Summer invites a different kind of attention — the kind that lets you sit with something longer, look more closely, and linger on a page. In this special episode of Reading the Art World, art advisor Megan Fox Kelly shares seven books that offer exactly that opportunity.

From the extraordinary untold story of Rose Valland’s resistance during WWII to the vivid experimentation of David Hockney, these titles span photography, memoir, biography, painting, and art history. Several are also linked to museum exhibitions currently on view in New York, Paris, and San Sebastián — offering a chance to pair reading with looking if you’re traveling this season.

This isn’t a list of books to toss in a beach bag — it’s a selection for the quieter moments of summer, when you can spend time with ideas that stay with you.

EPISODE TIMESTAMPS
00:40 - My Must-Read List
01:43 - “The Art Spy”
02:24 - “David Hockney”
03:02 - “Tina Barney: Family Ties”
03:49 - “Vermeer’s Love Letters”
04:31 - “Do Something: Coming of Age Amid the Glitter and Doom of '70s New York”
05:05 - “The Slip”
05:44 - “Irascible”

PURCHASE THESE BOOKS
“The Art Spy” by Michelle Young -
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-art-spy-michelle-young?variant=43046200836130

“David Hockney” by Norman Rosenthal -
https://www.thamesandhudsonusa.com/books/david-hockney-hardcover

“Tina Barney: Family Ties” by Quentin Bajac, James Welling, Sarah Meister -
https://aperture.org/books/tina-barney-family-ties/

“Vermeer’s Love Letters” by Robert Fucci -
https://shop.frick.org/vermeers-love-letters

“Do Something” by Guy Trebay -
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/550904/do-something-by-guy-trebay/

“The Slip” by Prudence Peiffer -
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-slip-prudence-peiffer?variant=40991813337122

“Irascible” by Adrian Clark & Richard Calvocoressi -
https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300282696/irascible/

SUBSCRIBE, FOLLOW AND HEAR INTERVIEWS
For more information, visit meganfoxkelly.com, hear our past interviews, and subscribe at the bottom of our Of Interest page for new posts.

Follow us on Instagram: @meganfoxkelly

"Reading the Art World" is a live interview and podcast series with leading art world authors hosted by art advisor Megan Fox Kelly. The conversations explore timely subjects in the world of art, design, architecture, artists and the art market, and are an opportunity to engage further with the minds behind these insightful new publications. 

Megan Fox Kelly is an art advisor and past Presiden

SUBSCRIBE, FOLLOW AND HEAR INTERVIEWS:

For more information, visit meganfoxkelly.com, hear our past interviews, and subscribe at the bottom of our Of Interest page for new posts.

Follow us on Instagram: @meganfoxkelly

"Reading the Art World" is a podcast featuring live interviews with leading authors and writers on important new art books. Megan Fox Kelly is an art advisor and past President of the Association of Professional Art Advisors who works with collectors, estates and foundations.

Music composed by Bob Golden