10 Best Books on Art
I have loved art for as long as I can remember. Monet, Van Gogh, Degas…were only the beginning. Thanks to my family for giving me art books and taking me to museums as it helped grow my love and appreciation for art. I continue to read art books, visit museums, and explore art galleries as often as possible. Here’s a list of the 10 best art books, IMHO.
#10
The Louvre: All the Paintings by Erich Lessing truly has all of the paintings on display and in the permanent collection at the Paris museum in this book! Art historians provide descriptions of the key attributes of each painting, the artists’ techniques, and biographical information about the artists.
#9
Paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago: Highlights of the Collection by James Rondeau holds a special place in my collection of art books. I was gifted this amazing book after my first trip to Chicago. I absolutely fell in love with the museum. I’m grateful to have this book to reminisce on my time with Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, Cassatt, Gauguin, Homer, Seurat, Rembrandt…the list goes on and on.
#8
daVinci holds a very special place in my heart. He’s a genius and I love his work. My husband and I are such admirers that we named our first cocker spaniel, daVinci. Leonardo: The Complete Paintings and Drawings by Frank Zollner was updated for the 500th anniversary of daVinci’s death and showcases all of his paintings and drawings.
#7
I am grateful to have purchased a signed copy of Annie Leibovitz, Portraits 2005-2016 at my local independent bookstore, Joseph-Beth Booksellers. As I understand, Annie Leibovitz sent a select number of signed copies to independent bookstores. I have carefully perused my copy and the photography is fabulous!
#6
Frida Kahlo, The Complete Paintings by Luis-Martin Lozano is a massive book. I stood over this book with my jaw hanging open at my local independent bookstore when it was released. It’s absolutely gorgeous! I have only recently come to appreciate her work. I am very interested in Frida’s personal life based upon what little knowledge I have gained. I am always searching for that perfect Frida Kahlo biography.
#5
I vividly remember the day Wall and Piece by Bansky arrived on our doorstep. My husband had educated me about Banksy’s art and sophisticated trickery. I was immediately intrigued and impressed by his ability to create art in public places with complete secrecy and anonymity. We watched the shocking YouTube video (below) of the shredding of the Girl With Balloon painting at the Sotheby’s auction. I quickly became a fan of Banksy. So when this book arrived, I was already camped out in my home library reading. My husband handed me the book to look at and I didn’t hand it back until I had finished reading. Unexpectedly, I was rooted in place, mesmerized by the content of this book.
#4
While recently shopping at my local independent bookstore, I discovered A Life of Picasso IV: The Minotaur Years 1933 - 1943 by John Richardson. The book is really cool as there are lots of pictures of Picasso’s art and photographs of Picasso and his subjects. I think the cover is really cool. I later learned that three books preceded this one. (The bookstore only had the fourth installment on hand.)
A Life of Picasso I: The Prodigy 1881 - 1906
A Life of Picasso II: The Cubist Rebel 1907 - 1916
A Life of Picasso III: The Triumphant Years 1917 - 1932
#3
Monet: The Triumph of Impressionism by Daniel Wildstein is a large book filled with biographical information about the master painter and photos of Monet’s masterpieces. This book was published in 2022 and is quite comprehensive where you can gain knowledge while being visually entertained with lots of images. The cover art is gorgeous.
#2
Degas may have truly been the first artist I fell in love with. As a child, I took ballet lessons for years and continue to love the art of ballet. During the Christmas holiday of 2022, my mom and I took a road trip to Detroit, Michigan to visit the Degas and the Dance exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Art. This was a memorable trip, one that I often recall. Memorable because I got to see Degas paintings and the bronze statue, the little dancer, in real life for the first time and it’s one of the last special trips I got to take with my mom. I purchased this book, Degas and the Dance by Jill DeVonyar and Richard Kendall at the museum shop during our visit.
#1
Van Gogh in Provence and Auvers by Bogomila Welsh-Ovcharv is my most cherished art book in my collection. My mom gave me this book one Christmas, ages ago, and I’ve always displayed it so I can easily see it when I enter my home library. The artwork is from Van Gogh’s most active time period and includes 300 photos of his paintings. My husband and I recently visited the Van Gogh in America exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Art. You can read about our visit and see pictures here. It was an incredible experience. I also love the movie At Eternity’s Gate that depicts Vincent’s life during the same time period as this book (trailer below).
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