I first heard of Meet Me at the Art Museum via Twitter when Museum Secrets tweeted how great the book was.  I immediately knew I had to get my hands on it and was thrilled when it was sent to me.

The book is told from the eyes of Stub, a entry ticket stub who was left on the floor of an art museum and missed by the cleaner during his routine.  This leads to Stub meeting some of the people that work within the art museum. Author David Goldin creatively takes us with Stub on the journey through the art museum teaching us new vocabulary and jobs within most museums.

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“50 Objects 50 Stories is a celebration of storytelling. Fifty objects from the Nicholson Museum’s collection has been chosen, not for their archaeological significance or for their aesthetic beauty, but for the often fascinating story they have to tell.”

I’ve had the honour of following Michael Turner’s honest journey in the creation of this book via twitter.  Although Michael is in Australia, our first connection was from his passion for Kids in Museums. It was from these conversations that 50 Objects and 50 Stories started to slowly come to life. However, until I received the gorgeous book in the post I did not realize the true meaning of the title.

The gorgeous A4 size hardback is filled with sharp, slick photos of objects that have fascinating stories to be told.  The photos, while very sophisticated, are not the selling point.  It’s the telling of the background of the objects. The historical importance.  The biography. That is the real importance. And that is what Michael Turner managed to do so flawlessly for each chosen object.

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Museums and the Disposal Debate: A Collection of Essays, edited by Peter Davies, is a fascinating collection of international case studies trying to answer the age old question: How to know what to keep and what to dispose. While the book is collated in academia format, please do not let that discourage you from reading the valuable real-life examples.

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Along the same lines as 50 Modern Artists You Should Know, authors Kristina Lowis and Tamsin Pickeral have chosen 50 powerful paintings from renaissance to pop/contemporary and everything in between in this very comprehensive book from Prestel Publishing which is a most have for any art student or fan.

For the most part, each painting has a comprehensive biography listing the important factors in the creators career. There is a detailed timeline on the top of the page highlight important dates in history within a century timeframe. This helps show the influences of the artists.

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Anyone with even a passing interesting in modern art needs to own, at the very least, have access to this informational book by Prestel Publishing.

While I originally debated some of the artists (Whistler and Cezanne), it is fascinating to read a fact cheat sheets on each of the 50 artists. The book is designed so you don’t have to read front to back, however, it does make for an incredibly interesting read when you do.

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The British Museum iconic architecture has a fascinating historical story that is brought to life with this incredibly detailed biography.

The introduction is provided by both of the modern architects who were the geniuses behind the building as we see it today: the light courtyard that is now the heart of the museum. Read the rest of this entry »

I was sent this book by Usborne yesterday. Last night, I picked it up to read the blurb before bed.  I read the whole book in one sitting – I just couldn’t put it down.

Author Kathryn demands your attention from the go and maintains the momentum throughout each of the 223 pages. Read the rest of this entry »

Did you know Jan van Eyck was the first person (known) to do a self-portrait?  Or the Master Wenceslas created the first ‘weather in art’ painting?

13 Art Inventions Children Should Know is 45 pages of griping, fun, quirky and oh so interesting facts on inventions that we take for granted but were so important to today’s artists. Although the book is geared towards kids, best for 8+, I could see this book being used for college art courses for beginners.

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Was Jaan Vermeer a Photographer?  Who is Banksy?

These are a couple of the mysteries author Angela Wenzel poses in this intriguing book by Prestel Books.

13 Art Mysteries  Children Should Know is 45 pages of unsolved mysteries that date back thousands of years.  This book is more geared to Children (as opposed to 13 Art Inventions Children Should Know) but still best for 7+.  The mysteries themselves are interesting regardless that they are related to art!

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This book starts with a powerful question:

 What is a sculpture?

Then it goes on to state:

‘The word ‘sculpture’ comes from the Latin word ‘sculpere,’ which means ‘to chisel’ or ‘to carve’. Read the rest of this entry »