Tabish Khan the @LondonArtCritic takes a break from exhibitions to recommend his top art books to read. Each comes with a concise review to help you decide whether it’s for you.
Gilbert and George & The Communists by James Birch, published by Cheerio
This is an enjoyable nonfiction book about putting on Gilbert & George exhibitions in Russia and then China in the early 1990s, as told by the man who helped make these exhibitions happen. It’s full of colourful characters and funny exploits.
Monsters: What Do We Do with Great Art by Bad People? Published by Hodder & Stoughton
This is a fascinating take on how we should deal with monsters in art, whether that be Picasso or Polanski. It’s written in the style of a memoir, so the author is wrestling with her conscience, and it drops some tremendous philosophical bombs on what it means to love the work of monsters.
Arcadia by Arch Hades, published by Black Spring Press Group
This impressive poem examines how modern life has alienated us, how consumerism has run rampant, and how it has left us feeling empty. It’s a spectacular, philosophical, and insightful work of art.
Leigh Bowery: The Life and Times of an Icon by Sue Tilley, published by Thames & Hudson
This front-row seat recounts Leigh Bowery’s outrageous life and times. It covers his early life, bold antics, vulnerable moments, and the times when he could be downright nasty. What a life he led, and it’s great to read this while the Tate Modern exhibition is on.
Hokusai: A Life in Drawing by Henri-Alexis Baatch, published by Thames & Hudson
This has to be one of the most beautiful art books I’ve ever seen. It’s giant in scale and filled with Hokusai’s drawings of people, cities, animals, landscapes and, of course, his famous Great Wave. It ties shut with a ribbon and is the ultimate coffee table book.
The Story of Art Without Men by Katy Hessel, published by Cornerstone
This helpful resource showcases female artists throughout every period of art history and provides an alternate take on the evolution of art, one without male artists. It’s a helpful resource for discovering what female artists were operating at each significant time in art history.
See What You’re Missing by Will Gompertz, published by Penguin Books
Artists see the world differently from the rest of us, and this book illuminates how artists have interpreted the world around them throughout art history. It’s also a great reference book for learning about key artist practices.
The Tastemakers by Rosie Millard, published by Scribner
This time capsule of a book examines the state of contemporary art at the turn of the millennium when it was riding a high, the leading players, and how contemporary art became so big.
Ahuva Zeloof: Faith, published by Silvana
Are we driven to see art and spirituality everywhere, even in natural formations? Ahuva Zeloof collects naturally formed rocks to challenge our perception of what makes art and follows directly from her wider practice of figurative sculpture. This coffee table book is a stunning look over her works accompanied by essays about her practice.
Hokusai image: Snowy Morning from Koishikawa, from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, c. 1830–32. New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Leigh Bowery image courtesy Sue Tilley. All other images are copyrighted by the publisher and author.
