5 art world books to read this summer
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As May comes to an end and summer approaches, the art world is buzzing with anticipation. June promises a crescendo of activity with Art Basel, the last major art fair of the calendar, and a bustling auction season in London. Amid this flurry, we can't help but look forward to some well-deserved R&R! We’re picturing lying on a beach, a great book in one hand and an even better cocktail in the other. Whilst we might share some cocktail recipes in a future post, today we're here to help you curate your perfect summer reading list!
Here are our top five recommended books that provide great insight into the art world, introduce you to leading art world figures, and offer expansive perspectives on art history.
1. All That Glitters: A Story of Friendship, Fraud and Fine Art
by Orlando Whitfield (2024)
When Orlando Whitfield first meets Inigo Philbrick, they are students dreaming of dealing art for a living. Their friendship lasts for fifteen years until one day, Inigo disappears, accused of a fraud so gigantic and audacious it rocks the art world to its core.
A sparklingly true memoir of greed, ambition and madness, All That Glitters will take you to the heart of the contemporary art world, a place wilder and wealthier than you could ever imagine.
Read our previous post for the complete backstory on the Inigo Philbrick fraud:
2. Talk Art: The Interviews, Conversations on Art, Life and Everything
by Russell Tovey and Robert Diament (2023)
Russell Tovey and Robert Diament bring their popular podcast Talk Art to paper for the second time, following on from the success of their first book which reached the Sunday Times Bestsellers list.
Bringing together 24 of the most profound, moving, funny and informative interviews from the podcast, these curated excerpts explore the inspirations, art experiences and favourite artists of a fascinating range of creative people from Grayson Perry to Elton John, from Tracey Emin to Paul Smith, and from Wolfgang Tillmans to Sonia Boyce, accompanied by images of the artworks that they have created or that have influenced them.
3. The Story of Art Without Men
by fellow Substacker Katy Hessel of
(2022)
The first edition of EH Gombrich’s supposedly definitive book The Story of Art featured no female artists in its first edition in 1950 and only one woman in its 16th edition. In 2015, the curator and art historian Katy Hessel walked into an art fair and realised that out of the thousands of artworks before her, not a single one was by a woman. So she created this positive, beautifully written corrective, which should become a founding text in the history of art by women.
Starting in 1500 and shooting through to artists born in the 1990s, The Story of Art Without Men brings centuries-old figures to life while giving form and gravitas to emergent voices and covering every substantial movement from dadaism to contemporary art.
4. Art is Life: Icons & Iconoclasts, Visionaries & Vigilantes, & Flashes of Hope in the Night
by Jerry Saltz (2022)
Jerry Saltz has been Senior Art Critic and Columnist for New York Magazine since 2006. In his book, Art Is Life, Saltz draws on two decades of work to offer a real-time survey of contemporary art as a barometer of our times. Chronicling a period punctuated by dramatic turning points—from the cultural reset of 9/11 to the rolling social crises of today—Saltz traces how visionary artists have both documented and challenged the culture.
5. Boom: Mad Money, Mega Dealers, and the Rise of Contemporary Art
by Michael Shnayerson (2019)
This book offers a behind-the-scenes look at the egomaniacs, geniuses, and canny promoters who shaped the world of modern art and created the largest unregulated financial market in the world.
It tracks mainly the New York art scene from the early days on 57th Street, the rise of SoHo in the 60s and the emergence of Chelsea as a hotbed of art galleries. We see the meteoric rise of the most renowned dealers: Larry Gagosian, David Zwirner, Arne Glimcher, and Iwan Wirth. With unparalleled access, Michael Shnayerson, longtime Vanity Fair reporter, tells us the story of contemporary art through the people who coddled, supported, and funded the most successful artists of our time.
Happy reading!
We would love to hear your thoughts on these books in the comments
Shnayerson’s book ‘BOOM’ is such a fascinating and compelling read. It’s very much NYC-centric, but is s comprehensive into showing the inside world of art galleries & dealers that you can easily imagine most of the types of stories happening in London, too.