Christmas Wish List for Art Lovers

Christmas is coming up, and it’s always a wonderful feeling when you can give someone close to you a gift that you know they’ll adore and that will inspire them for a long time to come, especially when this person is a hardcore art lover. But we all know how hard that can be! With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of 10 original presents that fit perfectly in any art lover’s collection and help you avoid desperate last-minute shopping.

This iconic, high-quality portable solar lamp created by Olafur Eliasson gives up to 50 hours of soft light. And every Little Sun sold means that one Little Sun is delivered to an African community without electricity at an affordable price. You can choose from a variety of designs, ranging from the original Little Sun to Little Sun Diamond and Little Sun Solar Charge – which is both a light and a charger. They’re beautiful and sweet and they make a difference. Find out more here.

This beautiful two-volume edition profiles 100 of the most compelling and important artists of the 21st century. Introductory texts for each artist and reproductions of key works provide the reader with the core of today’s art. Among the 100 profiled artists are Peter Doig, Christopher Wool, Cindy Sherman, Nathalie Djurberg, Wolfgang Tillmans and Elizabeth Peyton, to name but a few. Definite coffee table material.

We also love: Jean-Michel Basquiat by Hans Werner Holzwarth and Eleanor Nairne, an incredible year-to-year monograph of Basquiat’s work accompanying the 2018 Basquiat exhibition at Fondation Louis Vuitton; and Yayoi Kusama: Festival of Life, documenting Kusama’s exhibition at David Zwirner gallery in Chelsea in 2017.

Apart from those lucky folks living in London where most museums are gloriously free of charge, most museums charge hefty entrance fees these days, resulting in people not always going to the museum as often as they’d like. A one-year membership to someone’s favourite museum could therefore be the ideal Christmas gift.

What better way to prepare for a new year filled with art fairs? After all, visiting art fairs involves a lot of travelling and walking around, so you want to be comfortable and look great! Check out Hypebeast for endless sneaker-inspiration.

What better way to celebrate the holidays and the arrival of a new year than to give someone a one-year subscription to Elephant Magazine, the prolific quarterly magazine that surveys the contemporary international visual arts scene. You can choose either a digital only subscription, or a print and digital subscription that comes with a tote bag or a special gift.

When Sophie Calle’s beloved cat Souris died, she went a step further in her mourning process than most pet owners do: she turned her mourning and the memory of her cat into art. Calle commissioned dozens of musicians and artists to write songs about Souris, culminating in this beautiful and bizarre record. With impressive contributors as varied as Laurie Anderson, Bono, Jean-Michel Jarre, Pharell Williams and Ragnar Kjartansson, this promises to be an unforgettable musical experience you’ll constantly return to. Available at Perrotin Paris.

Give someone a membership to Artland Club, which includes an exclusive artwork made by an emerging artist made specially for members of Artland Club. In 2018, art collector and musician Shaka Loveless has chosen this year’s artist; Mathias Malling Mortensen. For €129,95, Artland Club members receive an exclusive artwork by the Copenhagen-based artist and get access to unique events and studio visits arranged exclusively for members of Artland Club. For more details about the membership, go to Artland Club.

If you’re looking for a more social present that can be shared among friends, consider Guess the Artist: the artist quiz game, with illustrations by Craig & Karl. Featuring 60 artists including Michelangelo, Marina Abramović, Damien Hirst and Hokusai, you can test your art knowledge by identifying a famous artist from just three visual clues.

Frieze Art Fair is hosting its very first edition in Los Angeles in 2019! The fair will be held at Paramount Picture Studios from February 15-17 2019 and non other than LAXART Executive Director Hamza Walker will curate Frieze Los Angeles Talks and Music. Seventy of the most important and forward-thinking LA and international contemporary galleries will take part in the fair, and there will be an impressive series of talks, site-specific projects, and film screenings. Galleries like Sadie Coles HQ, Gagosian, Marian Goodman Gallery, Hauser & Wirth and König Galerie, to name but a few, will be included in Frieze LA.

So, if you’re looking for a very special gift for a very special art lover, we suggest treating someone to tickets to the full Frieze Los Angeles experience. Check out Frieze’s list of preferred hotels to figure out your accommodation.

We all know the feeling of being crammed into a museum or gallery space with way too many people trying to look at art. Booking a private tour of a museum or gallery can solve this issue while giving much more depth to your visit. Plus, it’s a great way to celebrate the holidays with your art-loving friends.

Happy gift-hunting from the Artland team!