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
How a Persian manuscript was swapped for a Willem de Kooning owned by the Iranian government
Oliver Hoare's memoir details the story of the ambitious exchange of an Iranian masterpiece for a painting by the Abstract Expressionist
Ultimate reading lists
Interviews with writers
Features
‘The artist the critics love to hate’: the colourful life of sports star painter and Playboy illustrator LeRoy Neiman
We speak to the author of a new biography that reassesses the legacy of the “hustler” artist who rubbed shoulders with celebrities
My five-year-old could do that! The impact of childhood on the work of artists
A new book gathers together anecdotes from artists' early years and looks at how these formative experiences shaped their careers
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
What is the art world reading?
Book extracts
In Pictures
November Book Bag: from fashion ‘outlaws’ to interviews with the auto-destructive artist Gustav Metzger
Our round-up of the latest art publications
‘He laughed like a madman’: when Édouard Manet decided to touch up one of Berthe Morisot's paintings
An extract from a new book by Sebastian Smee—about the Impressionists during the Siege of Paris and Paris Commune—brings to life the peculiar episode of artistic intervention
Five must-read art history books for the under-fives
All you ever wanted to know about art (if you are little), from a cat that wanders round Tate Modern at night to why Louise Bourgeois made giant spiders—selected by The Art Newspaper's Anna Brady
October Book Bag: from a publication about money in art to tales of London art market rogues
Our round-up of the latest art publications
In Pictures | Artist billboards across America tell a story of US politics today
Ahead of the November presidential election, a new book by the For Freedoms organisation brings together the topical and political posters that it has commissioned since 2016
An expert’s guide to Helen Frankenthaler: five must-read books on the Abstract Expressionist
All you ever wanted to know about Frankenthaler, from a seminal monograph to the story of the bohemian world that forged her—selected by the curator and writer Douglas Dreishpoon
September Book Bag: from the importance of colour in Mesoamerican cultures to a collection of famous artists’ sketchbooks
Our round-up of the latest art publications
An expert's guide to Impressionism: five must-read books on the art movement
All you ever wanted to know about the subject, from tomes on how society shaped Impressionism to a deep dive into how the paintings were actually made—selected by curators Kimberly Jones and Mary Morton
August Book Bag: from a New York dealer’s memoir to a compilation of Glenn Ligon’s writing and interviews
Our round-up of the latest art publications
The world’s oldest printed book and rare ancient manuscripts from the Mogao caves in China to go on show in London
We speak to the British Library exhibition curator Melodie Doumy about the Diamond Sutra and other treasures from the Library Cave
July Book Bag: from a giant tome of Islamic and Middle Eastern art to a biography of the overlooked British artist Mabel Nicholson
Our round-up of the latest art publications
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
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
June Book Bag: from a book of night photography to the latest instalment of the Andy Warhol catalogue raisonné
Our round-up of the latest art publications
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
May Book Bag: from a compilation of Eva Hesse exhibitions to a guide for tackling Nazi loot in museums
Our round-up of the latest art publications
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
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
April Book Bag: from a survey of artists using words in their work to a Barkley L. Hendricks monograph
Our round-up of the latest art publications
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
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
March Book Bag: from a collection of ‘disruptive’ women painters to a biography of the eccentric Piero di Cosimo
Our round-up of the latest art publications
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
‘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
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
February Book Bag: from to a graphic novel of Ruth Asawa’s life to a tome of Glenn Brown’s works
Our round-up of the latest art publications