> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://hyperallergic.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Our Summer Art Reading List - URL: https://hyperallergic.com/our-summer-art-reading-list/ - Published: 2026-05-18T22:00:53.000Z - Updated: 2026-05-18T22:00:52.000Z - Author: Lakshmi Rivera Amin - Tags: Books Newsletter, Newsletter Whenever I’m stuck in a reading rut, I find that art books of any kind are the only ones that can rescue me. This time, it’s Kory Stamper’s *True Color*, a transfixing story about the man who originated Merriam-Webster Dictionary’s definitions for colors. A begonia, for him, was “bluer than fiesta, and bluer and stronger than sweet william,” and scotch gray was “duller than mermaid.” What a mind. Hers is just one of the captivating titles on our summer art reading list, complete with fiction, catalogs, photo books, and a graphic novel about stories themselves. Check out the full pile below, and let me know what you’re reading this summer by replying to this email. Titles, and tips for digging oneself out of a reading slump, are always welcome! --- [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/2026/05/summer-list-2-2.jpg)](https://hyperallergic.com/12-art-books-to-kick-off-summer/) (edit Lakshmi Rivera Amin/**Hyperallergic*) ### [12 Art Books to Kick Off Summer](https://hyperallergic.com/12-art-books-to-kick-off-summer/) Beach reads are officially back, and it feels like nature is finally inviting us to bring our books outdoors again. In between your escapist fantasy novels and trendy memoirs, dip into an essay collection by critic Megan O’Grady on art as a necessity as vital as the air we breathe, or a graphic novel that captures the magic only books can wield. [See the full list](https://hyperallergic.com/12-art-books-to-kick-off-summer/) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/2026/05/AD-09960_Hyperallergic3-1.jpg)](https://hubs.ly/Q04g7ycH0?ref=hyperallergic.com) ***O’Keeffe-isms** Drawn from her published writings, letters, interviews, and other sources, the quotes in **O’Keeffe-isms* provide insights into Georgia O’Keeffe’s artistic philosophy, creative process, and profound connection to the desert landscapes of New Mexico and the American Southwest. [Learn more ](https://hubs.ly/Q04g7ycH0?ref=hyperallergic.com) --- ## Museum Mysteries From the Archive [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/2026/05/gauguin.jpg)](https://hyperallergic.com/how-a-gauguin-painting-went-from-real-to-lost-to-fake-stephanie-a-brown/) ### [How a Gauguin Painting Went From Real, to Lost, to Fake](https://hyperallergic.com/how-a-gauguin-painting-went-from-real-to-lost-to-fake-stephanie-a-brown/) *The Case of the Disappearing Gauguin* is an art detective mystery, a behind-the-scenes look at provenance research, a psychological analysis, and a critical commentary on the art market. | Michelle Young *The Case of the Disappearing Gauguin: A Study of Authenticity and the Art Market* (2024)by Stephanie Brown [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/2026/05/elt.jpg)](https://hyperallergic.com/stories-of-art-history-detectives-worldly-possessions-lynley-mcalpine/) ### [The Stories of Art History’s Detectives](https://hyperallergic.com/stories-of-art-history-detectives-worldly-possessions-lynley-mcalpine/) The provenance researcher must be a detective, figuring out alternative ways to get at information that major participants in the trade are often unwilling to disclose. | Erin L. Thompson *Let Us Now Not Boast of Our Worldly Possessions: Provenance Stories from the San Antonio Museum of Art* (2022) by Lynley J. McAlpine --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/2026/05/Hyperallergicnewbooksannouncementheader-1--2.jpg)](https://hyperallergic.com/early-2026-art-books-from-yale-university-press/) ****Early 2026 Art Books From Yale University Press** Biographies of Anni Albers and Dorothea Tanning, The Met’s blockbuster “Raphael,” Edward Steichen and his flowers, and more books for art lovers. Shop the annual sale this May. [Learn more ](https://hyperallergic.com/early-2026-art-books-from-yale-university-press/) --- ## Books on View [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/2026/05/GC-Kerouac2-1.jpg)](https://hyperallergic.com/shoot-the-shit-with-jack-kerouac/) Allen Ginsberg, “Jack Kerouac holding William S. Burroughs’ Cat, Vila Muneria, Tangiers” (1957) (courtesy the Jacob Loewentheil Jack Kerouac Collection) ### [Shoot the Shit With Jack Kerouac](https://hyperallergic.com/shoot-the-shit-with-jack-kerouac/) In NYC, an exhibition of cherished letters, photographs, and talismans brings us into the daily life of the reluctant Beat Generation icon. | Greta Rainbow ### [Getting Messy in the Archive at LA’s Art Book Fair](https://hyperallergic.com/getting-messy-in-the-archive-at-las-art-book-fair/) This year’s edition of the annual Printed Matter show unearths and remixes historical media, collapsing time and giving the past new relevance. | Matt Stromberg