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A round-up of 2017’s best artist monographs to put on your Christmas list, stat.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":58787,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11856,81,139],"tags":[7192,9632,6413,5723,5093,9633,5300,9634,192],"class_list":["post-58161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sleek-art","category-fashion","category-art","tag-alex-webb","tag-anselm-kiefer","tag-araki","tag-chiharu-shiota","tag-jean-michel-basquiat","tag-pedro-almodovar","tag-rachel-whiteread","tag-rebecca-norris-webb","tag-yayoi-kusama"],"acf":{"legacy":false,"main_category":false,"hero_title":"The Best Art Books of 2017","subtitle":"Get these books on your Christmas list, stat.","hero":{"video":false,"image":false,"header_color":"black","overlay_color":"","overlay_text_color":"black"},"teasers":{"video":false,"image":false,"width":"3","proportion":"default"},"related_articles":"","next_article":"","content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
By this point, it\u2019s safe to say we\u2019re all ready to say goodbye 2017. But despite the global shit-show, 2017 was a year of\u00a0some<\/em>\u00a0great things, especially in the realm of art publishing.\u00a0 So here for your reading pleasure (and just in time for your Christmas list) we\u2019ve rounded up some of the best art books of the year. These, ladies and gentleman, are the must-have monographs of 2017.<\/p>\n We\u2019re still mourning his death, but what better way to celebrate Ren Hang\u2019s life and work than the only international collection of his boundary-pushing photography? Raw, exposed and mesmerisingly beautiful, Hang\u2019s photography set him at the forefront of the battle for creative freedom in communist China. Created in conjunction with the retrospective at MbdK Leipzig and spanning 312 pages, TASCHEN\u2019s thorough survey shows us life through the lens of one of the world\u2019s most visionary photographers.<\/p>\n Ren Hang,\u00a0<\/em>\u20ac39.99\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0<\/em>TASCHEN<\/a><\/p>\n In light of Chiharu Shiota\u2019s recent retrospective in Kunsthalle Rostock comes this comprehensive account her work. The distinct and transient site-specific installations for which the Japanese-born, Berlin-based artist is so renowned are handled with insight, and reproduced in as much glory as photography\u2019s two dimensions permit. Texts by Tereza de Arruda, Pascal Hess and Olaf Reis are accompanied by drawings, film stills, photographs and\u00a0objets trouv\u00e9s\u00a0<\/em>from the artist\u2019s oeuvre.<\/p>\n Chiharu Shiota | Under the Skin,\u00a0<\/em>\u20ac48.00\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0HATJE CANTZ<\/a><\/p>\n Following the \u201cBoom For Real\u201d retrospective that\u2019s been the talk of the UK comes this in-depth exploration of Basquiat\u2019s life and work. A thorough survey of the his complete body of work, \u201cBoom For Real\u201d examines Basquiat\u2019s relationship to jazz, graffiti, politics, popular culture and the Beat generation. Tracing the lasting legacy of the artist\u2019s short career, this book is a must-have for any Basquiat fan.<\/p>\n Basquiat: Boom for Real,\u00a0<\/em>\u20ac49.95<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Random House<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cTransmission\u201d is a de facto anthology of everything A.P.C.,<\/a>\u00a0created by none other than founder Jean Touitou. Comprising diaries, speeches, postcards, invitations and campaign images, \u201cTransmission\u201d is\u00a0the\u00a0<\/em>A.P.C. book. In a style that\u2019s as minimal and aesthetic as the brand itself, \u201cTransmission\u201d journeys from A.P.C.\u2019s beginnings in Hiver 1987 to today.<\/p>\n A.P.C. Transmission,<\/em>\u00a0\u20ac65.00\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0<\/em>PHAIDON<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cSlant Rhymes\u201d\u00a0<\/em>is the collaborative volume of Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb \u2014 friends, lovers and creative partners.\u00a0While not strictly a monograph, we couldn\u2019t resist including this beautiful amalgamation of 30 years worth of photographs, a series of visual rhymes that interact with one another.<\/p>\n Alex Webb & Rebecca Norris Webb | Slant Rhymes,\u00a0<\/em>\u20ac40.38\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0La Fabrica<\/a><\/p>\n A beautifully in-depth monograph of the feminist artist, Steidl\u2019s \u201cSuzy Lake\u201d explores the issues of gender, identity and the body through the photographic work of the\u00a0Detroit-born, Toronto-based artist. Lake\u2019s distinctive and thought-provoking works are highlighted here in all their glory.<\/p>\n Suzy Lake,\u00a0<\/em>\u20ac58.00<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Steidl<\/a><\/p>\n The extensive catalogue raisonn\u00e9 of cult director Pedro Almod\u00f3var gets a new lease of life in this revised edition. Drawing from the complete archive of the Spanish auteur, TASCHEN traverse the journey from his first feature film, \u201cPepi, Luci, Bom\u201d (1980) to his twentieth, \u201cJulieta\u201d (2016), charting the sexy, vibrant and bizarre narratives that have captivated audiences for decades.<\/p>\n The Pedro Almod\u00f3var Archives,\u00a0<\/em>\u20ac49.00\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0TASCHEN<\/a><\/p>\n Following the Hockney exhibition that threw Britain into a frenzy comes Tate\u2019s homage to one of the UK\u2019s favourite artistic talent. Bursting with colour, life and vivacity, \u201cDavid Hockney\u201d is a joyous journey through the artist\u2019s unique pictorial oeuvre.<\/p>\n David Hockney,\u00a0<\/em>\u20ac34<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Tate<\/a><\/p>\n One of the most exciting fashion photographers of the \u201990s, Horst Diekgerdes is perhaps known for his work for\u00a0AnOther Magazine, Purple\u00a0and Dazed & Confused.\u00a0<\/em>Now and for the first time, this monograph from Distanz traces his diverse and boundary-pushing images that took the fashion world by storm. Extensive and well put together, this book is a must for your coffee table stash.<\/p>\n Horst Diekgerdes,\u00a0<\/em>\u20ac48.00<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/strong>DISTANZ<\/a><\/p>\n Since becoming the first women winner of The Turner Prize in 1993, conceptual artist Rachel Whiteread has gone from strength to strength. Her vast site-specific installations and remarkable castings are reproduced in this Tate volume, a collaboration between Ann Gallagher and Molly Donovon that proves to be the most in-depth evaluation of Whiteread\u2019s work to date.<\/p>\n Rachel Whiteread,\u00a0<\/em>\u20ac29<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>\u2013\u00a0Tate<\/a><\/p>\n Yayoi Kusama is an artist who requires no introduction. Her obsession with polka-dots is known the world over, and her large scale installations make art fans out of even the most unenthustiac spectators. Following the stream of sensational retrospectives across the globe, PHAIDON update her catalogue raisonn\u00e9 in the form of this monograph. Revised and expanded, this new version is as full of life as Kusama\u2019s work itself \u2014 and we\u2019re dotty for it.<\/p>\n Yayoi Kusama,\u00a0<\/em>\u20ac59.95\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0<\/em>PHAIDON<\/a><\/p>\n The fashion book to rule all fashion books. This monstrous collection of words and images is compiled by King Klein himself and features photographs that defined an era. Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Bruce Weber and Patrick Demarchelier all feature in this stunning retrospective of the infamous brand. This is undoubtedly one of the best art books of 2017.<\/p>\n Calvin Klein,\u00a0<\/em>\u20ac125<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>\u2013\u00a0Rizzoli<\/a><\/p>\n White Cube\u2019s \u201cWalhalla\u201d is a superb offering of all things Anselm Kiefer. This impressive volume of works by the German artist transcending the traditional boundaries of painting and sculpture, following the exhibition of the same name.<\/p>\n Anselm Kiefer: Walhalla,\u00a0<\/em>\u20ac67<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0White Cube<\/a><\/p>\n This monograph of Wolfgang Tillmans is a brilliant celebration of an artist who revolutionised photography. With over 300 pages full of images, this Hatje Cantz contribution is the most comprehensive account of Tillmans\u2019 diverse style of photography. Of all the hundreds of books on Wolfgang Tillmans, this is the one to buy.<\/p>\n Wolfgang Tillmans,\u00a0<\/em>\u20ac58.00<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>HATJE CANTZ<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cARAKI\u201d is 568 pages of pure, unadulterated Araki, brought to you by TASCHEN. We\u2019ve been waiting patiently for this release since the limited edition, and the time has finally come. This comprehensive catalogue of the world\u2019s favourite Japanese photographer is available from December onwards and features decades-worth of vibrant, sensual and erotic imagery.<\/p>\n ARAKI,\u00a0<\/em>\u20ac49.99\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0<\/em>TASCHEN<\/a><\/p>\n Last but certainly not least is the young photography talent on everyone\u2019s lips, Maxime Ballesteros.\u00a0\u201cLes Absents\u201d is the beautiful photobook illustrating Ballesteros\u2019 unique world view, an surreal journey through the vivid and often surreal imagination of the French photographer.<\/p>\nRen Hang<\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery":false,"settings":{"height":"75","images_to_show":"1","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
Chiharu Shiota<\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery":false,"settings":{"height":"75","images_to_show":"1","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
Jean-Michel Basquiat<\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery":false,"settings":{"height":"75","images_to_show":"1","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
A.P.C.<\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery":false,"settings":{"height":"75","images_to_show":"1","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
Alex Webb & Rebecca Norris Webb<\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery":false,"settings":{"height":"75","images_to_show":"1","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
Suzy Lake<\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery":false,"settings":{"height":"75","images_to_show":"1","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
Pedro Almod\u00f3var<\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery":false,"settings":{"height":"75","images_to_show":"1","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
David Hockney<\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery":false,"settings":{"height":"75","images_to_show":"1","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
Horst Diekgerdes<\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery":false,"settings":{"height":"75","images_to_show":"1","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
Rachel Whiteread<\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery":false,"settings":{"height":"75","images_to_show":"1","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
Yayoi Kusama<\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery":false,"settings":{"height":"75","images_to_show":"1","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
Calvin Klein<\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery":false,"settings":{"height":"75","images_to_show":"1","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
Anselm Kiefer<\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery":false,"settings":{"height":"75","images_to_show":"1","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
Wolfgang Tillmans<\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery":false,"settings":{"height":"75","images_to_show":"1","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
Nobuyoshi Araki<\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery":false,"settings":{"height":"75","images_to_show":"1","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
Maxime Ballesteros<\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery":false,"settings":{"height":"75","images_to_show":"1","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"