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

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

3 March 2026

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

3 March 2026

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

Interviews with writers

3 March 2026

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

6 January 2026

How an artist and a writer forged a frank friendship—and a book

The author Olivia Laing and the painter Chantal Joffe tell us about collaborating on a new book detailing their creative exchanges

7 October 2025

‘Ideas move through migration’: Charlotte Mullins tells us why she has taken a fresh look at art from the British Isles

The author's new publication charts the history of the UK and Ireland from the last Ice Age to today

2 September 2025

What is art for? A brush with… publication reveals artists’ favourite things

We speak to Ben Luke about his book drawn from The Art Newspaper podcast, which includes 25 insightful interviews with key figures such as Doris Salcedo and Ragnar Kjartansson

1 September 2025

Cameras, creativity and kids: Sally Mann on her ‘kind of how-to book’ that mixes memoir with advice for artists

The US photographer, whose images of her naked children sparked controversy, reflects on her life and practice

Features

How Martin Parr’s defining photobook made a splash 40 years ago

‘The Last Resort’, which will be republished later this year, is the subject of a new show at the late photographer’s foundation

‘The good, the bad and the ugly’: a short history of how artists depict the female body

The author Amy Dempsey talks about her new book exploring the tension between overexposure and invisibility

How an artist and a writer forged a frank friendship—and a book

The author Olivia Laing and the painter Chantal Joffe tell us about collaborating on a new book detailing their creative exchanges

The Rembrandt robber: five takeaways from an insider’s book on a notorious art thief

The security expert Anthony Amore provides insights into the curious case of Myles Connor, who stole Rembrandt’s Portrait of Elsbeth van Rijn

Anthony Amore. With an introduction by Gareth Harris

What is the art world reading?

Book extracts

3 March 2026

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

2 December 2025

When Masha met Ragnar: Pussy Riot member’s life-changing encounter

In this extract from her new book, Maria "Masha" Alyokhina Alyokhina recalls her first meeting with the Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson

1 July 2025

Arshile Gorky’s experience as an immigrant to the US and the painting that defined it

An exclusive extract by Adam Gopnik on the Armenian American painter, taken from a collection of essays about the artist’s time in New York City

4 February 2025

‘I thought I would be trampled to death’: travelling with Gilbert & George to put on a show in 1990s Beijing

An exclusive extract from a new book by James Birch who helped organise exhibitions for the artist duo in Communist Russia and China

7 January 2025

‘An impossible stillness that artists have chased’: Alvaro Barrington on Piero della Francesca’s Baptism of Christ

In this exclusive extract from a new book, the London-based artist explains why Piero’s painting is his favourite in the National Gallery collection

In Pictures

1 October 2024

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

5 April 2022

In Pictures | Ukraine before the 2022 Russian invasion, from holidaymakers in Odesa to the frontlines of Mariupol

Mark Neville’s new photobook—of images taken over the past six years—is a call to action that has been sent to hundreds of politicians and other influential people around the world

23 September 2021

In Pictures | How Gianfranco Gorgoni captured the mysticism of the Land Art movement

More than 150 rarely-seen photographs chronicle the history of seminal earthworks in the landscape

14 September 2021

In Pictures | Behind the scenes of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s work wrapping the Arc de Triomphe

A new book looks at the detailed preparations and 60 years of planning behind the work being unveiled in Paris

10 June 2021

In Pictures | Barkley L. Hendricks unseen photographs gathered in new publication

The US artist’s images are joined by an extract from the book looking at how aspects of his painting and photography overlapped

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

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

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

Book Clubfeature

‘The good, the bad and the ugly’: a short history of how artists depict the female body

The author Amy Dempsey talks about her new book exploring the tension between overexposure and invisibility

Book Clubfeature

How Martin Parr’s defining photobook made a splash 40 years ago

‘The Last Resort’, which will be republished later this year, is the subject of a new show at the late photographer’s foundation

Book Clubfeature

A taster of the British Museum's Hawaii show in three objects

The curator Alice Christophe delves into the catalogue and picks out some key objects ahead of the exhibition in London

Alice Christophe. With an introduction by Gareth Harris
Book Clubfeature

How an artist and a writer forged a frank friendship—and a book

The author Olivia Laing and the painter Chantal Joffe tell us about collaborating on a new book detailing their creative exchanges

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

The best recent publications about the subject, from a book following the rebuilding of Notre-Dame cathedral to a Batman comic set in Barcelona—selected by the museum director and curator Annabelle Ténèze

Booksblog

The best art books of 2025, as picked by The Art Newspaper’s editors

The publications that delighted our literary team this year, from important exhibition catalogues and overdue surveys to personal reflections and playful illustrations

Book Clubfeature

The Rembrandt robber: five takeaways from an insider’s book on a notorious art thief

The security expert Anthony Amore provides insights into the curious case of Myles Connor, who stole Rembrandt’s Portrait of Elsbeth van Rijn

Anthony Amore. With an introduction by Gareth Harris
Book Clubfeature

When Masha met Ragnar: Pussy Riot member’s life-changing encounter

In this extract from her new book, Maria "Masha" Alyokhina Alyokhina recalls her first meeting with the Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson

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

The best publications about the Spanish artist's twilight years chosen by the curators of Late Picasso

Book Clubfeature

‘Make a lot of bad work for as long as possible’: new book brings you top tips from artists

In Lydia Figes’s publication more than 50 successful artists share their wisdom on everything from defining success to dealing with galleries

How art social media accounts are being turned into books

Having lots of followers on Instagram does not guarantee a publishing deal but it helps

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

The best publications to learn all about Rauschenberg, from his own “humorous and profound” writings to a book about his fruitful relationships with other artists—selected by the curator Michelle White

Book Clubinterview

‘Ideas move through migration’: Charlotte Mullins tells us why she has taken a fresh look at art from the British Isles

The author's new publication charts the history of the UK and Ireland from the last Ice Age to today

Book Clubfeature

New book looks at how the movies shaped the way we think about artists

We speak to the author of a publication that dissects the way artists from Van Gogh to Frida Kahlo have been immortalised on the silver screen

Book Clubfeature

What is art for? A brush with… publication reveals artists’ favourite things

We speak to Ben Luke about his book drawn from The Art Newspaper podcast, which includes 25 insightful interviews with key figures such as Doris Salcedo and Ragnar Kjartansson

Book Clubfeature

The philosopher’s tone: Gilles Deleuze's lively painting lectures are published in English

The French thinker held seminars on painting and philosophy at the short-lived Centre Universitaire Expérimental de Vincennes

Book Clubfeature

Cameras, creativity and kids: Sally Mann on her ‘kind of how-to book’ that mixes memoir with advice for artists

The US photographer, whose images of her naked children sparked controversy, reflects on her life and practice

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

The best publications to learn all about the topic, from a concise overview to a ‘stunning illustrated publication’—selected by the curator Kelli Cole and the academic Jennifer Green

Obituariesfeature

Remembering Thomas Neurath, who brought single-minded energy and intellectual bravura to leading the publishers Thames & Hudson

The managing director of one of the most admired imprints for illustrated art books, who has died aged 84, was a master of the integration of text and pictures with a beatnik streak and a desire to democratise access to the arts