Art Books For The Holidays
Above is a detail from the publication Temporary Acts: Public Art in Toronto's Don River Valley, which was just released last month. The spread showcases the work of Sarah Davidson, a Canadian New York-based artist whose incredible world-building paintings and drawings fill a space with singular biomorphic energy. Similarly, each of the other publications listed here will fill one's time with ideas to contemplate and beauty to behold.
My friend recently gave me a copy of David Berry's new non-fiction read, which delves into the tricky business of artists' historical entanglement with donors, patrons and institutional confines, and how those relationships have evolved and exist today.
I was given this book for my birthday and it's been delightful to dip in and read musings on function and creative output by two polymaths, Brian Eno and Bette A.
Co-published by Art Metropole, this book documents the public art program run by the non-profit Evergreen including a look at 25 commissioned art and research projects connected to the city's Don River Valley between 2017 and 2024.
Toronto-based artist Alicia Nauta first released this thoughtful look at one our most beloved locations in 2024, and has brought it back so more folks can take in the innovative glory of this Raymond Moriyama-designed space and the curiosities that fill its shelves.
This is the first publication in the Victoria & Albert Museum's series about printmaking – a journey centered around the importance of this revolutionary technique throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. It even features a step-by-step illustrated guide to screenprinting so readers can pick up the practice if they wish.
Anyone who's had the chance to marvel at the expansive exhibition of the same name at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts will appreciate a lingering look at Kent Monkman's spectacular historical reimaginings. Those who haven't will relish getting a taste of the show through this beautiful tome (the image doesn't do its luxurious exterior justice!); it's filled with visuals as well as essays, one of which was written by MBAM's curator of Indigenous Arts, Léuli Eshrāghi.
Kim Hastreiter is the co-founder of the indefatigable, internet-breaking Paper magazine, and this book is a complement to the wonderful show that she curated called My Amazing Friends. I was able to catch it at Jeffrey Deitch in NYC when I was there in February. This visually-driven memoir takes us through Kim's colourful career and personal life spent in the Big Apple over the decades. Here's a tantalizing little taste as per the book's description: “In these pages you’ll meet Hastreiter’s amazing friends: at an all-night party in the basement of an East Village church with Keith Haring; a private art sale with Jeffrey Deitch in Phyllis Diller’s kitchen; or impromptu cocktails at Trader Vic’s with Salvador Dalí and Joey Arias.”
Highlighting sixty paintings and drawings – some never before displayed in public, this recent Rizzoli offering is dedicated to the unique oeuvre of Jenny Saville and her arresting technique.
Over the Summer, The Broad was home to an exhibition featuring the thrilling work of one of my favourite artists, Jeffrey Gibson; the pieces shown were sent directly from the Venice Biennale, for which he was the first Indigenous artist to represent America with a solo show at the U.S. Pavilion. But you don't have to go anywhere to take in the stirring technicolour world that Gibson materializes in his works which span paintings, video, and sculpture. Bonus: This title includes four removable posters so one can ensconce themselves in Gibson's glorious vision.
