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40 Books That Art History Buffs Love

May 16th, 2011
As any professional or student of the field will tell you, art history isn’t just about looking at pretty paintings all day. The best spend a great deal of time reading as well, perusing classic and modern texts alike, touching on topics like philosophy, aesthetics, criticism and, of course, history. Whether you’re working towards being an art historian yourself and want to brush up on reading that will help you in your college classes or just someone who loves to study the subject, these books are a great place to start learning about every facet.
Artists and Movements
If you’re looking to learn about a particular artist’s work or study a time period or movement, these books make great reading material.

1. Orientialism by Edward Said: While the book speaks to the wider application of Orientalism in politics and culture, readers will find few better critical takes on it as it applies to art than in this book. It may help you see the work of Inges or Gerome in a whole new light, or just be more conscious of how you view art made outside of your own culture.
2. Rembrandt’s Eyes by Simon Schama: Rembrandt is a figure in art history who has fascinated professionals and lay people alike for centuries. In this book, you’ll get an engaging reconstruction of the life and times of the man who created so many great works of art– with a great deal of background on another Dutch painter, Peter Paul Rubens, as well.
3. The Judgment of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade that Gave the World Impressionism by Ross King: The works of Monet, Renoir and other Impressionist artists grace the walls of every suburban home and dentist’s waiting room, yet when the style first emerged it was less than acceptable in the mainstream. Through this book, you’ll learn about the careers of Impressionist greats while gaining a better understanding of the turbulent Paris from which their works emerged.
4. Bernini by Howard Hibbard: Aside from the stunning photographs of Bernini’s work, this book has a lot to offer readers. Art history enthusiasts will find a number of interesting essays that will help them better understand the works of this great sculptor written in a style that’s accessible to all– not just the erudite scholar.
5. Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Search for Sacred Art by Debora Silverman: Both deeply troubled men, these two artists forged a personal and professional friendship that spanned several years. In this book by history professor Silverman, you’ll get a chance to deepen your understanding of these artists, their work and how they may have influenced one another.
6. The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Han van Meegeren by Jonathan Lopez: While most art history tomes focus on original artists, this one takes a look at a man who was an expert forger. Thought to have created dozens of fake Vermeers, this book gives an unapologetic look at a brilliant painter who was an epic crook to boot.
7. A Life of Picasso by John Richardson: There are loads of biographies about Picasso out there, and many of them are well worth reading, but this one stands out for its comprehensiveness. Part of a series, this novel takes a look at his middle years, but other volumes focus on earlier and later parts of his life– perfect for students and enthusiasts who really want to get to know the artist up close and personal.
8. Caravaggio by Sebastian Schutze: A drunk, a murderer and an all around cad, Caravaggio may have been a genius with a paintbrush, but his life was riddled with back luck and bad decisions. In this hefty book, filled with beautiful, full-color renditions of his work, readers will find essays that trace his life, death and the impact his radical work had on Renaissance art.
9. The Hudson River School by The New York Historical Society: If you’d like to learn a bit more about American art, this book can be a great place to start. Photos and essays detail the beautiful and the sublime in 19th Century American landscapes.
10. Leonardo da Vinci, A Memory of His Childhood by Sigmund Freud: There is no doubt that Leonardo was a genius, but all accounts also paint him as a rather strange man. Who better to analyze the artist than the biggest name in psychology, Sigmund Freud? That’s just what you’ll find here, though you might not agree with his assessments.
11. Jeff Wall: Works and Collected Writings by Jeff Wall and Michael Newman: One of the most famous and well-regarded photographers in modern art, Jeff Wall is a name any art enthusiast should know. The book is one of the best ways to get to know the man and the work, containing not only tons of images, but a great collection of the artist’s writings as well.
12. The International Style by Henry Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson: Functional architecture shares a set of characteristics that are laid out no better anywhere else than in this book– an enlightening introduction to modern architecture.
13. That’s How I See It by David Hockney: In this memoir, you’ll learn about the life, work and theories of this famous British artist.

History
Study the history of artists and the times that shaped their works in these great books.

14. Lives of the Artists by Giorgio Vasari: If you’re into art history, you have to at least peruse this classic. One of the first records of what we today call art history, Vasari’s biographies aren’t exactly unbiased, but will give you a great idea of not only these artist’s lives, but the time period during which the book was written.
15. Art and Beauty in the Middle Ages by Umberto Eco: Known for his epic fictional tales just as much for his historical writing, Eco’s work is accordingly accessible to those who aren’t experts on the subject of medieval art. Readers will find discussions of theology, mysticism, science, philosophy and more and their impact on medieval art. For a less focused take on art aesthetics, consider his other works – History of Beauty and On Ugliness.
16. Red City, Blue Period by Temma Kaplan: The whole of Spain was in disarray in the early years of famous painters’ lives, most notably Picasso – yet you won’t see it always reflected in his work. Through this book, you’ll explore this disconnect and learn about other factors that influenced the work of Picasso and his contemporaries.
17. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages by Fred S. Kleiner and Christin J. Mamiya: Those in the market for a great overview of art history will appreciate this text, which has been around for decades in various incarnations. The most up-to-date version is found here.
18. The Story of Art by E.H. Gombrich: A big name in art history, Sir Ernst Gombrich is a great place to find an introduction to the subject. Written in simple prose and geared towards the beginner, this book has stayed popular in the 60 years since its original publication for a reason.
19. Theories of Modern Art by Herschel B. Chipp: Do you need some source material to help you better understand modern art? Check out this book for interviews, articles, letters and more that deal with creative movements from Post-impressionism to Cubism.
20. The Shock of the New by Robert Hughes: In this book, you’ll find another great primer on the history of modern art. It contains a large number of color photographs with accompanying insights into the lives of artists and their work to help readers understand them.

The Art of Seeing
Teach yourself to be a more critical viewer of art with some help from these artists, critics and philosophers.

21. Techniques of the Observer by Jonathan Crary: Vision isn’t something that most of us spend much time thinking about, but in this book you’ll get a critical analysis of the history of seeing in the 19th century and what it means to be the observer in an increasingly visual culture.
22. On Painting by Leon Battista Alberti: Artist, architect and philosopher Alberti shares his theories on perspective, order and beauty in this book– a classic read for any art enthusiast.
23. Ways of Seeing by John Berger: Learn more about what seeing means and how we look, understand and process paintings in this much acclaimed book.
24. How to Read a Painting by Patrick de Rynck: Much artwork prior to our own century was loaded with religious and mythological symbolism, much of which isn’t familiar to the modern viewer. With the help of this book, you’ll learn to decode these symbols and better understand the Old Masters.
25. The Sight of Death by T.J. Clark: Have you ever considered what it is that draws us into to certain works of art? In this book, you’ll read engaging essays on the experience of viewing, learning a great deal about yourself and observation in the process.

Philosophy and Theory
If you want to understand art from a more intellectual perspective, these books are a must-read.

26. Critique of Judgment by Immanuel Kant: Kant’s works are dense, hard to unravel and a bit daunting to those unfamiliar with philosophical texts. Yet his ideas on judging aesthetics are worth reading about and can help you to better understand views of art in his time period.
27. The Shape of Time by George Kubler: Addressing the flow of time and the place of objects within it, at first glance this book might not seem to have much to do with art at all. And yet time is an integral part of art and its history, something Kubler illuminates by drawing on fields like anthropology, linguistics and philosophy.
28. Art as Far as the Eye Can See by Paul Virilio: Philosopher Virilio isn’t known for the accessibility of his texts, but if you’re willing to stick with and study them, you’ll find a rich landscape of politics, history and aesthetics painted on the page. This book focuses on the politics of art, addressing mass culture, technology and propaganda in art.
29. Social History of Art by Arnold Hauser: This four-volume set doesn’t come cheaply, but it may just be worth it to those with a true passion for art history. Within the series, Hauser addresses meaning in art from the Stone Age all the way up to the modern era.

Critical Essays
Turn a critical eye towards art and its interpretation with these texts.

30. How to See a Work of Art in Total Darkness by Darby English: In this book, you’ll get an amazing collection of essays that address the social and intellectual context for some of the biggest names in the 20th century’s African American art.
31. Art History and Its Methods by Eric Fernie: If you’re looking for a great primer full of essays you should read on art and art history, this book will suit you well. It contains all the biggest names in art history, criticism and theory from the past few centuries.
32. Illuminations by Walter Benjamin: While Benjamin touches on a number of writers in this collection of essays, his most interesting work to those who study art is called "A Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." In this essay, readers can explore what it means to be art in a time when objects can be so easily mass produced.
33. Art and Culture by Clement Greenberg: Greenberg is a legend in art criticism, but it’s not for that reason alone that this collection of essays is worth reading. Readers will also gain insights into his views on abstract expressionism and his definition of kitsch and separation from true art.
34. Meaning in the Visual Arts by Edwin Panofsky: Few art history students will make it through their education without reading at least a section of this classic tome. While not easily accessible to the casual reader, his analysis of great works of art and the ways we look at art are well worth a read.
35. Image-Music-Text by Roland Barthes: French critic and semiotician Roland Barthes is one of the 20th century’s best known and most important essayists. In this work, readers will take a critical look at photography, cinema and other, more modern forms of art making.

Miscellaneous

36. The Art Spirit by Robert Henri: Whether you want to paint your own work or just study the work of others, this book is an excellent read to understand Henri’s classic method of art instruction.
37. A Short Guide to Writing About Art by Sylvan Barnet: If you’re studying art history, you’re going to have to do a heck of a lot of writing about it. That’s why this book can be a big help, guiding you though the best ways to address works in your writing.
38. The Nude: A Study in Ideal Form by Kenneth Clark: From the ancient to the modern, this book takes a critical look at the nude as subject matter.
39. Letters on Cezanne by Rainer Maria Rilke: This text takes a different approach to understanding art. Written by renowned poet Rilke, it contains a series of poems dedicated to the paintings of Cezanne.
40. The Art Crowd by Sophy Burnham: If art collecting is a subject that interests you, you’ll love this intriguing, sometimes scandalous, peek into the world of the art collector and dealer.

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