Books

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In Pictures | The eve of a US presidential election through the eyes of William Eggleston

A newly republished book by the renowned Memphis photographer documents the Deep South in the run-up to the 1976 election

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Judge a book by its cover: Centre Pompidou looks at Henri Matisse through a literary lens for new show

One of the most expansive museum surveys on the French artist in 50 years will present his book and magazine designs—and even some of his own writing

Booksreview

From how insurance pay outs work to when to get your art appraised: a must have how-to book for collectors

This updated art market manual by Mary Rozell merits a place on any bookshelf

Book Clubinterview

Q&A | ‘The looting was a chaotic free-for-all’: Dan Hicks on the pillaging of the Benin Bronzes and colonialism in museums

The curator and University of Oxford professor tells us about his new book, The Brutish Museums, which details how museums themselves were “used as a unique type of weapon”

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Extract | The Guerrilla Girls say ‘get mad and keep up the fight’

An exclusive excerpt and images from a new book chronicling 35 years of “creative complaining” by the US-based feminist art collective

Podcastspodcast

Artemisia and Frida: great art, turbulent lives

We take a tour of the Artemisia Gentileschi show in London with curator Letizia Treves and explore a new biography of Frida Kahlo with its author, Hettie Judah

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by Julia Michalska and David. Clack

What has the Goldsmiths CCA director Sarah McCrory been reading this year?

The curator's interests have ranged from artist interviews and books on race, to crime fiction and a biography revealing what Walter Gropius really thought of the English

Booksreview

Bryan Robertson: an engrossing book on a brilliant—but forgotten—maverick curator

This is the first publication about the man who put London's Whitechapel Gallery on the international map, but never gained the recognition he deserved

An expert’s guide to Artemisia Gentileschi: five must-read books on the Italian artist

All you ever wanted to know about Artemisia, from the best biographies to a book about her place in early modern feminism—selected by Italian painting specialist Letizia Treves

Podcastspodcast

Sell the Michelangelo or lose 150 staff? The Royal Academy of Arts’s Covid-19 conundrum

Plus, the curator Legacy Russell talks about her new book Glitch Feminism

Hosted by Ben Luke and Margaret Carrigan. with guest speaker Alison Cole
Book Clubfeature

Ka-boom! How art history is embracing the comic book genre

Publishers looking for ways to draw in wider audiences to the lives and careers of famous artists are increasingly turning to graphic novels

Podcastspodcast

This is America: Grayson Perry on race and class

Plus, Robert Storr on his huge new book about the painter Philip Guston. Sponsored by Christie's

Book Clubreview

New biography highlights how Philip Guston risked his art-world standing and livelihood

The book by Robert Storr delves into the American painter's dealings with Klansmen and how he wanted “to make paintings you couldn’t count money in front of”

An expert’s guide to Vincent van Gogh: five must-read books on the Dutch artist

All you ever needed to know about the artist, from the story of the ear incident to the definitive biography and best picture book—selected by Van Gogh specialist Martin Bailey

Can’t make it to the Met? Dive into a new book for an unconventional look at the museum's collection

Publication aims to open up 6,000 years of art history using objects as a springboard—but is it worth the effort?

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In Pictures | John Cage’s lifelong obsession with mushrooms

A new book looks at the artist and composer's love of all things mycological, including his fungi photograph collection and collaboration with illustrator Lois Long

Booksnews

German library buys 400-year-old album of drawings by European royalty for €2.8m

Art dealer Philipp Hainhofer's 16th-century "friendship book" contains inscriptions from Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II and Cosimo de’ Medici

What has the National Portrait Gallery’s Nicholas Cullinan been reading this summer?

The museum director has been delving into artist biographies, swotting up on black British history and is hoping to finally begin a well-known novel trilogy

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Misogyny and making art in the shadow of Jackson Pollock—how Lee Krasner was shut out of art history

New digital publication argues that the late US artist is the “unacknowledged equal” of her superstar husband

Booksreview

Image and impotency: book reveals the palaces and pictures of some particularly hapless Habsburgs

The Mexican Emperor Maximilian, Crown Prince Rudolf and Archduke Franz Ferdinand all came to sad ends, but amassed vast estates and works of art

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In Pictures | Yayoi Kusama’s colourful life gets the graphic novel treatment

From naked performances in New York and her relationship with Joseph Cornell to hijacking the Venice Biennale, the Japanese artist is the subject of a new comic book by Elisa Macellari

Booksreview

Biography of the artist John Nash—victim of the Younger Brother Syndrome—redresses the balance

Book shows that John Nash was a remarkable artist overshadowed by his elder sibling, Paul

Book Clubfeature

Why Jeff Koons is so difficult to please, the strange Venice Biennale selection process and which collector is a game changer

A new book by Matthew Israel gives an insider’s view of the art world over the course of a year

Booksreview

New Orientalists: a thoughtful book on the rise and decline of Western artists in the Middle East

There is plenty to enjoy in this account of a group of travelling painters who were not only accomplished but also determined, brave and hardy

Booksnews

Former US president George W. Bush unveils portraits of immigrants in new book

But blowback has been swift against the hobbyist painter, whose immigration policies while in office included the creation of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Art booksgallery

The art of tarot, from the Renaissance to today

Tarot has had a resurgence in popularity in recent years. But the iconography of this centuries-old occult practice is constantly evolving with each new generation of artists

Book Clubinterview

Q&A | Vintage photo trove hidden in attic for decades revealed in new book

Alberto di Lenardo’s secret 8,000-strong archive has been distilled into a new publication by his granddaughter Carlotta, who tells us all about it

Book Clubfeature

Extract | Philip Guston’s fascination with the ‘funnies’ was key to developing his distinctive later style

An exclusive excerpt from a forthcoming biography by art historian Robert Storr looks at the influence of comics as well as caricatures that the American-Canadian artist made of his contemporaries

Summer Reads: which books do Oxford librarians want to dip into by the pool?

Bodleian scholars give their top tips for The Art Newspaper Book Club

Booksreview

Roman holiday, 40BC: an in-depth view of the Villa dei Papiri, the inspiration for the Getty Villa

The institution has released an up-to-date account of discoveries from the seaside getaway near Herculaneum, where Roman politicians took restorative breaks—before it was buried by Vesuvius