The Best Art Books of 2023

For Biography Enthusiasts

Monet: The Restless Vision by Jackie Wullschläger

Publisher by Allen Lane, October 2023

The Financial Times’s chief art critic, Jackie Wullschläger, has poured over thousands of letters and journals to give us the first major biography of Claude Monet—the French master of Impressionism. From Monet’s early penchant for naturalism to daring experiments with the effects of light in nature and the triumphant waterlilies of Giverny, Wullschläger weaves a sumptuous tale of Monet’s life and painting.

The Other Side: A Journey into Women, Art and the Spirit World by Jennifer Higgie

Published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, February 2023

Jennifer Higgie, who was once editor of Frieze magazine, plunges the depths of the world unseen through stories of female artists inspired by spiritualism. Higgie has often celebrated women that have been side-lined in art history and sheds light here on such figures as British surrealist and occultist Ithell Colquhoun and Swedish mystic Hilma af Klint, whose paintings were aided by spirit guides.

Art Is Magic: A Children’s Book for Adults by Jeremy Deller

Published by Cheerio, May 2023

Typical of Jeremy Deller’s irreverent sense of humor, the Turner Prize-winning artist has devised his memoir as a “children’s book for adults”, undermining the art world’s pomposities. Deller takes a look back at some of his career-defining projects, including the re-enactment of the 2001 confrontation between police and striking miners in Sheffield and the 2019 Brexit protests in Parliament Square.

For Budding Critics and Collectors

Talk Art: The Interviews by Russell Tovey & Robert Diament

Published by Ilex Press, June 2023

The loveable duo, comprising actor and avid art collector Russell Tovey and gallerist Robert Diament, return with another book inspired by their beloved podcast, now in its 19th season. The pair have compiled excerpts from 24 interviews that will delight and inspire, with such starry guests as Jerry Saltz, Elton John, Tracey Emin and Pierce Brosnan on the line-up.

See What You’re Missing: 31 Ways Artists Notice the World – and How You Can Too by Will Gompertz

Published by Viking, April 2023

Former BBC arts editor Will Gompertz has a marvelous way of making the work of artists accessible. In this latest title, the soon-to-be-director of London’s Sir John Soane’s Museum focuses upon the special way that artists see things. From David Hockney’s love affair with nature to Frida Kahlo’s insight into human pain, Gompertz suggests how we might take a leaf out of the artist’s book and appreciate the world differently.

All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley

Published by Bodley Head, March 2023

Who better to bring the museum to life than Patrick Bringley, who was a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for a decade? Bingley gave up his job at the New Yorker following the tragic death of his brother and found nourishment among the treasures at the Metropolitan. This warm reflection on the healing power of objects also provides a fascinating insight into the inner sanctum of the museum.

Blockbuster Exhibition Catalogs

Vermeer – edited by Peter Roelofs & Gregor J. M. Weber

Published by Thames & Hudson, March 2023

If you weren’t among the lucky 650,000 people who saw the Rijksmuseum’s momentous Vermeer exhibition in Amsterdam, this catalog transports you to the cobbled streets of the Netherlands where Vermeer conjured his famed interiors of domestic life and girls with pearl earrings that are so beloved. Also an entry in the New York Times selection of the best art books of 2023, this ambitious book addresses all thirty-seven of Vermeer’s paintings, with contributions from leading academics.

Marina Abramović

Published by Royal Academy of Arts, December 2023

Marina Abramović was the talk of London this year, with the opening of her retrospective at the Royal Academy of Arts – the first female artist to have a solo show in the historic galleries. The accompanying catalog arrives in time for Christmas, authored by a host of exceptional academic voices, and reaffirms why Abramović is cherished as the grandmother of performance art.

For Design & Film Buffs

Archive by Sofia Coppola

Published by MACK books, September 2023

This deeply personal book is filled with images and ephemera from Sofia Coppola’s archive, from the letter she wrote Bill Murray begging him to be a part of Lost in Translation to photographs of Paris Hilton’s closet for the Bling Ring. The award-winning director takes us behind the scenes of her films, so often devoted to tales of women, and her relationships with muses such as Kirsten Dunst and Elle Fanning, as well as her mother and daughters.

An Atlas of Es Devlin, edited by Andrea Lipps

Published by Thames & Hudson, October 2023

We end our round-up of the best art books of 2023 with An Atlas of Es Devlin. This rollicking journey into the magical universe of British set designer Es Devlin sold out in record time, but more copies are thankfully on the way. You might know Devlin as the creative force behind the stage set for Beyoncé’s 2023 Renaissance Tour, the 2022 Super Bowl Half Time show, or the London 2012 Olympic Closing Ceremony. This gorgeous title includes interviews with Devlin and some of her collaborators as well as sketches and cut-outs that make this book an art object in its own right.

Relevant sources to learn more

The 10 Best Art Books We Read in 2022
10 Books Illustrated by Great Artists
Art and Fiction: 15 Brilliant Novels About Art and Artists