Chosen Books

Invited designers and commentators have chosen these as the books that inspire them and that have shaped their worldview or their ideas about design.
240 books
Mayhew’s London Mayhew, Henry et al. Comments:
The Deposition of Richard Prince: In the Case of Cariou V. Prince et al. Allen, Greg
Conformismo e Trasgressione Andreoli, Annamaria
The Art of Florence Andres, Glenn et al.
Storia dell’Arte Italiana (3 vols.) Argan, Giulio Carlo
Ocean Flowers Armstrong, Carol et al.
Art and Visual Perception Arnheim, Rudolf
The Power of the Center Arnheim, Rudolf
Visual Thinking Arnheim, Rudolf
Super Constellation Asendorf, Christoph
Constantin Brancusi Bach, Friedrich Teja
Punk’s Dead Barker, Simon et al.
Masters of Modern Art Barr, Alfred H.
American Stories: Paintings of Everyday Life Barratt, Carrie et al.
Magritte and Contemporary Art Barron, Stephanie
Mythologies Barthes, Roland
Système de la Mode (The Fashion System) Barthes, Roland
Empire of Signs Barthes, Roland
The Artist’s Library Batykefer, Erinn et al.
La Sparizione dell’Arte (The Disappearance of Art) Baudrillard, Jean
Painting and Experience in Fifteenth-Century Italy Baxandall, Michael
Art & Fear Bayles, David et al.
Füssli, the Wild Swiss (Fuseli, the Wild Swiss) Becker, Christoph
Duveen Behrman, S. N.
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction Benjamin, Walter
The Arcades Project Benjamin, Walter
About Looking Berger, John
The Shape of a Pocket Berger, John
Ways of Seeing Berger, John
Rediscovered Masterpieces of Mesoamerica Berjonneau, Gerald et al.
Cent ans d’histoire de France Berl, Emmanuel
Friedrich Kiesler: Architekt, Maler, Bildhauer, 1890–1965 Bogner, Dieter
Cleopatra’s Nose Boorstin, Daniel J.
Picabia Borràs, Maria Lluïsa
Relational Aesthetics Bourriaud, Nicolas
Mark Rothko: A Biography Breslin, James E. B.
Marianne Brandt Brockhage, Hans et al.
Maynard Dixon: Artist of the West Burnside, Wesley M.
Historical Color Guide: Primitive to Modern Times with Thirty Plates in Color Burris-Meyer, Elizabeth
Dialogues with Marcel Duchamp Cabanne, Pierre
Silence: Lectures and Writings Cage, John
The History of the Future Canto, Christophe et al.
The Living Museum Cauman, Samuel
Arte Povera 2011 Celant, Germano
Tom Sachs Celant, Germano
The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini Cellini, Benvenuto
Painting as a Pastime Churchill, Winston
The Nude Clark, Kenneth
Design and Art (Documents of Contemporary Art) Coles, Alex
Hypnerotomachia Poliphili Colonna, Francesco
In the Light of Italy Conisbee, Philip
Suspensions of Perception Crary, Jonathan
Techniques of the Observer Crary, Jonathan
Notebooks da Vinci, Leonardo
Théorie du nuage Damisch, Hubert
The Great Cat Massacre Darnton, Robert
Cinema 1: The Movement-Image Deleuze, Gilles
Cinema 2: The Time-Image Deleuze, Gilles
Gordon Matta-Clark Diserens, Corinne
Double-Face: The Story about Fashion and Art from Mohammed to Warhol Doswald, Christoph
The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even Duchamp, Marcel et al.
Affect/Marcel Naumann, Francis M. et al.
View Duchamp, Marcel
Ornament Durant, Stuart
The Open Work (Opera aperta) Eco, Umberto
History of Beauty Eco, Umberto
Social Radicalism and the Arts Egbert, Donald Drew
The Hidden Order of Art Ehrenzweig, Anton
About 2 Squares + More About 2 Squares Lissitzky, El
The Cut-Outs of Henri Matisse Elderfield, John
Rodchenko and the Arts of Revolutionary Russia Elliott, David
George Ohr, Art Potter: The Apostle of Individuality Ellison, Robert A.
The World of M. C. Escher Escher, M. C.
The Stamp of Fantasy Eskildsen, Ute
John Heartfield Evans, David
Word and Image: Posters from the Collection of The Museum of Modern Art Fern, Alan
Walton Ford: Pancha Tantra Ford, Walton et al.
The Anti-Aesthetic Foster, Hal
Walter Pichler: Zwei Troge, Wasserrinnen Galerie Elisabeth & Klaus Thoman,
Popular Culture and High Culture Gans, Herbert J.
Brice Marden: A Retrospective of Paintings and Drawings Garrels, Gary
Brunelleschi (Masters of Italian Art) Gärtner, Peter J.
On Being Blue Gass, William
Churches in Rock Gerster, Georg
John Currin Gingeras, Alison et al.
The Magic of a People Girard, Alexander
Marcel Duchamp in Munich 1912 Girst, Thomas
The Spirit of Folk Art Glassie, Henry
The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh Gogh, Vincent van
Arts & Architecture: The Entenza Years Goldstein, Barbara
The Sense of Order Gombrich, E. H. (Ernst)
The Image and the Eye Gombrich, E. H. (Ernst)
Meditations on a Hobby Horse and Other Essays on the Theory of Art Gombrich, E. H. (Ernst)
A Little History of the World Gombrich, E. H. (Ernst)
What Are You Looking At? Gompertz, Will
The Modern Ideal Greenhalgh, Paul
Pomona Houses Hafif, Marcia
In Deed: Certificates of Authenticity in Art Hapgood, Susan et al.
Verf Hartog Jager, Hans den
Mannerism Hauser, Arnold
Air Guitar Hickey, Dave
The Problem of Form in Painting and Sculpture Hildebrand, Aldof von
The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy Hirsch, E. D. et al.
I Want to Spend the Rest of My Life Everywhere, with Everyone, One to One, Always, Forever, Now Hirst, Damien
Die Welt als Labyrinth (The World as a Labyrinth) Hocke, Gustav René
China Diary Hockney, David et al.
The New Art—the New Life Holtzman, Harry et al.
American Visions Hughes, Robert
Goya Hughes, Robert
Nothing if Not Critical Hughes, Robert
The Shock of the New Hughes, Robert
Futurism and Futurisms Hultén, Pontus
The Gift Hyde, Lewis
László Moholy-Nagy IVAM Centre Julio Gonzalez
Infancia y Arte Moderno IVAM Centre Julio Gonzalez
Gordon Matta-Clark: Splitting Jacob, Mary Jane
Gordon Matta-Clark: A Retrospective Jacob, Mary Jane
Kunst + Design: Donald Judd Judd, Donald et al.
Donald Judd: Raume Spaces Judd, Donald et al.
Donald Judd: Complete Writings 1959–1975 Judd, Donald
Dynamo Julie Houis et Collectif,
Juan Gris Kahnweiler, Daniel-Henry
The Sculptures of Picasso Kahnweiler, Daniel-Henry
Module, Proportion, Symmetry, Rhythm (Vision + Value Series) Kepes, Gyorgy
The Classic Kermode, Frank
Portraits: Talking with Artists at the Met, the Modern, the Louvre and Elsewhere Kimmelman, Michael
The Diaries of Paul Klee, 1898–1918 Klee, Felix
Pedagogical Sketchbook Klee, Paul
A Day with Picasso Klüver, Billy
Lothar Meggendorfers Spielwelt Krahé, Hildegard
The Originality of the Avant-Garde and Other Modernist Myths Krauss, Rosalind
Canyon of Dreams: The Magic and the Music of Laurel Canyon Kubernik, Harvey
One Place after Another Kwon, Miwon
The Place of Narrative Lavin, Marilyn Aronberg
A Hundred Years of Lex Flex Laxson, Ruth
Dada Le Bon, Laurent
Object to Be Destroyed: The Work of Gordon Matta-Clark Lee, Pamela M.
La Robe: Essai psychanalytique sur le vêtement Lemoine-Luccioni, Eugénie
The Mind in the Cave Lewis-Williams, David
Venice for Pleasure Links, J. G.
Le Livre futuriste Lista, Giovanni
El Lissitzky Lubbers, Frank
Lives of the Great Twentieth Century Artists Lucie-Smith, Edward
Portrait of Picasso as a Young Man Mailer, Norman
The Intimate World of Alexander Calder Marchesseau, Daniel
The Clock Marclay, Christian
Marinetti: Selected Writings Marinetti, F. T. et al.
Jean-Michel Basquiat Marshall, Richard
Jazz Matisse, Henri
Louise Bourgeois: Aller-Retour Matt, Gerald et al.
Night Studio Mayer, Musa
Basquiat Mayer, Marc
Richard Serra, Sculpture McShine, Kynaston et al.
Long Slow March Meador, Clifton
Dialogue in the Void: Beckett & Giacometti Megged, Matti
Pig 05049 Meindertsma, Christien
Oceanic Art Meyer, Anthony J. P.
The Hokusai Sketchbooks Michener, James A.
Einstein, Picasso, Space, Time and the Beauty that Causes Havoc Miller, Arthur I.
The Sun King Mitford, Nancy
Madame de Pompadour Mitford, Nancy
A Nervous Splendor Morton, Frederic
Ron Mueck: A Girl Mueck, Ron
Word and Image Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen (MuHKA)
The Faith of Graffiti Mailer, Norman et al.
The Bauhaus Reassessed: Sources and Design Theory Naylor, Gillian
James Turrell: The Other Horizon Noever, Peter
Wolfgang Tillmans O'Brien, Sophie et al.
Studio and Cube O’Doherty, Brian
Studies in Iconology Panofsky, Erwin
The Life and Art of Albrecht Dürer Panofsky, Erwin
Marcel Duchamp or The Castle of Purity Paz, Octavio
Essays on Mexican Art Paz, Octavio
Walter Pichler Pichler, Walter et al.
Vision and Difference: Femininity, Feminism and Histories of Art Pollock, Griselda
Rachel Feinstein Powers, Bill et al.
The House of Life Praz, Mario
The Illustrator in America, 1860–2000 Reed, Walt
A Life of Picasso (3 vols.) Richardson, John
Dada: Art and Anti-Art Richter, Hans
Tim Hawkinson Rinder, Lawrence
Saul Steinberg Rosenberg, Harold
Art of the Natural World Rosenblum, Richard
The Artist’s Reality: Philosophies of Art Rothko, Mark et al.
The Russian Avant-Garde Book 1910–1934 Rowell, Margit
Are Clothes Modern? Rudofsky, Bernard
The Unfashionable Human Body Rudofsky, Bernard
Tom Sachs: Lever House “Bronze Collection” Sachs, Tom
Buckminster Fuller and Isamu Noguchi: Best of Friends Sadao, Shoji et al.
CULTURE Sagmeister, Stefan
Life? or Theatre? (Leben? oder Theater?) Salomon, Charlotte
Fin-de-Siècle Vienna: Politics and Culture Schorske, Carl E.
Kurt Schwitters: Color and Collage Schulz, Isabel
The Culture of the Copy Schwartz, Hillel
Wiener Werkstätte: Kunst und Handwerk, 1903–1932 Schweiger, Werner
Ant Farm Scott, Felicity
Artists at Work: Inside the Studios of Today’s Most Celebrated Artists Seidner, David
The Shape of Content Shahn, Ben
Cindy Sherman: The Complete Untitled Film Stills Sherman, Cindy
Structure of the Visual Book Smith, Keith
Cover to Cover Snow, Michael
Masterpieces from the House of Fabergé Solodkoff, Alexander von
The Notebooks of Paul Klee, vol. 1: The Thinking Eye Spiller, Jürg
The Notebooks of Paul Klee, vol. 2: The Nature of Nature Spiller, Jürg
Leonardo’s Incessant Last Supper Steinberg, Leo
The Passport Steinberg, Saul
De Kooning: An American Master Stevens, Mark et al.
Interpreting the Renaissance (Ricerca dell’Rinascimento) Tafuri, Manfredo
In Praise of Shadows Tanizaki, Jun’ichiro
Invisible Art The Art Brothers,
At the Edge of History Thompson, William Irwin
Shadow of the Silk Road Thubron, Colin
Living Well Is the Best Revenge Tomkins, Calvin
Lives of the Artists Tomkins, Calvin
Duchamp: A Biography Tomkins, Calvin
J.W. Waterhouse Trippi, Peter
Daybook: The Journey of an Artist Truitt, Anne
Robert Smithson Tsai, Eugenie
Cy Twombly: Zeichnungen 1953–1973 Twombly, Cy et al.
Introduction to the Method of Leonardo da Vinci Valéry, Paul
Bart van der Leck van Kooten, Toos
High & Low Varnedoe, Kirk et al.
A Fine Disregard Varnedoe, Kirk
The Lives of the Artists Vasari, Giorgio
Exactitudes Versluis, Ari et al.
Fritz Kahn: Man Machine Debschitz, Uta von et al.
The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting, 1679–1701 Wang, Gai et al.
The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (from A to B and Back Again) Warhol, Andy
Ai Weiwei’s Blog: Writings, Interviews, and Digital Rants, 2006–2009 Weiwei, Ai
Seeing Is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees Weschler, Lawrence
Museum Legs Whitaker, Amy
Art and Politics in the Weimar Period Willett, John
The Hand Wilson, Frank
The Fabulous Life of Diego Rivera Wolfe, Bertram D.
The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby Wolfe, Tom
The Unknown Craftsman Yanagi, Soetsu (Muneyoshi)
The Making of Classical Edinburgh 1750–1840 Youngson, Alexander John Brown
L’Art des Cyclades Zervos, Christian
Malevich Zhadova, Larisa
Sheherezade Zweig, Janet et al.
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