Let’s recommend some books about art and photography.
This time I’ve decided to recommend books that centre around art and photography. I’m certainly not claiming to be either an artist or a photographer, but I do enjoy both mediums and appreciate a beautiful book that celebrates them, so let’s get started.
The Singing Bones by Shaun Tan
Tan is one of my favourite artists in general and in this book, he combines his beautiful work with another of my loves: fairy tales. Each double spread has an excerpt from one of the classic Grimm tales on one side and a sculpture inspired by it on the other. His pieces are visually striking and wonderfully successful in capturing the eerie mood of the original stories that we know and love.
Some examples of Tan’s fairy tale inspired sculptures.
Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Collections by Barbara Buhler Lynes
O’Keeffe is another of my favourite artists and this hefty hardback was produced to mark the 10th anniversary of The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in New Mexico, the largest collection of her work in the world. It includes many high-quality reproductions of her pieces and helps to show how broad her style was.
Some examples of O’Keeffe’s work.
Some more examples of O’Keeffe’s work.
Wonderland by Kirsty Mitchell
This might be an odd one for me to recommend in that I don’t actually own it myself. Retailing for about £100, I haven’t been able to justify buying it (though it is huge and incredibly high-quality). Mitchell’s stunning photographs are like the aesthetic of my dreams, however, so if like me you want to aspire towards owning it one day, or if unlike me you happen to be very wealthy, I thought it was worth a shout-out.
Some examples of Mitchell’s Wonderland series.
Some more examples of Mitchell’s Wonderland series.
Photos That Changed the World by Peter Stepan
This is one for those who maybe aren’t looking for ‘beautiful’ photographs as much as they are looking for influential ones, or those that show the effectiveness and importance of the form in documenting history.
Art Made from Books by Laura Heyenga
This one’s a bit meta, as it’s a collection of work by various artists who all use actual books as the medium with which they create their pieces, from sculptures made with paper to book spines lined up to form a canvas, and pretty much anything else you can imagine. There’s a big variety of different styles and ideas in here, and it’s definitely one for those who appreciate the beauty to be found in books as a physical object.
A sample of the kind of work to be found in Art Made from Books.
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What are some of your favourite books about art and photography?
Callum McLaughlin 
I backed the Wonderland kickstarter and it’s so worth the money – it’s such a beautiful book and it has been meticulously produced. I just wish the cover that is has now was around when I bought it!
If I’d known about it back then I definitely would have backed it! Hopefully I’ll own a copy one day.
My 3 favourite photography books I own are Asylum – Christopher Payne, Helmand – Robert J. Wilson and In Focus from National Geographic – I got them all in charity shops for less than a £1 and they are so beautiful!
Wow, great bargain hunting! Thanks for the recommendations, I’ll keep an eye out for them 🙂
I’ve never actually looked at any art photography books, but I think I might have to remedy that! The photos from ‘Wonderland’ are stunning…breathtaking even.
Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Glad you liked them! I’d love to own the book one day 🙂
Those O’keefe’s make me happy for some reason. The softness, the openness of them….so trustworthy.
Very true, her work has a real charm and warmth to it.
Yes! I felt instantly warm and calm just looking at your clips. thank you for sharing these, callum. 🙂
My pleasure, I’m glad you liked them 😊