Books

Book ClubFeature

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

Booksreview

Squatters, desert cults and climate protestors: new book surveys the architecture of anarchist settlements

From geodesic domes in South Colorado to the Calais Jungle in Europe, this provocative work studies 60 structures that were built according to values of autonomy, voluntary association, mutual aid and self-organisation

Book ClubInterview

‘Caravaggio was a major-league asshole’: the long tradition of scandal in art

According to Noah Charney’s new book, infamy in the art world—be it contrived drama to drum up publicity or genuine artistic rivalry—is as old as art itself

Book ClubFeature

Extract | How the colours in ancient Pompeian frescoes ‘spoke’ to Mark Rothko

A new book by the art historian Ben Street attempts to demystify how we look at art and argues for reacting instinctively to what we see

An expert’s guide to Titian: five must-read books on the Venetian Old Master

All you ever wanted to know about Titian, from a biography fit for a king to an overlooked lecture essay from 1990—selected by the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum curator Nathaniel Silver

BooksBlog

Five new books on female artists that you should read now

Jacqueline Riding—The Art Newspaper's new Books commissioning editor—gives us her top tips, from important catalogues on artists like Paula Rego to a series of children's books for young art lovers

Booksreview

Book on Luisa Roldán shines new light on the 17th-century Spanish sculptor—but why does it lead on her marriage, not her masterpieces?

Volume is the debut instalment of a new series, Illuminating Women Artists, responding to the interest in those “who had nearly been lost to history”

Book ClubFeature

Extract | How Mayor Rudy Giuliani went from ‘patting on the back’ to trying to pull the plug on Sensation show

Two decades after one of the most controversial exhibitions of recent times, Arnold Lehman, the former director of the Brooklyn Museum, reveals all in a new book

The best art books for summer—as recommended by curators, directors and dealers

As we enter the final weeks of the season, check out these riveting reads, from “the best novel about painting” to a book with no words at all

Compiled by José da Silva and Gareth Harris
Book ClubInterview

Q&A | What artists wear and why it matters

A new book by the fashion critic Charlie Porter explores how what artists choose to wear can tell us about the multiple roles of clothing in society

LA Art Book Fair cancelled over fear of spread of coronavirus

Decision on MOCA event affects over 350 exhibitors from around two dozen countries

Podcast episode 24: Mural-gazing with the Dalai Lama, plus Michael Rakowitz

We speak to Thomas Laird about his new book on the murals of Tibet and to Michael Rakowitz about his fourth plinth commission unveiled next week

Hosted by Ben Luke. , produced by Julia Michalska and David Clack