Eight books about art and architecture for your summer reading list
Published on 29 June 2023
We've been through the bookshelves of the RA Shop to pick out our favourite books for art and architecture lovers, just in time for your summer holiday.
1. The Story of Art without Men, Katy Hessel
This Waterstones Book of the Year 2022 is a must-read for art lovers. Katy Hessel, the creator of @thegreatwomenartists overturns art history to put women artists back in the frame.
Have your eyes opened to many art forms which have often been overlooked or dismissed. From the Cornish coast to Manhattan, Nigeria to Japan, this is the story of art for our times – one with women at its heart.
2. What Artists Wear, Charlie Porter
In What Artists Wear Charlie Porter takes a witty look at the iconic outfits worn by artists in the studio, on stage, at work, at home and at play.
From Yves Klein's spotless tailoring to the kaleidoscopic costumes of Yayoi Kusama and Cindy Sherman; from Andy Warhol's signature denim to Charlotte Prodger's casualwear, Porter's roving eye picks out the magical, revealing details in the clothes he encounters.
It’s essential style inspiration for your summer outfits.
3. What is Black Art, Alice Correia
What is Black Art? assembles texts written during the 1980s which address the definition of the term 'Black' and the form and function of 'Black Art' in Britain.
This vital anthology, edited by art historian Alice Correia, features Royal Academicians John Akomfrah, Lubaina Himid, Sonia Boyce and Frank Bowling.
This is a perfect book for budding art historians.
4. Companion Piece, Ali Smith
Okay, maybe calling Ali Smith’s latest novel an ‘art book’ is a bit of a stretch. But as the David Hockney cover suggests, Smith frequently draws on artistic inspiration in her writing.
The novel is set in a post-Brexit, mid-pandemic Britain. It moves between a troubled presence and the medieval past in a vital celebration of companionship in all its forms.
5. Weatherland, Alexandra Harris
If you’re going somewhere in the UK this summer, you might take creative inspiration from the gloriously unreliable British weather much like the writers and artists Alexandra Harris celebrates in Weatherland.
This richly illustrated book revels in small and evocative details (Percy Shelley wants to become a cloud and John Ruskin wants to bottle one) to build a fascinating picture of the uniquely English climate.
6. Architecture from Prehistory to Climate Emergency, Barnabas Calder
Barnabas Calder tells the history of architecture by focusing on the relationship between buildings and energy.
Starting in the prehistoric period, Calder’s book spans the past fifteen thousand years of buildings, from early human settlements to China’s booming megacities, via the pyramids.
7. Don’t Touch My Hair, Emma Dabiri
Stigmatized. 'Tamed'. Celebrated. Erased. Managed. Appropriated. Forever misunderstood. Black hair is never 'just hair'. This book is about why black hair matters and how it can be viewed as a blueprint for decolonisation.
Over a series of wry, informed essays, Emma Dabiri takes us from pre-colonial Africa, through the Harlem Renaissance, Black Power and on to today's Natural Hair Movement, the Cultural Appropriation Wars and beyond.
8. Howards End, E.M. Forster
Read Forster's classic novel which inspired the theme of this year’s Summer Exhibition, Only Connect.
According to Summer Exhibition coordinator David Remfry RA “the phrase ‘Only Connect’ meant a connection between the spiritual and the quotidian”, an idea that runs throughout the novel as well as this year’s show.
Looking for more books?
If you're still looking for brilliant summer reads, special editions, signed copies and more, browse the RA Shop's full collection of books.
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