Best 2019

The Best Art, Photography, and Coffee Table Books of 2019 (A Year-End List Aggregation)

“What are the best Art, Photography, and Coffee Table books released in 2019?” We looked at 220 of the top Art, Photography, and Coffee Table books, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!

The top 23 books, all appearing on 2 or more “Best Art, Photography, and Coffee Table” book lists, are ranked below by how many times they appear. The remaining 175+ titles, as well as the sources we used, are in alphabetical order on the bottom of the page.

Our other Best Of 2019 Articles:

Our Other Years: 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015

Happy Scrolling!



Top 23 Best Art, Photography, and Coffee Table Books From 2019



23 .) A Booklover’s Guide to New York written by Cleo Le-Tan

Lists It Appears On:

  • PureWow
  • Vogue 2

“This illustrated guidebook takes you on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood odyssey through New York, visiting iconic bookstores, hidden literary landmarks, and fabled writer’s haunts, and features candid interviews with local literary figures and bibliophiles



22 .) Bill Cunningham: On the Street: Five Decades of Iconic Photography

Lists It Appears On:

  • Dandelion Chandelier
  • Vogue 2

“This official book of photographs houses the 50-year collection of the most iconic and beloved photographs taken by prolific fashion photographer Bill Cunningham, the King of Street Style. The iconic Bill Cunningham was known for wearing a blue work jacke



21 .) Breaking Ground: Architecture by Women

Lists It Appears On:

  • Dandelion Chandelier
  • Vogue 2

A ground-breaking visual survey of architecture designed by women from the early twentieth century to the present day ‘Would you still call me a diva if I were a man?’ asked Zaha Hadid, challenging as she did so, more than 100 years of stereotypes about fe



20 .) Choupette written by Karl Lagerfeld

Lists It Appears On:

  • Vogue
  • NY Mag

Karl Lagerfeld’s world-famous cat dispenses essential advice on lifestyle, diet, fashion, beauty, and international travel for the uber-fashionable feline. Choupette—the constant feline companion of designer Karl Lagerfeld, creative director at Chanel—is a



19 .) Dior written by Peter Lindbergh

Lists It Appears On:

  • Forbes
  • Vogue



18 .) Feast for the Eyes written by Myla Goldberg

Lists It Appears On:

  • Digital Camera World
  • NPR

Food has been a much-photographed subject throughout the history of photography, across genres, including art and advertising. This is the first book to survey the rich history of food in photography, and the photographers who developed new ways of describ



17 .) Kwame Brathwaite: Black Is Beautiful written by Tanisha C. Ford

Lists It Appears On:

  • Dandelion Chandelier
  • PureWow

In the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, Kwame Brathwaite used his photography to popularize the political slogan “Black Is Beautiful.” This monograph―the first ever dedicated to Brathwaite’s remarkable career―tells the story of a key, but under-recognized, figure of the second Harlem Renaissance.



16 .) Lagerfeld: The Chanel Shows

Lists It Appears On:

  • Vogue
  • Vogue 2

Lagerfeld showcases in an oversize format ten years of Chanel’s most influential fashion shows shot by English photographer Simon Procter. Over the past decade, fashion shows have evolved into monumental productions, requiring a level of sophistication and creativity on par with the clothes they present. This has been most evident in Paris at the now legendary runways of Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel.



15 .) Leonardo by Leonardo: Leonardo da Vinci

Lists It Appears On:

  • NY Mag
  • Hyperallergic

Cutting through the veil of legend, Martin Kemp offers an unparalleled portrait of this extraordinary man, asking what made Leonardo’s work so astonishing and what vision drove his art and his invention. This updated edition is the first book to include tw



14 .) Lucian Freud: A Life

Lists It Appears On:

  • Forbes
  • Hyperallergic

A breathtaking visual biography of Freud, told through his own words, unpublished private photographs, and painted portraits This unprecedented look at the private life of Lucian Freud begins with childhood snapshots and ends with rarely seen photographs m



13 .) Magnum Streetwise written by Stephen McLaren

Lists It Appears On:

  • NY Mag
  • Readings

The ultimate collection of street photography from Magnum Photos.



12 .) Music: A Subversive History

Lists It Appears On:

  • Booklist
  • Library Journal

A preeminent music historian and critic presents a global history of music from the bottom up Histories of music overwhelmingly suppress stories of the outsiders and rebels who created musical revolutions and instead celebrate the mainstream assimilators w



11 .) Prabal Gurung

Lists It Appears On:

  • Forbes
  • NY Mag

The first monograph on fashion designer Prabal Gurung, packed with stories, design inspiration, and never-before-seen photographs In February 2017, Prabal Gurung ended his show with a parade of feminist tees featuring phrases like “This Is What a Feminist



10 .) Ralph Lauren: In His Own Fashion

Lists It Appears On:

  • Forbes
  • Vogue 2

From the author of Dressing the Man, the seminal tome on men’s fashion, comes the illustrated biography of Ralph Lauren. Published as part of the designer’s 50th anniversary, Alan Flusser’s book looks at the life of the iconic American designer through the lens of fashion and cultural impact. This high-level, yet intimate, reflection on the life and work of Ralph Lauren shows how a preppy young boy from the Bronx created one of the most recognizable brands in American fashion.



9 .) Supreme Glamour written by Mary Wilson with Mark Bego

Lists It Appears On:

  • NPR
  • NY Mag

Supreme Glamour builds a complete picture of the charm and sophistication of The Supremes. With the assistance of her close personal friend Mark Bego, founding member Mary Wilson tells the complete story of the band, both on- and off-stage, from their begi



8 .) Supreme Models: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Fashion

Lists It Appears On:

  • Vogue
  • NY Mag

The first-ever book celebrating black models, filled with revealing essays, interviews, and stunning photographs To date, there has never been a book devoted exclusively to black models. Supreme Models fills that void, paying tribute to black models past a



7 .) The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick

Lists It Appears On:

  • Booklist
  • Library Journal

The Los Angeles Times Bestseller A Tor.com Most Anticipated Book of 2019 A PureWow “Book We Can’t Wait to Read in 2019” A Bustle Nonfiction Book Coming Out In 2019 To Start Getting Excited About The Lady from the Black Lagoon uncovers the life and work of



6 .) The New Black Vanguard: Photography Between Art and Fashion

Lists It Appears On:

  • NY Mag
  • Vogue 2

In The New Black Vanguard: Photography between Art and Fashion, curator and critic Antwaun Sargent addresses a radical transformation taking place in fashion and art today. The featuring of the Black figure and Black runway and cover models in the media an



5 .) The Queens of Animation: The Untold Story of the Women Who Transformed the World of Disney and Made Cinematic History

Lists It Appears On:

  • Booklist
  • Library Journal

From the bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls, the untold, “richly detailed” story of the women of Walt Disney Studios, who shaped the iconic films that have enthralled generations (Margot Lee Shetterly, New York Times bestselling author of Hidde



4 .) Virgil Abloh: Figures Of Speech

Lists It Appears On:

  • Vogue
  • NY Mag

“This book is published on the occasion of the exhibition Virgil Abloh: “Figures of Speech” organized by Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.”



3 .) William Morris’s Flowers

Lists It Appears On:

  • NY Mag
  • Vogue 2

A passionate advocate of craftsmanship over mass-production, William Morris (1834- 1896) designed a huge variety of objects, but it is his highly original carpet, fabric and wallpaper patterns that have continued to capture the imagination and exert their



2 .) Vogue on Location: People, Places and Portraits

Lists It Appears On:

  • Vogue
  • Refinery 29
  • Vogue 2

Travel around the globe with Vogue’s most exotic fashion, travel, and lifestyle stories Have fashion, will travel. That’s the vision behind Vogue on Location, a journey in itself through the many spectacular voyages that the magazine took over the years. S



1 .) The Rihanna Book written by Rihanna

Lists It Appears On:

  • Dandelion Chandelier
  • NY Mag
  • Refinery 29
  • Vogue 2

From her Barbados childhood to her worldwide tours, from iconic fashion moments to private time with friends and family, the book showcases intimate photographs of her life as an artist, performer, designer, and entrepreneur. Many of these images have never before been published.




The 175+ Additional Best Art, Photography, and Coffee Table Books Released In 2019



# Book Author Lists
24 A Great Party: Designing the Perfect Celebration Bryan Rafanelli PureWow
25 A Spectral Hue Craig Laurance Gidney NPR
26 A-Z of Flower Portraits Jackson’s
27 Acrylics Unleashed Jackson’s
28 Agnès B.: The Snap Cardigan NY Mag
29 Alive Still: Nell Blaine, American Painter Booklist
30 All the Greys on Greene Street. Booklist 2
31 American Boys Soraya Zaman PureWow
32 Anna Mason’s Watercolour World Jackson’s
33 Another Christian Robinson NPR
34 Anti Glossy: Fashion Photography Now Patrick Remy PureWow
35 Architectural Digest At 100: A Century Of … Refinery 29
36 Art after Stonewall, 1969-1989 Jonathan Weinberg PureWow
37 Arthur Elgort: I Love… NY Mag
38 Atlas of Furniture Design NY Mag
39 Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Houses Vogue 2
40 Atlas of Vanishing Places: The lost worlds as they were and as they are today – Unexpected Atlases
Good Housekeeping
41 Australia Modern Hannah Lewi & Philip Goad Readings
42 Avedon: Behind the Scenes, 1964-1980 Vogue 2
43 Axel Vervoordt: Portraits of Interiors Vogue 2
44 Bauhaus Ballet NY Mag
45 Beaches Gray Malin
Good Housekeeping
46 Because Booklist 2
47 Bedtime: Inspirational Beds, Bedrooms, and Boudoirs Vogue 2
48 Best in Travel 2020 Lonely Planet
Good Housekeeping
49 Bibliostyle: How We Live at Home With Books NY Mag
50 Billy Showell’s Botanical Painting In Watercolour Jackson’s
51 Blooms: Contemporary Floral Design
Dandelion Chandelier
52 Bolder: Life Lessons from People Older & Wiser Than You
Good Housekeeping
53 Born to Be Posthumous: The Eccentric Life and Mysterious Genius of Edward Gorey Booklist
54 Born to Party, Forced to Work Vogue 2
55 Brooklyn, The City Within NY Mag
56 BTTM FDRS Ezra Claytan Daniels NPR
57 Butcher and Beast: Mastering the Art of Meat: A Cookbook NY Mag
58 Bystander: A History of Street Photography
Digital Camera World
59 Cabin Porn: Inside Refinery 29
60 CAMP: Notes on Fashion Andrew Bolton PureWow
61 Central Park: Original Designs for New York’s Greatest Treasure Cynthia S. Brenwall PureWow
62 Cereal City Guide: Paris
Good Housekeeping
63 Chalk: The Art and Erasure of Cy Twombly Booklist
64 Chamber Music: Wu-Tang and America [in 36 Pieces] Booklist
65 Charles White: A Retrospective Booklist
66
Chinese Brush Painting: Traditional and contemporary techniques using ink and water soluble media
Jackson’s
67 Chromatopia: An Illustrated History of Colour Jackson’s
68 Colony Cathy Leahy, Judith Ryan, Dr Isobel Crombie & Megan Patty Readings
69
Colored Pencil Painting Bible: Techniques for Achieving Luminous Color and Ultra-realistic Effects
Jackson’s
70 Colour Mixing Guide: Acrylics Jackson’s
71 Comfortably Wild: The Best Glamping Destinations in North America Mike & Anne Howard PureWow
72 Comics: Easy as ABC! Booklist 2
73 Concrete Houses Joe Rollo Readings
74 Daido Moriyama: How I Take Photos
Digital Camera World
75 David Bellamy’s Skies, Light and Atmosphere in Watercolour Jackson’s
76 Delicious Places: New Food Culture, Restaurants and Interiors Gestalten PureWow
77 Donald Judd: Interviews
Hyperallergic
78 Dr. Seuss’s Horse Museum Booklist 2
79 Drag: The Complete Story NY Mag
80 Drawing and Painting People: A Fresh Approach Jackson’s
81 Dress Scandinavian Pernille Teisbaek
Good Housekeeping
82 East Harlem: The Postwar Years NY Mag
83 Eat, Drink, Nap: Bringing the House Home
Good Housekeeping
84 Elizabethan Globalism: England, China And The Rainbow Portrait Matthew Dimmock NPR
85 Elton John Terry O’neill Refinery 29
86 Experimental Landscapes in Watercolour Jackson’s
87 Food Photography: A Beginner’s Guide to Creating Appetizing Images
Digital Camera World
88 Food Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots
Digital Camera World
89 Food Styling for Photographers
Digital Camera World
90 Francois Halard: A Visual Diary Vogue 2
91 Gelli Plate Printing Jackson’s
92 Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to a Tribe Called Quest.
Library Journal
93 Golf: The Ultimate Book
Dandelion Chandelier
94 Great Women Artists
Good Housekeeping
95 Greco Disco: The Art and Design of Luke Edward Hall Vogue 2
96 HausMagick: Transform Your Home with Witchcraft Erica Feldmann PureWow
97 Henri Cartier-Bresson
Digital Camera World
98 Henry Darger
Hyperallergic
99 Hi-Fi: The History of High-End Audio Design NY Mag
100 Hokusai: Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji
Hyperallergic
101 Home In The Woods Eliza Wheeler NPR
102 I Like To Watch: Arguing My Way Through the Television Revolution
Library Journal
103 Ian Fairweather edited Claire Roberts & John Thompson Readings
104 If I Could Tell You Just One Thing… Encounters with Remarkable People and Their Most Valuable Advice
Good Housekeeping
105 Indian-ish: Recipes and Antics from a Modern American Family Priya Krishna PureWow
106 Japanese Woodblock Prints (1680-19380
Dandelion Chandelier
107 Jean Haines’ Atmospheric Watercolours: Painting with freedom, expression and style Jackson’s
108 Jean Haines’ Colour & Light in Watercolour: new extended edition Jackson’s
109 Jim Marshall: Show Me the Picture NY Mag
110 John Galliano for Dior Vogue 2
111 Kerry James Marshall: History of Painting NY Mag
112 La Grotta: Ice Creams and Sorbets: A Cookbook Kitty Travers PureWow
113 Le Corbuffet: Edible Art and Design Classics NY Mag
114 Legaspi: Larry Legaspi, the 70s, and the Future of Fashion Vogue
115 Legendary Artists And The Clothes They Wore Refinery 29
116 Let Me Hear a Rhyme Booklist 2
117 Life in 50mm
Digital Camera World
118 Life Lessons I Learned from my Dog Emma Block
Good Housekeeping
119 Linda McCartney: The Polaroid Diaries Vogue 2
120 Linocut for Artists and Designers Jackson’s
121 Live Green Sustainable Year Book
Good Housekeeping
122 Louise Bourgeois: An Intimate Portrait NY Mag
123 Magnum Contact Sheets
Digital Camera World
124 Making Woodblock Prints Jackson’s
125 Mary Quant NY Mag
126 Mastering Street Photography
Digital Camera World
127 Midcentury Memories: The Anonymous Project Refinery 29
128 Mirka Mora Sabine Cotte Readings
129 Monochrome Home – Elegant interiors in black and white
Good Housekeeping
130 Mostly Dead Things Kristen Arnett NPR
131 Move On Up: Chicago Soul Music and Black Cultural Power Booklist
132 Moving to Mars: Design for the Red Planet NY Mag
133 Nan Goldin: The Other Side NY Mag
134 New York: Club Kids NY Mag
135 Nobody’s Looking At You: Essays Janet Malcolm NPR
136 Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over NY Mag
137 On the Come Up Booklist 2
138 On the Street: Five Decades of Iconic Photography NY Mag
139 Operatic Booklist 2
140 Our Interference Times: A Visual Record NY Mag
141 Pablo Picasso: The Impossible Collection Forbes
142
Paint Yourself Calm: Colourful, Creative Mindfulness Through Watercolour
Jackson’s
143 Painting Brilliant Skies & Water in Pastel Jackson’s
144 Painting Water in Watercolour: 30 Minute Artist Jackson’s
145 Palm Beach Vogue 2
146 Pastel Pointers: Top 100 Secrets For Beautiful Paintings Jackson’s
147 Paula Rego: The Art of Story
Hyperallergic
148 Pet Akwaeke Emezi NPR
149 Photos That Changed the World
Good Housekeeping
150 Piatti: Plates and Platters for Sharing
Dandelion Chandelier
151 Poilâne: The Secrets of the World-Famous Bread Bakery NY Mag
152 Pokko And The Drum Matthew Forsythe NPR
153
Portrait Painting Atelier: Old Master Techniques and Contemporary Applications
Jackson’s
154 Prada Catwalk Vogue
155 Pride: Fifty Years Of Parades And Protests Refinery 29
156 Queen Of The Sea Dylan Meconis NPR
157 Resident Dog: Incredible Homes and the Dogs That Live There NY Mag
158 Roy Lichtenstein The Impossible Collection Forbes
159 Rusty Brown Chris Ware NPR
160 Scrawl: An A to Z of Famous Doodles Caren Strauss-Schulson PureWow
161 Space Utopia: A Journey Through the History of Space Exploration
Dandelion Chandelier
162 Spring: A Novel Ali Smith NPR
163 Star Power: A Simple Guide to Astrology for the Modern Mystic Vanessa Montgomery
Good Housekeeping
164 Step into Paradise Jenny Kee & Linda Jackson Readings
165 Stoned Jo Wood Refinery 29
166 Street Photography Now
Digital Camera World
167 Street. Life. Photography
Digital Camera World
168 Styling for Instagram
Digital Camera World
169 Surf Like A Girl Carolina Amell Refinery 29
170 Taking Risks with Watercolour Jackson’s
171 That Photo Makes Me Hungry
Digital Camera World
172 The 100 Most Jewish Foods: A Highly Debatable List Alana Newhouse PureWow
173 The Art of Feminism edited Helena Reckitt, with texts by Lucinda Gosling, Hilary Robinson & Amy Tobin Readings
174
The Art of Game of Thrones, the official book of design from Season 1 to Season 8
NY Mag
175 The Book of Tapas, New Edition Simone Ortega PureWow
176 The Bucket List: Places to find Peace and Quiet Victoria Ward
Good Housekeeping
177 The Contender: The Story of Marlon Brando Booklist
178 The Decisive Moment (Images à la Sauvette)
Digital Camera World
179 The Elizabethan Image
Hyperallergic
180 The Flower Expert Fleur Mcharg Refinery 29
181 The Food Stylist’s Handbook
Digital Camera World
182 The Fountains of Silence Booklist 2
183 The Hard Tomorrow Eleanor Davis NPR
184 The Healing Power of Plants Fran Bailey
Good Housekeeping
185 The Hollywood Jim Crow: The Racial Politics of the Movie Industry.
Library Journal
186 The Irishman Vogue 2
187 The Life of Tea
Digital Camera World
188 The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide
Hyperallergic
189 The Mind’s Eye
Digital Camera World
190 The NASA Archives. 60 Years in Space Piers Bizony PureWow
191 The National Gallery: Masterpieces of Painting
Hyperallergic
192 The New Art of Cooking
Digital Camera World
193 The NoMad Cocktail Book NY Mag
194 The Pastel Artist’s Bible Jackson’s
195 The Peanuts Papers: Writers And Cartoonists On Charlie Brown, Snoopy & The Gang, And The Meaning Of Life Andrew Blauner (editor) NPR
196 The Roots of Rap Booklist 2
197 The Shortest Day Susan Cooper NPR
198 The Touch Kinfolk, Norm Architects & Gestalten Readings
199 The Ultimate Guide to Natural Light for Food Photography
Digital Camera World
200 The Undefeated Kwame Alexander NPR
201 Tulum Gypset
Dandelion Chandelier
202
Two Brothers, Four Hands: The Artists Alberto and Diego Giacometti.
Booklist 2
203 Unto This Last: Two Hundred Years of John Ruskin
Hyperallergic
204 Vienna: Portrait of a City Vogue 2
205 Visions From The Upside Down: Stranger Thi… Refinery 29
206 Visual Feast
Digital Camera World
207 Vitamin T Phaidon Editors & Jenelle Porter Readings
208 Vivian Maier: A Photographer Found
Digital Camera World
209
Wabi Sabi Painting with Cold Wax: Adding Body, Texture and Transparency to Your Art
Jackson’s
210 Walter Chandoha. Cats. Photographs 1942–2018 Susan Michals PureWow
211
Warhol on Basquiat: The Iconic Relationship Told in Andy Warhol’s Words and Pictures
Forbes
212 Watercolour Workshop: Projects and Interpretations Jackson’s
213 Waves: Pro Surfers and Their World NY Mag
214 West: The American Cowboy NY Mag
215
What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About: Fifteen Writers Break the Silence.
Library Journal
216 William Shakespeare × Chris Ofili: Othello NY Mag
217
Wine Simple: A Totally Approachable Guide From a World-Class Sommelier
NY Mag
218 Women of the 116th Congress NY Mag
219 Yves Klein Painted Everything Blue and Wasn’t Sorry. NY Mag
220 Zuber: Two Centuries of Panoramic Wallpaper Vogue 2


17 Best Art, Photography, and Coffee Table Book Sources/Lists



Source
Booklist
Booklist 2
Dandelion Chandelier
Digital Camera World
Digital Camera World
Forbes
Good Housekeeping
Hyperallergic
Jackson’s
Library Journal
NPR
NY Mag
PureWow
Readings
Refinery 29
Vogue
Vogue 2
A.M. Anderson

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