Art Essays Book Launch

Please join us for the book launch of Art Essays: a Collection, edited by English at York Faculty Alexandra Kingston-Reese.

“This brilliantly stimulating book canonizes the art essay as the form of the moment and shows what it makes possible. Boldly claiming that the novel is now a satellite orbiting the essay, it gathers essays by exciting contemporary novelists on art and watches the critical, creative, and formal sparks fly.”—Kathryn Murphy, University of Oxford “As joyous as it is intelligent, Art Essays proves once and for all that the best essays enchant us with the same splendor and humor and passion as the best novels or the most striking paintings.”—Merve Emre, University of Oxford

Art Essays is a passionate collection of the best essays on the visual arts written by contemporary novelists. This vibrant and diverse selection includes essays by award-winning writers such as Zadie Smith, Chris Kraus, Teju Cole, Orhan Pamuk, and Jhumpa Lahiri. From the art of Sonia Delaunay to contemporary photography, from the docks of Malaysia to Leonora Carrington’s home in Mexico City, and from reflections on modern Black British paintings to meditations on the female gaze, these essays bring together blazing insights to the visual world, with personal, intimate reflections. With an introduction by literary critic and editor Alexandra Kingston-Reese, Art Essays is an enthralling vision of a new wave of literary essays shaping contemporary culture.

A select number of copies of Art Essays will be available for purchase. You can also order from Blackwells.

In this exclusive event at the Schoolhouse Gallery in York, Alexandra will give a short reading from Art Essays, followed by a dialogue with Dr James Boaden (Department of History of Art), a Q&A with the audience, and a wine reception. 

This event is jointly supported by the Centre for Modern Studies research strand, The Contemporary Essay.