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