6 Art Books to Read This August

Before summer ends, we’re reading books on Ruth Asawa’s circle of artist-mothers, water and race in contemporary art, Kent Monkman, Carrie Yamaoka, and more.

6 Art Books to Read This August
Ruth Asawa working on a piece on February 12, 1961 (artwork © 2025 Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc. / Artist Rights Society, NY, courtesy David Zwirner; image courtesy Fang family San Francisco Examiner photograph archive negative files, the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley)