3 Must-Have Art Books for Spring
From designer Henri Samuel’s elegant French interiors to photographer NK Guy's documentation of the Burning Man, these are the season’s most compelling new titles
Henri Samuel: Master of the French Interior, by Emily Evans Eerdmans (Rizzoli, $75)
Working for a rarefied clientele that included Vanderbilts, Rothschilds, Doris Duke, the Aga Khan, and Valentino Garavani, Henri Samuel rose to the pinnacle of the design world in the 1960s and ’70s, thanks to his impeccably elegant, inventively eclectic interiors, which confidently mixed antiques with luxe contemporary pieces. This book, the first dedicated examination of his career, immerses readers in the creative and brilliantly stylish world of the incomparable tastemaker.
Sonia Delaunay: Art, Design, Fashion, by Marta Ruiz del Árbol, Cécile Godefroy, Matteo de Leeuw-de Monti (Fundación Colección Thyssen-Bornemisza, $50)
In conjunction with a recent landmark exhibition at Madrid’s Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, this lush monograph highlights the many talents of the Ukrainian-born French modernist Sonia Delaunay, providing fascinating insights into her discipline-hopping work.
Art of Burning Man, by NK Guy (Taschen, $60)
Every summer, a temporary community of 70,000-plus, founded on art and imagination, materializes in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert at the freewheeling gathering known as Burning Man. In his new book, Canadian writer and photographer NK Guy, who has documented this spectacle for 16 years, delivers all the thrill of being present without having to rough it in the desert.
