The best new books to enjoy this month

Artist intrigue from Russia to Miami, via the British high street, makes its way onto our latest list

Artists on Art: How They See, Think and Create

By Holly Black (Laurence King Publishing, £12.99)

A new book from arts and culture journalist Holly Black, who is also our digital editor, Artists on Art is a curated selection of quotations, images and original interviews that highlight what matters most to the masters, from Ai Weiwei to Ana Mendieta. Learn how the giants of different artistic genres developed their individual, distinctive visual styles, and discover the core ideas behind their practice. Publisher Laurence King is offering a special 25% discount to Members when purchased through its website, laurenceking.com. Just use the code ‘ART25’ at checkout. 

Bacon in Moscow 
By James Birch (Cheerio Publishing, £17.99)

This wonderful memoir charts the wranglings of curator James Birch as he attempts to mount an exhibition of Francis Bacon’s paintings in Moscow, as the relationship between Western nations and the USSR began to thaw at the end of the 1980s. Filled with anecdotes and intrigue, Birch paints a picture not only of his long-standing friendship with the artist but of newly formed relationships with mysterious and glamorous members of the Russian elite, not to mention plenty of creative decision-making done under the influence of alcohol, whether it be rounds of vodka in Moscow, or a bottle of champagne in Soho. 

Maurice Blik: The Art of Survival
By Maurice and Debra Blik (Heavy Press Ink, £35)

This astonishing account of survival and the healing potential of art charts sculptor Maurice Blik’s life. Featuring his testimony and archival materials such as letters and photos alongside reproductions of his bronze figures, he tells us of his early childhood in Amsterdam, followed by the horrors of the Holocaust, where he survived imprisonment at Bergen-Belsen. Emigrations to London and Miami Beach (and back again) followed, as he found his artistic voice. Deftly referred to as an ‘artobiography’, it is a fascinating read. Signed and numbered limited-edition hardbacks with slipcase (edition of 1,000) are also available, priced £55.

High Street
By JM Richards and Eric Ravilious (Thames & Hudson, £20)

The beautiful new edition of this rare book by famed illustrator Eric Ravilious introduces the idiosyncrasies of the British high street in the 1930s, from the butcher and baker to the oyster bar and the plumassier. At a time when the high street is struggling more than ever, this is a nostalgia trip for some and a fantasy for others, all complete with wonderful architectural commentary from JM Richards. Only 2,000 copies of the original book were published before the lithographic plates were destroyed during the Blitz. This facsimile edition includes a new essay by Gill Saunders, senior curator of prints at the Victoria and Albert Museum.