April brings a fresh wave of book recommendations, perfect for those looking to explore history through the eyes of artists. This spring, we highlight books that offer unique perspectives on historical narratives. Molly Crabapple, based in New York, utilizes her skills as a painter and organizer in her exploration of the Jewish Bund. Meanwhile, Susan Simensky Bietila shares her rich experiences as an environmental activist and feminist artist. Among the catalogs, the first comprehensive work on Theresa Hak Kyung Cha delves into the artist’s personal journey and experimental spirit, often overshadowed by her artistic legacy. Additionally, a 50-year survey of Chicano photography offers insights into the evolution of the art form. Discover more intriguing reads below. —Lakshmi Rivera Amin
Front Lines: A Lifetime of Drawing Resistance by Susan Simensky Bietila | PM Press, February
Susan Simensky Bietila’s memoir celebrates her artistic contributions to activist movements. She begins by recounting her family’s escape from Russian pogroms and their life in Brooklyn’s East New York neighborhood. The book is filled with humorous and heartfelt anecdotes, such as her first political awareness during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, when she was a high school student. “We were all terrified,” she recalls. “Some of the girls had sex with their boyfriends because they wanted to experience it before the bomb fell.”
The memoir also features a collection of her editorial and activist visuals, including collage covers from The Guardian, a radical leftist publication. The book offers substantial proof of her involvement in Wisconsin’s environmental and labor movements, along with her early feminist activism in New York City. Through essays, comics, graphics, and commentary, Bietila shares her life dedicated to activism and art, aiming to leave the world better than she found it. —Hrag Vartanian
Chicano Camera Culture: A Photographic History, 1966 to 2026, edited by Elizabeth Ferrer | Riverside Art Museum and the University of Washington Press, March
This catalog captures the essence of five decades of Chicano photography, leaving a lasting impact on the reader. Coinciding with a dual exhibition at The Cheech and the Riverside Art Museum in California, Chicano Camera Culture celebrates photographers who have chronicled Mexican-American diasporic identity and political movements. Rudy Rodriguez’s photograph of Dolores Huerta speaking at a 1974 rally stands out as a tribute to the women who shaped Chicano political consciousness and the artists who enriched its visual expression. —Lakshmi Rivera Amin
Ewa Juszkiewicz: Recent Paintings by Katy Hessel, Lisa Small, Ewa Juszkiewicz, and Jennifer Higgie | Gagosian and Rizzoli, March
My fascination with Polish surrealist painter Ewa Juszkiewicz began when I saw one of her oil portraits on the cover of Regan Penaluna’s 2023 book, How to Think Like a Woman. Juszkiewicz’s work, often styled in a classic 19th-century European manner, features women with obscured faces, wrapped in fabrics, or replaced by objects like fruit or fungi, challenging both biological norms and traditional portraiture. This first monograph on Juszkiewicz includes over 30 works from 2019 to 2024, accompanied by essays from art historians Katy Hessel and Lisa Small, and a discussion with writer Jennifer Higgie. The intricate details in her paintings are best appreciated up close, remaining as enigmatic as ever. —Sophia Stewart
Samurai, edited by Rosina Buckland and Oleg Benesch | The British Museum and the University of Washington Press, March
If you enjoy TV shows about Japanese politics and warriors like Shogun or Last Samurai Standing, this book is for you. Richly illustrated, Samurai explores the role, history, and stereotypes surrounding the admired yet misunderstood warrior class through Japanese artifacts and artworks. The final section, although brief, examines the global influence of samurai culture in modern media, fashion, and games. I discovered that 2,000 pieces of documentation were provided to the Shogun series to ensure accurate portrayal of the warriors. —Nageen Shaikh
No New York: A Memoir of No Wave and the Women Who Shaped the Scene by Adele Bertei | Beacon Press, March
The tale of No Wave, an avant-garde music and visual art movement from 1970s downtown New York, is retold with a fresh focus on its overlooked women. No New York is less academic and more personal. Writer Adele Bertei, who also worked as Brian Eno’s assistant, captivates with chapter titles like “Heaven and Hell” and “Lock Up Your Daughters.” Her vibrant voice propels you through the narrative, bringing the past to life until you return to the present. —Lisa Yin Zhang
Uman: After all the things… by Amy Smith-Stewart, Ilka Scobie, and Cybele Maylone | The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum and Gregory R. Miller & Co., March
Somali-born, Upstate New York-based painter Uman brings joy through her calligraphic lines. Her solo exhibition catalog at the Aldrich Art Museum, starting with its handwritten and illustrated cover, shares that same joy. The text features a foreword by Cybele Maylone, a poem by Ilka Scobie, and an essay by curator Amy Smith-Stewart. The reproductions are particularly captivating, showcasing vibrant colors and whimsical lines that create an enchanting universe. —Lisa Yin Zhang
Theresa Hak Kyung Cha: Multiple Offerings, edited by Victoria Sung | Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive and Delmonico Books, March
Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, an artist who worked in performance, text, and film before her early death in 1982, is a significant yet often overlooked figure in Asian-American art. This catalog, along with the accompanying exhibition, revisits the foundational aspects of her work, including personal, political, and art historical influences. It features reproductions of her early works, previously unseen materials, and insightful essays, offering a deeper understanding of her as both an inspiration and an individual. —Lisa Yin Zhang
Here Where We Live Is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund by Molly Crabapple | One World, April
Molly Crabapple, renowned for her murals across New York City, merges art and politics in her narrative about the socialist Jewish Labor Bund, established in 1897 to foster working-class solidarity among Polish Jews. Her book, interspersed with her distinctive portraits, is based on years of archival research and centers around a painting by her great-grandfather, Sam Rothbort, titled “Itka the Bundist, Breaking Windows.” —Lakshmi Rivera Amin
The Inner Passage: An Untold Story of Black Resistance Along a Southern Waterway by Virginia Mcgee Richards | The MIT Press, April
In South Carolina’s Lowcountry lies the Inner Passage, a waterway rich with untold stories. Initially dug by enslaved people for plantations, it later enabled their escape to Spanish Florida. Photographer Virginia Richards has immersed herself in these canals, engaging with local descendants, and has emerged with a collection of personal narratives alongside 60 compelling photographs. These images and stories offer a lasting impact. —Hakim Bishara
Raphael: Sublime Poetry by Carmen C. Bambach | The Metropolitan Museum of Art, April
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Raphael exhibition, recently opened, showcases over 170 works by the artist, displayed against striking ultramarine-blue walls that guide visitors to his masterpieces. The accompanying catalog is equally impressive, featuring extensive acknowledgments of the collaborative efforts that brought the exhibition to life and a comprehensive 400-page overview of Raphael’s career. This exploration of his life and art reveals new insights into his pride in his hometown, his entrepreneurial spirit, and the personal stories behind his renowned depictions of mothers and children. —Lisa Yin Zhang
