2026 Art Book Reading Challenge!
It’s that time of year! In this post, I’m announcing the categories for the 2026 Art Book Reading Challenge!
Why participate in an art book reading challenge?
As I wrote back in 2022 when I posted the first art book reading challenge, one of the best ways I know of getting deeper into the art world is by reading a biography of an artist, or any kind of book that explores various aspects of art. From these books, I have learned so much about the people behind the art as well as specific movements, techniques, and the world as a whole at various times in history. Knowing more about the artists and events that have affected the art world gives the art more depth and has provided me with an appreciation for paintings or sculptures that I only gave a passing glance in the past.
If you’d like to join me in learning more about the world of art, you can find the six categories as well as a few suggestions for each category in the list below! (Those marked with a * are books I have not read, but they received positive reviews and would be what I would read for that artist.) And, if you happen to be on The StoryGraph, you can join the challenge there!
The 2026 Art Book Reading Challenge Categories
1 A book about an artist from the 20th century
A book about an artist who was primarily active in the 20th century, though they may have been born in the 19th century, or worked into the 21st century.
And of course this list could go on for a long time! You can find a very thorough list of 20th-century artists here.
2 A book about portraiture a portrait artist
A book related to portraits, or specifically about an artist known for their portraits (even if they painted other genres as well).
3 An art fiction book
A “fun” category! Fictional accounts most likely take a lot of artistic license (no pun intended), but I have been surprised at how much research some authors have done to instill quite a bit of truth in their tales. Goodreads has suggestions here. (I do not recommend anything by Dan Brown).
4 A general book about art
I made a category for “art controversies” last year, but there were so many general “art” books that popped up over the course of the year that I wanted to read that I decided to make this category more broad. Any book related to art fits here!
5 A book about an artist from the 17th century
Another time period-based category. This one includes some well-known names as well:
I also have a list of more 16th-century artists here!
6 A book about female artists or a single female artist
These lists aren’t exhaustive at all, but simply offer a few ideas for the different categories. If you plan to read along, please leave a comment below with what you hope to read for each category!
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Thankyou for the work you put into these challenges! I’ve used the list as inspiration in the past but never managed the whole list. This year, a few of the categories are books I own but have yet to read, so that will help me get through the ever-growing TBR.
Here are my plans for 2026:
1/ 20th cent – Drawing hell: the life of australian war artist Alan Moore (John Morthen)
2/ portrait artist – Souvenirs of Madame Vigee Le Brun (I’ve read sections but never cover-to-cover, she was such a fascinating woman!)
3/ art fiction- The portrait of Molly Dean (Katherine Kovacic)
4/ general art- William Morris: a life for our time (Fiona MacCarthy) – this is a monster at 780 pages, but I love his designs and own the book, so that will hopefully keep me pushing through
5/ 17th cent – Eye of the beholder: Johannes Vermeer, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, and the Reinvention of Seeing (Laura L Snyder)
6/ female artist – Selected writings by Margaret Preston (one of my favourite artists! We studied her in our homeschool in 2024, then in July this year we did a road trip to Sydney and got to see some of her works in person at the gallery. I nearly cried, it was like meeting a dear friend. We have prints of her works dotted throughout our home. I’m looking forward to reading the words of this spunky artist who played such an important part in Australian art history, and our own family culture)
Oh, I love this, Cyndall! Thank you so much for sharing!! I read Vigee Le Brun’s autobiography a few years ago and it was so interesting, especially considering the time in which she lived and the people she met. William Morris is also a favorite of mine – thanks for bringing that book to my attention!
Hey Cyndall,
I saw you mention my own book, Drawing Hell, on your list! I would love to hear what you thought of it when you reach it. Criticism both good and bad is highly welcomed.
hope you enjoy your reading!
– John
I love this reading Challenge for 2026 a great motivation to read more and enhance my mother culture..
1.A book about 20th century- Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limit
2. A book about Portraiture- Ancient Faces: Mummy Portraits in Roman Egypt
3. An Art Fiction Book: The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier
4. A General Book about Art- The Gardner Heist: The True Story of the World’s Largest Unsolved Art Theft by Ulrich Boser
5. A book about an artitst from the 17th century- Judith Leyster: A Women Painter in Holland’s Golden Age
6. A book about Female artists- Elizabeth Vigee’ Le Brun Daring The Life and Art of Elizabeth Le Brun. Our museum has several of her works.
Judith Leyster – Judith Leyster: A Woman Painter in Holland’s Golden Age*
Ah, how exciting that you have Vigee Le Brun in your local museum! That would be a fun way to celebrate finishing the book. 🙂 Your list looks great!
Hi Rebecca!
I’ve never done an art book challenge and you’ve inspired me. I had a few books on my to-read list that would fit in a few categories, so I think this is the year to read them. Last year, I read a book on Tomie dePaola and his art (mostly illustrating his own books), and I found it so fascinating to read about all that went into book illustration and his unique style and methods. I love Jerry Pinkney’s illustrations, so his autobiography, Just Jerry, is my 20th century pick. I want to learn more about Lilias Trotter, so she’ll be my female artist to read about. Haven’t decided on which book to read about her, if you have any suggestions! I loved Rembrandt in the Wind, so I’m adding Ramsey’s next one (Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart, which I didn’t know was published until I saw your list).
Your year-end book review inspired me to dive back into blogging so I could share my reading year highlights. I’ll link it below if interested.
I didn’t even know there was a book about Tomie dePaola, but that sounds very interesting! And the Pinkney biogrpahy! I think looking at children’s illustrators is a great idea for art books. And thank you for reminding me about Lilias Trotter – I can’t believe I omitted her from the list as I have been wanting to read about her myself! I’ve heard that Miriam Huffman Rockness’s “A Passion for the Impossible” is very good, so I may just add that to my list as well. Thanks for the link to your booklist – I will check it out!