The books art professionals are reading right now

From exhibition-making to institutional strategy, these publications reflect the realities of working in the art world today. They offer tools, context and direction for those building programmes, shaping organisations and connecting artists with audiences. [Read on]

Paul’s Galleries To Go by Paul Carey-Kent

This is less a book and more a working map of London’s gallery ecosystem. Built from years of weekly visits, it captures the diversity of spaces from artist-run to global galleries in a way that’s immediately usable for professionals.

For anyone tasked with placing artists, building networks, or staying culturally literate, it’s a quietly powerful tool. It reflects how the art world actually functions: through physical spaces, relationships, and consistent looking.

Who it’s for

PRs, gallery managers, young curators, art writers

Published in 2025 by FAD Magazine; Price: £10

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Paul Carey-Kent’s “Paul’s Galleries To Go”, 2025. © Paul Carey-Kent © 2025 WXY LTD

The Curator’s Handbook by Adrian George

Still one of the most practical books on curating, this breaks down the full process of making an exhibition, from initial idea through to installation, interpretation and promotion. It is particularly valuable for how clearly it maps the realities of the role today. For early and mid-career professionals, it functions as both a guide and a grounding framework for how exhibitions actually come together across institutions of all scales.

Who it’s for

Curators, exhibition managers, institutional teams

Published in 2024 by Thames & Hudson; Price: £20

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Adrian George’s The Curator's Handbook: Museums, Commercial Galleries, Independent Spaces, 2024. © Adrian George © Thames & Hudson

The Art Institution of Tomorrow by Fatoş Üstek

This is a clear-eyed look at how art institutions need to evolve in response to structural change. Drawing on research and interviews, it outlines where existing models fall short and how they might be rethought.

It is particularly relevant for those involved in shaping organisations, offering a framework for aligning mission, structure and public relevance in a rapidly shifting landscape.

Who it’s for

Directors, curators, strategists

Published in 2024 by Lund Humphries; Price: £19.99

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Fatoş Üstek, The Art Institution of Tomorrow: Reinventing the Model. © Lund Humphries Publishers Ltd © Sotheby's Institute of Art

A Collective Manual for Sustainable and Inclusive Art Institutions

This publication moves beyond general discussion into practical approaches to building more equitable and sustainable institutions. It brings together case studies, principles and working methods developed across a network of European organisations.

What makes it stand out is its applicability. It offers tools that can be adapted across programming, governance and audience engagement, making it especially relevant for professionals navigating accountability alongside day-to-day delivery.

Who it’s for

Institutional leaders, curators, programme managers

Published in 2024 by Mousse Publishing; Price: £30

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Island of Kinship, A Collective Manual for Sustainable and Inclusive Art Institutions, 2024. © Mousse Publishing

Decolonizing the Museum

Focusing on the intersection of art, activism and institutional practice, this book examines how museums are responding to demands for structural change around race and colonial histories.

Through case studies and practitioner perspectives, it looks at what meaningful transformation involves in practice. It is especially useful for those working within institutions where these questions are now central to programming and governance.

Who it’s for

Museum professionals, curators, policy teams

Published in 2025 by Routledge; Price: £55.99

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Chiara De Cesari, Wayne Modest & Marta Pagliuca Pelacani, Decolonizing the Museum, Art, Activism, and the Question of Race in Curation. © Routledge

Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton

First published in 2008, this has quietly become a cult reference point for understanding how the art world operates behind the scenes. Structured around a series of scenes, from auctions to biennials, it maps how value, status and influence are constructed. It is not a manual, and parts of it are of their moment, but the underlying dynamics it captures still hold. For anyone working within the art world, it offers a kind of fluency in the unspoken rules that continue to shape how value, influence and visibility are produced.

Who it’s for

Early-career professionals

Published in 2014 by Penguin Books; Price: £20

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Sarah Thornton, Seven days in the art world. © Sarah Thornton © W. W. Norton & Company

Ways of Curating by Hans Ulrich Obrist

Published in 2014, this sits firmly in the category of books that have earned a lasting, almost cult-like status within curatorial circles. Drawing on decades of conversations and projects, it traces curating as a practice shaped by dialogue, experimentation and intellectual exchange.

It is not especially practical, and it does not try to be. Its value lies in how it expands the frame, offering a sense of lineage and possibility that sits alongside the more operational demands of the role.

Who it’s for

Curators, writers, programme leads

Published in 2014 by Penguin Books; Price: £20

Buy Ways of Curating

Hans Ulrich Obrist, Ways of Curating. © Hans Ulrich Obrist © Penguin Books Ltd

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