Five new art books to look out for in the spring, from art under siege to illustrated manuscripts

Helen Chadwick: Life Pleasures, Laura Smith (ed), Thames & Hudson, 272pp, 214 color illustrations, £30 (hb), 15 Could

Billed as the primary important biography of the influential artist and instructor, who mentored lots of the Younger British Artists, however whose personal status declined after her sudden demise in 1996. In collaboration with The Hepworth Wakefield.

Victor Ehikhamenor, Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie, Prestel, 208pp, 160 color illustrations, £50 (hb), 8 April

A lavishly illustrated e-book exploring the complete multi-disciplinary scope of the famend Nigerian artist’s output (with a selected deal with latest work), which engages with African historical past and the post-colonial politics of Black id.

Artwork in a State of Siege, Joseph Leo Koerner, Princeton College Press, 408pp, 32 color and 103 b/w illustrations, $37 (hb), 4 February

Leo Koerner considers “What do artworks appear like in excessive circumstances of collective expertise?” by exploring the context round three works by Hieronymus Bosch, Max Beckmann and William Kentridge.

Eufrasia Burlamacchi, Loretta Vandi, Lund Humphries, 128pp, 80 color illustrations, £35 (hb), 3 March

The newest quantity within the Illuminating Girls Artists sequence focuses on the illuminated manuscripts of Sister Eufrasia (1478-1548), arguing that her contact with the Excessive Renaissance past the partitions of her Tuscan convent is revealed via her work.

Turner and Constable: Artwork, Life, Panorama, Nicola Moorby, Yale, 352pp, 40 color illustrations, £25 (hb), 11 March

A contemporary perspective on the artwork, life and personalities of the celebrated “rival” panorama painters, printed to coincide with the 250th anniversaries of JMW Turner’s (2025) and John Constable’s (2026) births.