Art History Books

An illuminating guide to history’s most influential and inspiring artists – from Leonardo da Vinci to Frida Kahlo – and how they can teach us to see the world more clearly. How did the greatest artists in history look at the world…

A fascinating, narrative biography of the art movement that transformed the modern world, tracing the lives and activities of the key protagonists as they set about a revolution in art. October 1917. The Russian Revolution wipes t…

These six extraordinary women shared Pablo Picasso's life and were instrumental in his career, yet they have long been dismissed as simply passive models or muses. Hidden Portraits reveals that their lives were - without exception…

An accessible and hugely popular history of art explained through many of the world’s most famous masterpieces. Written by an international team of artists, art historians and curators, this absorbing and beautiful book gives read…

A new history of painting as told through the eyes and hands-on insights of a practising artist. The first question that Lachlan Goudie asks himself when he sees a work of art is not ‘why’ it was created but ‘how’. For this book h…

A concise, accessible and global overview of modern and contemporary queer art, co-written by notable curators in the field.Queer Art is a commanding compendium of LGBTQIA+ art that highlights its ongoing resilience from the 19th …

28 pull-out posters of floral masterpieces to hang on your walls. From Monet’s Waterlilies and Klimt’s Flower Garden, to Cassatt’s Lilacs in a Window and Hiroshige’s Hibiscus, The Art of Flowers features 28 of art history’s most i…

Richard Rogers Talking Buildings introduces young readers to the work of one of the 20th Century’s most influential architects for the first time. Written by his son, Ab Rogers, the book pays homage to Richard’s passion for legibi…

In 1940, in the wake of a divorce from her husband, the artist Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo turned to self-portraiture to express her deepest emotional and psychological impulses, and completed a painting inscribed with the lyrics of…

The joy that permeates Renoir’s paintings emerged from the heart of a deeply complex man. Even his close friends and family members were baffled by the contradictions that defined him.In Renoir: An Intimate Biography, Barbara Ehrl…

Dance your way through the magical world of Australian artist Kaylene Whiskey in her first major monograph. 'I was very excited that Kaylene honoured me through her art and I was glad that I could be an inspiration to her' Dolly P…

The story of an outfit, a designer, his muse, and what the three of them created together: contemporary style. Paris, 1966. In the tranquility of his studio on Avenue Marceau, Yves Saint Laurent is conducting research for his next…

Around 1900, nature-oriented way of life, spiritism and theosophy inspired artists from Arnold Schönberg to Egon Schiele. This comprehensive overview is the first to explore the occult aspects of the "Lebensreform" movement in Vie…

For the first time in 70 years, the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson is reissuing this emblematic work by Henri Cartier-Bresson. Published by Verve in 1955, three years after the resounding success of The Decisive Moment, The Europ…

Shaped by the cycle of the natural world, a fresh look at the life and work of John Constable to celebrate the 250th anniversary of his birth in 2026. As exhilarating as a lungful of oxygen: that’s how some of his contemporaries f…

This illustrated introduction to the history of China offers a fresh understanding of China’s progress from the Neolithic age to the present. Told in six chapters arranged chronologically, through art, artefacts, people and places…

Celebrates 40 great exemplars of Nordic residential architecture from the past 120 years, exploring both the groundbreaking modernist homes of the 20th century and more contemporary dream residences. The Nordic home has long held …

Drawing into Painting reveals Lucian Freud’s lifelong focus on the human face and form, tracing the intimate dialogue between his sketches and paintings from the 1930s to the early 21st century. Lucian Freud (1922–2011) is celebra…

A compact, illustrated collection of Henri Matisse's insights into art and life. In addition to being a formidable artist, Henri Matisse (1869–1954) was a prolific letter writer and regular contributor to many publications. Follow…

A compelling and vivid narrative history of one of the founding civilizations of the modern world, the Byzantine empire, evocatively told through the lives of its 92 emperors. Based in the great city of Constantinople (modern-day …

Explore the life and art of Vincent van Gogh through 50 of his most important works. Part of a brand new series celebrating the works of great artists, The Works: Vincent Van Gogh is an exquisite exploration of 50 masterpieces fro…

Explore the life and art of Gustav Klimt through 50 of his most important works. Part of a brand new series celebrating the works of great artists, The Works: Gustav Klimt is an exquisite exploration of 50 masterpieces from the ce…

This book explores Francis Bacon’s deep connection to portraiture and how he challenged traditional definitions of the genre. From his responses to portraiture by earlier artists, to large-scale paintings memorialising lost lovers…

Nan Goldin's deeply personal exploration of female trauma and resistance. Sisters, Saints and Sibyls is a tribute ‘to all rebellious women struggling to survive in society.’ Focusing on the tragic life of her sister, Barbara, Nan …

A pocket-sized career guide for emerging artists, The Artist's Roadmap is an essential primer for anyone wishing to discover what underpins a professional practice within this field. Being an artist is challenging. Not only are th…

Joe Tucker's Uncle Eric was a beloved yet unconventional figure throughout his life.A shambolically dressed man who lived with his mother for almost eighty years, he appeared to exist only for daily trips to the bookie - and yet h…

Should museums be made to give back their marbles? Is it even possible to 'decolonize' our galleries? Must Rhodes fall?How to deal with the colonial history of art in museums and monuments in the public realm is a thorny issue tha…

A magnificent biography of the founder of ImpressionismIn the course of a long and exceptionally creative life, Claude Monet revolutionized painting and made some of the most iconic images in western art. Behind this great and fam…

'I know for sure that I have an instinct for colour, and painting is in the very marrow of my bones' The life of Van Gogh has gone down in legend as the archetypal artist’s existence. He was irascible and short-tempered, hugely pa…

Follow the journey of David Hockney's exceptional life in a unique graphic novel format. From his childhood in Bradford and early years making it as an artist, to his sun-drenched Los Angeles period, his triumphal return to the UK…