Reading list

Richly illustrated volume exploring the inseparable histories of modernist abstraction and twentieth-century textiles.

Published on the occasion of an exhibition curated by Lynne Cooke, Woven Histories offers a fresh and authoritative look at textiles—particularly weaving—as a major force in the evolution of abstraction. This richly illustrated volume features more than fifty creators whose work crosses divisions and hierarchies formerly segregating the fine arts from the applied arts and handicrafts.

Woven Histories begins in the early twentieth century, rooting the abstract art of Sophie Taeuber-Arp in the applied arts and handicrafts, then features the interdisciplinary practices of Anni Albers, Sonia Delaunay, Liubov Popova, Varvara Stepanova, and others who sought to effect social change through fabrics for furnishings and apparel. Over the century, the intersection of textiles and abstraction engaged artists from Ed Rossbach, Kay Sekimachi, Ruth Asawa, Lenore Tawney, and Sheila Hicks to Rosemarie Trockel, Ellen Lesperance, Jeffrey Gibson, Igshaan Adams, and Liz Collins, whose textile-based works continue to shape this discourse. Including essays by distinguished art historians as well as reflections from contemporary artists, this ambitious project traces the intertwined histories of textiles and abstraction as vehicles through which artists probe urgent issues of our time.

Find out more about Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction Hardcover by Lynne Cooke →

A wildly entertaining and surprisingly educational dive into art history as you’ve never seen it before, from the host of the beloved ArtCurious podcast.

We’re all familiar with the works of Claude Monet, thanks in no small part to the ubiquitous reproductions of his water lilies on umbrellas, handbags, scarves, and dorm-room posters. But did you also know that Monet and his cohort were trailblazing rebels whose works were originally deemed unbelievably ugly and vulgar? And while you probably know the tale of Vincent van Gogh’s suicide, you may not be aware that there’s pretty compelling evidence that the artist didn’t die by his own hand but was accidentally killed–or even murdered. Or how about the fact that one of Andy Warhol’s most enduring legacies involves Caroline Kennedy’s moldy birthday cake and a collection of toenail clippings?

ArtCurious is a colorful look at the world of art history, revealing some of the strangest, funniest, and most fascinating stories behind the world’s great artists and masterpieces. Through these and other incredible, weird, and wonderful tales, ArtCurious presents an engaging look at why art history is, and continues to be, a riveting and relevant world to explore.

Find out more about ArtCurious: Stories of the Unexpected, Slightly Odd, and Strangely Wonderful in Art History by Jennifer Dasal →

From Alec Nevala-Lee, the author of the Hugo and Locus Award finalist Astounding, comes a revelatory biography of the visionary designer who defined the rules of startup culture and shaped America’s idea of the future.

During his lifetime, Buckminster Fuller was hailed as one of the greatest geniuses of the twentieth century. As the architectural designer and futurist best known for the geodesic dome, he enthralled a vast popular audience, inspired devotion from both the counterculture and the establishment, and was praised as a modern Leonardo da Vinci. To his admirers, he exemplified what one man could accomplish by approaching urgent design problems using a radically unconventional set of strategies, which he based on a mystical conception of the universe’s geometry. His views on sustainability, as embodied in the image of Spaceship Earth, convinced him that it was possible to provide for all humanity through the efficient use of planetary resources. From Epcot Center to the molecule named in his honor as the buckyball, Fuller’s legacy endures to this day, and his belief in the transformative potential of technology profoundly influenced the founders of Silicon Valley.

Inventor of the Future is the first authoritative biography to cover all aspects of Fuller’s career. Drawing on meticulous research, dozens of interviews, and thousands of unpublished documents, Nevala-Lee has produced a riveting portrait that transcends the myth of Fuller as an otherworldly generalist. It reconstructs the true origins of his most famous inventions, including the Dymaxion Car, the Wichita House, and the dome itself; his fraught relationships with his students and collaborators; his interactions with Frank Lloyd Wright, Isamu Noguchi, Clare Boothe Luce, John Cage, Steve Jobs, and many others; and his tumultuous private life, in which his determination to succeed on his own terms came at an immense personal cost. In an era of accelerating change, Fuller’s example remains enormously relevant, and his lessons for designers, activists, and innovators are as powerful and essential as ever.

Find out more about Inventor of the Future: The Visionary Life of Buckminster by Alec Nevala-Lee →

Artist Austin Kleon’s beautifully illustrated bestseller teaches readers how to use their surroundings and their own creativity to discover their own artistic paths. Filled with clever infographics and words of wisdom from Kleon, and peppered with quotes from other successful artists, Steal Like an Artist, is an inspiration for both veteran and aspiring artists everywhere.

Unlock your creativity.

An inspiring guide to creativity in the digital age, Steal Like an Artist presents ten transformative principles that will help readers discover their artistic side and build a more creative life.

Nothing is original, so embrace influence, school yourself through the work of others, remix and reimagine to discover your own path. Follow interests wherever they take you-what feels like a hobby may turn into your life’s work. Forget the old cliché about writing what you know: Instead, write the book you want to read, make the movie you want to watch. And finally, stay Smart, stay out of debt, and risk being boring in the everyday world so that you have the space to be wild and daring in your imagination and your work.

Find out more about Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon →

‘Art: A Visual History’ is a knowledgeable, thought-provoking, and accessible tour of the creators of Western art.

How to tell Impressionism from Expressionism, a Degas from a Monet, early Medieval art from early Christian? Art: A Visual History explains it all &; painting, sculpture, great artists, styles, and schools; and will help you answer the question, “What makes great art?”

Art: A Visual History includes:

• More than 650 artists and all the major schools and movements, all arranged chronologically.
• Close-up focus on 22 masterpieces, from Ancient Greek sculpture to 1960s Pop Art.
• Well-known icons along with lesser-known gems &; carefully chosen to illuminate the points made in the text.

Features on major schools and movements to explore and explain their stylistic trademarks, characteristics, and favored subjects.

Find out more about Art: A Visual History by Robert Cumming →

Design is everywhere. It’s visceral. It’s intellectual. It’s emotional. While we often discuss the aesthetics of design, we don’t always dig deeper into the ways design can overtly, or covertly, influence how we feel and act.

In How Design Makes Us Think, AIGA award-winning graphic designer Sean Adams walks us through the power of design to attract attention and convey meaning. Through hundreds of examples across design principles, from graphic design to industrial design to architecture, Adams illustrates how design can inspire, provoke, amuse, anger, or reassure us, or subtly or consciously influence our thoughts and behavior.

The book also delves into the sociological, psychological, and historical reasons for our responses to design, offering practitioners and clients alike a new appreciation of their responsibility to create design with the best intentions. How Design Makes Us Think is an essential read for designers, educators, advertisers, psychology enthusiasts, marketing professionals, and anyone who wants to understand how the design around us makes us think, feel, and do things.

Find out more about How Design Makes Us Think: And Feel and Do Things by Sean Adams →

Behavioral science leader and CEO at The Team W, Inc., Susan M. Weinschenk, provides a guide that every designer needs, combining real science and research with practical examples on everything from font size to online interactions. With this book you’ll design more intuitive and engaging apps, software, websites and products that match the way people think, decide and behave.

Here are some of the questions this book will answer:

• What grabs and holds attention?
• What makes memories stick?
• What motivates people?
• How does listening to music make people feel?
• How do you engineer a decision?
• What line length for text is best?
• Are some fonts better than others?

We design to elicit responses from people. We want them to buy something, read more, or take action of some kind. Designing without understanding what makes people act the way they do is like exploring a new city without a map: results will be haphazard, confusing, and inefficient. Increase the effectiveness of your designs by using science-backed examples on human behavior.

Find out more about 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People →

Robert Henri, who painted in the Realist style and was a founding member of the Ashcan School, was known for his belief in interactive nature of creativity and inspiration, and the enduring power of art. Since its first publication in 1923, The Art Spirit, has been a source of inspiration for artists and creatives from David Lynch to George Bellows. Filled with valuable technical advice as well as wisdom about the place of art and the artist in American society, this classic work continues to be a must-read for anyone interested in the power of creation and the beauty of art.

The book is like a collection of inspirational quotes that will motivate you to look at more of your world through an artist’s lens, as Henri’s musings about the artistic process are so profound.

A classic work of advice, criticism, and inspiration for aspiring artists and lovers of art.

Find out more about The Art Spirit →

The Colour Bible is an essential and inspirational guide to colour in art and design. It’s a succinct book covering 100 significant colours and their pertinence and potential for use in the world around us.

Colour is multifaceted, without an understanding of the fundamentals of colour theory and understanding of how colour affects us – it can feel overwhelming. The book clearly highlights the foundations of colour, with tips on how to use colour for the better – to improve user experience and create improved palettes. There are cues of how to make successful but also intelligent palettes with each of the colour entries.

It’s chaptered by the spectrum red, yellow, orange, blue, greens, pales, darks and browns. Each chapter explores each colour area.

Every colour profile starts from the colour’s origin then tracks its evolution, historical use and where it lands today – the then and the now. Each entry finishes with a suggestion for the modern utility of the colour.

It’s visual – it was always going to be! Using examples of art or design to unpick individual colours, their histories, material origins – and demonstrates how they have context and relevance in today’s world – and showcases more advanced forms of colour, natural colour, and colour trends highlighting where they are heading.

As inclusive, dynamic and exciting as the medium itself, this utterly original look at the history of photography integrates the landmark discoveries of recent decades to chart new pathways that encompass overlooked artists, traditions, and techniques. The real history of photography is a vast collection of inter-connected stories. It parallels acknowledged greats with forgotten masters and lesser-known works with regional champions. It is a complex interplay of fine art, scientific, anthropological, documentary, and amateur traditions forged by women and men alike.
It contains many rarities and “firsts” and spans photography’s early decades with linchpin works by Sir John Herschel, William Henry Fox Talbot, Hippolyte Bayard, and Julia Margaret Cameron.
Contemporary in outlook, visually captivating, and with contributions from leading curators and photo historians, this book will prove essential reading for those looking for an introduction to the field, as well as informed readers looking for more complete knowledge.

Find out more →