphilis, manages to paint his latest masterpiece, A Bar at the Folies-Bergere. Author Maureen Gibbon explores the artist’s inspirations in his later years, including Manet’s mysterious muse, Suzon.
find it at: w.w. norton
—sarah cascone
See Also: How I tab books – My Bookish Court
See Also: 29 Book Publishing Companies that Accept Submissions without an Agent
7. 1000 years of joys and sorrows: memories of ai weiwei (2021)
This long-awaited memoir from one of the world’s most famous Chinese artists is more than a personal account, it’s a story that reflects China’s evolution over the past century. It is told through the experiences of three generations of Ai’s family: the artist’s father, Ai Qing, a famous poet, Ai Weiwei himself, and his son, El Lao. This English version of the book offers Western audiences a glimpse into life and the trauma endured by generations in the country.
find it at: bookshop.org, penguin random house
See Also: Learning Arabic? Here Are 5 Books That I Highly Recommend You Own
—vivienne chow
See Also: 29 Book Publishing Companies that Accept Submissions without an Agent
8. dark things i love by katie lattari (2021)
This suspense novel begins at an art school in 2018, with a talented young student setting up a studio visit in maine with her mentor, a professor who fell short of his initial artistic promise but still masters a certain amount of art. respect. The narrative soon thickens with flashbacks to the events of 30 years earlier at a Maine artists’ colony, and a slowly unraveling mystery takes a dark turn thanks to one of the characters’ desire for revenge.
find it at: reference books
—sarah cascone
See Also: How I tab books – My Bookish Court
See Also: 29 Book Publishing Companies that Accept Submissions without an Agent
9. Belonging and Betrayal: How the Jews Modernized the Art World by charles dellheim (2021)
as restitution cases involving art looted or sold under duress to the nazis in the 1930s and 1940s continue to make their way through the courts, charles dellheim investigates the unanswered question of how so many jews came to own works of such important art in the first place, despite being an outsider group.
find it at: brandeis university press
—sarah cascone
See Also: How I tab books – My Bookish Court
See Also: 29 Book Publishing Companies that Accept Submissions without an Agent
10. the story of the art fair: a melanie gerlis roller coaster (2021)
Seasoned art market reporter and financial time columnist Melanie Gerlis has taken a deep dive into the art fair, the trade fairs that have run for half a century and are now part of the fabric of the art industry. In a riveting read, Gerlis traces the rise of these platforms from their post-war origins to the globalized mega-events they have become today, raising important questions about their uncertain future in a transformed world.
find it at: lund humphries
—naomi rea
See Also: 29 Book Publishing Companies that Accept Submissions without an Agent
11. dark mirrors by stanley wolukau-wanambwa (2021)
wolukau-wanambwa covers a great deal of ground in dark mirrors‘s 16 contemplative essays, addressing the practices of image-makers such as deana lawson, arthur jafa, rosalind fox solomon, and paul pfeiffer for the road. if there’s one thing that unites them all, it’s an interest in the shifting ways images shape contemporary dialectics, especially around race, and how artists observe, investigate, and unravel that process.
find it at: mack books
—taylor dafoe
See Also: 29 Book Publishing Companies that Accept Submissions without an Agent
12. creatives about creativity by steve brouwers (2021)
steve brouwers, a belgian creative director, presents a series of interviews with 44 successful creators of all kinds, including magnum photographer harry gruyaert, artist ryan gander, and illustrator maira kalman, who share their thoughts on the creative process and your inspirations. fears and failures.
find it at: art books acc
—sarah cascone
See Also: How I tab books – My Bookish Court
See Also: 29 Book Publishing Companies that Accept Submissions without an Agent
13. sarah winman still life, (2021)
This art-focused piece of historical fiction spans four decades, beginning in Tuscany in 1944 as Allied troops advance. Ulysses Temper is a young English soldier who accidentally meets Evelyn Skinner, an older art historian who is in the country to try to save an important painting. Her initial spark of connection sets off a course of events that shapes Ulysses’ life for the next 40 years, including an unexpected inheritance that drives him back to the Tuscan hills. winman has earned deserved praise for his sweeping poetic prose in a rich narrative that weaves together love, war, art, the ghost of e.m. forster, and an epic flood.
find it at: penguin random house
—eileen kinsella
See Also: 29 Book Publishing Companies that Accept Submissions without an Agent
14. luisa roldán by catherine hall-van den elsen (2021)
The first book in the new series “Enlightening Women Artists” is dedicated to the Spanish Baroque artist Luisa Roldán (1652-1706), known as La Roldana. (a second one, on artsemisia gentileschi, will come out in February). In addition to highlighting her considerable skill in sculpting polychrome wood and terracotta sculptures, Catherine Hall-van den Elsen delves into 17th-century Spanish society, painting a picture of what life was like. would have been for a woman of the time, and the challenges faced by women artists in particular.
find it at: the getty store
—sarah cascone
See Also: How I tab books – My Bookish Court
See Also: 29 Book Publishing Companies that Accept Submissions without an Agent
15. writings on art 2006-2021 by robert storr (2021)
This new collection of writings, released last month, brings together 51 of storr’s most fascinating articles, essays, and other writing from the last 15 years. The esteemed critic writes with passion and intelligence about 45 international artists, including Anatsui, Francesco Clemente, and David Hammons, sometimes in texts published in English for the first time. The book is the sequel to Storr’s essential volume one, entitled writings on art 1980-2005, which was also edited by francesca pietropaolo.
find it at: heni publishing.
—kate brown
See Also: 29 Book Publishing Companies that Accept Submissions without an Agent
16. authority and freedom: a defense of the arts by jed perl (2022)
—katya kazakina
See Also: 29 Book Publishing Companies that Accept Submissions without an Agent
17. magritte: a life of alex danchev (2021)
Believe it or not, this is the first major biography of the renowned surrealist René Magritte. Author Alex Danchev argues that the Belgian artist is one of the most important image-makers of the 20th century, having influenced figures as disparate as Jasper Johns and Beyoncé. Beyond illuminating lesser-known details of the artist’s life and career, the book includes 50 color illustrations as well as more than 160 black-and-white images, including legendary works such as the betrayal of images (ceci n’est pas une pipe) and bowler man.
find it at: random penguin house
—sarah cascone
See Also: How I tab books – My Bookish Court
See Also: 29 Book Publishing Companies that Accept Submissions without an Agent
18. how to see: look, talk and think art by david salle (2016)
david salle’s review reads like a conversation with an artist, because, well, basically it is. Each essay in the painter’s first book of critical essays (we hear another is in the works) offers cerebral musings on art that can challenge his sensibilities, make him laugh out loud, and, of course, teach him how to see art as a world. artist does.
find it at: w.w. norton
—annie armstrong
See Also: 29 Book Publishing Companies that Accept Submissions without an Agent
19. the boy who drew auschwitz: a powerful true story of hope and survival by thomas geve (2021)
for 22 months, thomas geve, 13, survived the auschwitz-birkenau nazi concentration camp. after the allies freed the prisoners, he was initially too weak to leave. He spent the two months recovering from it making more than 80 drawings, 56 of which are published here with a revised version of Geve’s first-hand account of life in the camp. “These stories,” he wrote, “give a voice to my comrades who did not get to see the day of liberation. my world was his world too. my words would give eternal life to their personalities and dreams, which had perished so unjustly and too soon.”
find it at: harper collins
—sarah cascone
See Also: 29 Book Publishing Companies that Accept Submissions without an Agent
20. four lost cities: a secret history of the urban age by annalee newitz (2021)
Archeology fans will be fascinated to learn more about the rise and fall of four ancient cities: Rome’s Pompeii in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius; the stone temples of cambodia at angkor watt; the huge mounds of cahokia near today’s st. louis, and the neolithic site of Çatalhöyük in central turkey. Visiting all four sites, Annalee Newitz was able to identify the environmental changes and political upheaval that helped lead to the demise of these once-thriving settlements, and consider what lessons about urban life contemporary society can draw from ancient history.
find it at: w.w. norton
—sarah cascone
See Also: How I tab books – My Bookish Court