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