In this timely exploration of the transformative role of the museum – and art – in society today, Tate Director Maria Balshaw writes: ‘Public institutions

Graphic design surrounds us wherever we go and has done ever since printing was invented. Yet graphics have mostly been ignored as an art form.

Named Art Book of the Year by The Times, this new biography of the founder of Impressionism traces how, over the course of a long and exceptionally creative life, Claude Monet revolutionised painting and made some of the most iconic images in western art.

Creator of the eponymous art museum in Boston (and scene of the most notorious – and unsolved – art thefts in history), Gardner was an ambitious and innovative American original, a complex and singular woman of grit and self-invention whose own life was remade through art.

This series of pocket-size books examines a wide range of artistic themes.

The first Impressionist exhibition in Paris, in 1874, shocked the art world with a radical new style of painting focused on how light, colour and shape constantly change.

Part of the Illuminating Women Artists series, this biography sheds new light on the Renaissance painter, one of the first women European artists to establish an international reputation during her lifetime.

Marking the 250th anniversary of the painter’s birth, this luxurious exhibition catalogue offers glimpses into the mystery of Friedrich’s largely posthumous popularity as well as the latest research into his training and techniques.

How can a creative person with no arts engagement or formal training, perhaps with mental health issues, a disability or experiencing difficult social circumstances, find a way into the art world?

Elements of Art tackles the biggest issue facing casual gallery-goers: how to interpret great artworks quickly and easily.

From the 17th century to the advent of the digital age, colour theories have been illustrated with opulent wheels and globes, painstakingly collated polychrome charts and meticulous diagrams.

Exploring 6,000 years of art history through 800 artworks from the collection of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, this impressive book examines how artists see the world and inspire each other with common themes, sensibilities, materials and techniques.

The new Blavatnik Art, Film and Photography Galleries at London’s Imperial War Museum are the first to explore how artists, photographers and film-makers tell the story of war and conflict.

Bringing together paintings and sculptures from over 40 years of work, this is the first major publication to provide an extensive survey of the work of Dominica-born British artist Tam Joseph.

Part of the Illuminating Women Artists: Renaissance and Baroque series, this book reassesses the importance of the painter of still lifes and occasional genre paintings within the context in which she was working.

Twenty-five of the world’s best ceramic artists explain the creative processes behind their work, what inspires them, how they stay fresh and creative and what distinguishes their work from that of other ceramic artists.

Sometimes seen as an eccentric figure or lone genius, William Blake (1757-1827) was a poet and artist of boundless imagination, even prompting one 21st century critic to proclaim him ‘far and away the greatest artist Britain has ever produced’.

Since its founding in 1947 by Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson and other photographers, the legendary co-operative Magnum Photos has chronicled the people, cultures, events and issues of our time.

This down-to-earth visual guidebook shows how to ‘read’, understand and get the most out of art.

This celebration of architecturally significant shops which shaped Britain’s shopping habits encourages us to appreciate the built heritage of our beloved high streets at a time when the retail landscape is rapidly changing.

Earthly Delights rekindles the Renaissance as a seismic change in European mentalities, with artists from northern and southern Europe featuring in a narrative which sets their lives against a period of convulsive change.

Spanning 500 years of western art history and with splendid images, this book describes the skilful techniques employed in artists’ workplaces.

This beautifully illustrated examination of one of art’s most recognisable and popular styles traces the movement’s birth, development and global impact.

Beautifully packaged, this lavish volume on one of the most significant periods in European art shows how the rise of the Habsburg dynasty and the expansion of the Spanish Empire created a fertile environment for cultural and scientific discovery.