Art gifts are a unique, unforgettable way to say: “The culture in me sees the culture in you,” and they don’t have to be expensive.
You can gift a large, colorful, picture-driven art book, which is a compliment to any living room table or bookshelf in a time when people read far less than they used to or ought to. Perusing a coffee table art book is easy, fun and—depending on the subject—lighthearted. It’s also one of the simplest ways for artists get inspiration for their own creative projects. Or, at the very least, they make great doorstoppers.
SEE ALSO: The Best Holiday Gifts for the Art Lovers and Artists On Your List
And for those friends of yours who would rather adorn their walls than their coffee tables with art, there are always affordable art prints. Prints make art collecting easy for those of us on a budget, and it saves us all from the shame of going to the digital art aisle in IKEA to buy another skyline photo—or even worse, another print of a New Yorker cover. I have an idea: Let’s support artists by buying prints of their work instead of putting illustrations with logos on our walls.
Doing some last-minute shopping for a gift for the art lover in your life? Below, you’ll find a cool crop of art books and prints to grab and gift in time for the holidays.
Imagine a friend of yours loving you so much that they collect photos of you taken throughout the years and turn them into a book. That’s the story behind The Winona Book by Robert Rich. From Polaroid photos to photo booth snapshots and more, this book feels like a collage tribute to the 90s style icon and performer. The book features over 100 never-seen-before photos of the actor, offscreen. It’s an intimate romp showcasing Ryder throughout the years, from backstage at events to at home. Since Ryder isn’t on social media and hasn’t had a truly standout role since 2001, it satiates the curiosity of film buffs and pop culture vultures alike. That said, Ryder is expected to make her return to acting next year when she stars in Beetlejuice 2. Get it at IDEA and elsewhere.
This Rizzoli book by Alia Dahl, the managing director of artists at Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, proves that ceramics are cool again. It’s no longer a lowbrow craft for retired folks in community centers, but a new way of sculpture for the latest crop of young artists. Mainly because they don’t just make vases or bowls, they turn it into pop art. This art book features thirty-eight artists who are changing the way we look at clay, from Heidi Lau to Seth Bogart, Genesis Belanger and Trisha Baga. It’s an entertaining journey to flip through the pages of this book, seeing their influences range from Disney films to cigarette butts into clay-based art.
If anyone artfully captured street society through a camera lens, it’s William Klein (1926–2022). This new book is based on Klein’s 1966 film, “Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?” This book features photos and stills of the film, which is based on the adventures of Polly Maggoo, played by Dorothy McGowan, who modeled for Vogue in the 1960s. It all has a retro, flower power vibe that is lively and free-spirited. It’s like taking a step back in monochrome time. Get it on Bookshop.org.
There are many fashion photographers, but nobody brings an edge quite like Paul Kooiker. This new book looks at Kooiker’s fashion photography, which is both timeless and avant-garde. The photographer has a knack for not just shooting world-famous models and fashion brands but also turning them into works of art. Nobody captures fashion quite like Kooiker, and his work has been called surreal. Get it on Art Paper Editions.
If you want to look at culture through the lens of a cool Berlin-founded publication, look no further. This tome traces street fashion and urban culture from the 1990s onward. Whether it’s subcultures in Tokyo, Berlin, New York and beyond, it features artists and designers working in the skate scene, hip hop and punk, like Comme des Garcons, Virgil Abloh and Supreme. Get it from Gestalten.
If you haven’t heard of the artist Alma W. Thomas, she was the first black woman to have a solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art when she was 81 years old. This book, “Alma W. Thomas: Everything Is Beautiful” from Yale University Press looks at the artist’s work over the course of her long life, from 1891 to 1978. She grew up in semi-rural Georgia, moved to Washington, DC, and is an iconic, overlooked trailblazer in abstract American art. This book traces her life in the art world and beyond—she was a prolific gardener and teacher and devoted a chunk of her life to community service. Get this big, badass book from the Phillips Collection Shop.
New York-based photographer Kyle Glenn brought his camera out to the Great Sand Dunes in southern Colorado, which is where he found solace. “Great Dune 2” is a black and white photo print available on sale on Etsy, and while it looks like a desert in the Middle East, it’s an astounding Ansel Adams-like shot that captures the majestic nature of American landscapes. “This is where I found solace, I found peace,” said Glenn. “I found land and space and time where all that mattered was me, the sand, and the sun.” Get it on Etsy.
The artist Stefanie Scheider creates eerie, otherworldly photos of people and places. “Magic Mountain 1 (Memories of Green)” is a limited edition of ten Polaroid photos on aluminum. It captures life in the woods, even if just there for a hike, with a dash of diaristic magic. Get it on Saatchi Art.
If you’re a fan of photos of New York City but want to go beyond your typical streetscape, check out photos by Bernice Abbott, a woman photographer who captured old New York in all its glory. “Seventh Avenue looking south from 35th Street, Manhattan,” features a photo taken in December 1935. The artist said the city had “city squares where the trees die for lack of sun and air; narrow and dark canyons where visibility fails because there is no light; and litter blowing about a waterfront slip; all these things and many more comprise New York City in 1935.” Get it on 20×200.
Dutch artist Roberto Voorbij creates illustrious portraits that combine abstraction in clever, convincing ways. For his portrait of 1930s abstract artist Victor Vasarely, who is called the grandfather of the Op Art movement, the Voorbij covers his face in blocks of color that the artist would typically paint. “Portrait 66: Vasarely” is a very rock and roll, edgy piece that feels like a censored portrait. Get it on Saatchi Art.
If you’re going to get an art print, might as well make it a linocut print. This gorgeous piece of a boy and his dog walking towards a mountain is called “The Hillwalkers – Glen Clova,” and is part of a series of eight limited-edition linocut prints of landscape scenes the artist made of the majestic Glen Clova area in Scotland. It’s inspired by classic Japanese woodblock prints. “I wanted to capture something of the quiet and timeless majesty of the Highland landscape during a family holiday in the glen,” said the artist. Get it on ArtFinder.
The New York artist’s “Happy Flowers” silkscreen on paper is a loose, daily dose of cheer—something we need more of during the winter months. This fun piece is a signed, limited-edition print available through the Ki Smith Gallery in New York. Get it on their website.
“Pipes II” is an abstract interpretation of pipes in a warm hue of earth tones. The lines are painted with ink on paper and the print is a harmonious collection of thick brushstrokes that “connect and break the connection, creating a rhythmic network in beautiful, warm colors,” said the artist behind the work. Get it on Minted.
The Broad’s gift shop has some gems, like this print by Patrick Martinez called “Psychic Friends (Malcolm X) Lenticular,” which was made this year. With a phrase written in a neon sign, this piece is a standout from cliché art prints you’d typically see on apartment walls. This print celebrates The Broad’s new exhibition, “Desire, Hope, and Knowledge (with Smog),” a group exhibition of Los Angeles artists (named after a John Baldessari artwork), which Martinez is part of, and runs through April 7, 2024. This print is limited-edition with just 50 pieces, and each print is signed and numbered by the artist. Get it at The Broad’s gift shop.
