Recommended Summer Reads for Art Lovers
The summer holidays are nearly here and now’s the time to escape: to the beach, to the mountains or to the world of a good book!
As a team of book worms, we’ve always got a good book on the go and over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be sharing some of our favourites with you.
So put the kettle on, pull up a chair and tuck in to one of our top summer reads…
GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING, TRACY CHEVALIER
Set in 17th Century Holland, Girl with a Pearl Earring centres on the corruption of innocence and the price of artistic genius. A young girl becomes a maid in the household of Johannes Vermeer and as she becomes enraptured by his world and his work, and he by her beauty, their intimacy spreads tension and deception in the household.
THE GOLDFINCH, DONNA TARTT
When 13-year-old Theo Decker recovers a charming painting of a goldfinch from the debris following a terrorist bombing at an art museum that kills his mother, he carries the painting with him wherever he goes from that moment on. When he realises the value of the painting, and the trouble he could be in if he reveals he has it, the novel takes a dramatic turn. The Goldfinch weaves together grief, loss and art in a beautifully crafted novel.
An Artist of the Floating World, Kazuo Ishiguro
From acclaimed author of The Remains of the Day, An Artist of the Floating World is set against the backdrop of post Second World War Japan. As the city begins to heal itself, the narrator, Masuji Ono, reflects on his career as an artist, from painting Japanese-themed kitsch to breaking free from the restrains of traditional Japanese art, to producing propaganda works for his country.
Oil and Marble, Stephanie Storey
Storey’s richly imagined tale of Leonardo and Michelangelo and their rivalry in 16th century Florence paints a fascinating portrait of these Renaissance masters and their yearning for perfection, recognition and artistic immortality.
Keep an eye on our blog for more of our summer read recommendations!