Books Newsletter
Art Books That Serve Up Beauty and Depth
Our favorite art books for February, the writings of Claude Cahun, and an imaginative history of Michelangelo and Titian.
Natalie Haddad
Natalie Haddad is Reviews Editor at Hyperallergic and an art writer and historian. She holds a PhD in Art History, Theory and Criticism from the University of California San Diego and has written extensively on modern and contemporary art.
Books
8 Art Books to Read This February
The trailblazing sculptural practice of Edmonia Lewis, the birth of modernism in Montmartre, the luminous paintings of Kaylene Whiskey, and Gainsborough’s alluring fashion portraits are among our favorite reads this month.
Books Newsletter
Your 2026 Art Book Reading List
Plus, a sexual history of the internet as told by sex workers and cyberfeminists.
Guide
15 Art Books We're Excited to Read in 2026
Books about Marcel Duchamp, Frida Kahlo, Alma Thomas, and more, plus critical studies of lipstick and complaining, are on our radar.
Art Review
Ana Mendieta’s Injured Earth
Although many of her earthworks have been erased by time, the late Cuban-American artist’s interventions attest to her continued presence, etched into the land.
A Year of Elevating LGBTQ+ Artists
This past summer, Participant Inc., a Lower East Side art nonprofit, hosted an exhibition on Chloe Dzubilo, a trans woman who became an AIDS activist after contracting the disease. The show, curated by Alex Fleming and Nia Nottage, was immensely rich and important for both its historical and personal insights
Art Review
What’s a UFO Show With No Flying Saucers?
The Drawing Center’s Voice of Space has vast potential, but a lack of strong focus and commanding imagery makes it more earthbound than cosmic.
Guide
Five New York City Art Shows We Love Right Now
Whether your preference is abstraction or history, we’ve got you covered with shows featuring Anish Kapoor and others, as well as historical artifacts.
Features
The Most Jaw-Dropping Costumes of the Miss Universe Competition
The pageant took maximalism to new heights with its “everything but the kitchen sink” approach — or maybe there was a sink, and I missed it?
Guide
Six New York City Art Shows to See Right Now
Some of our favorite exhibitions, including those by Kader Attia and Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum, address intimacy and healing, but we're also enjoying Monet.
Art Review
Drowning in the Light of Monet’s Venice
Venice turned out to be the ideal environment for the artist to explore the relationship between water and light that long preoccupied him.
Guide
15 Art Books to Gift This Holiday Season
A Ruth Asawa catalog for the disenchanted, artsy almanac for the planners, Prospect Park photo book for the New Yorkers, Vermeer tome for the Golden Age fans, and much more.