In Donna Tartt’s sprawling, Dickensian novel, a small 17th-century masterpiece becomes the anchor for Theodore Decker’s life after a terrorist attack at a museum leaves him orphaned.
Theo’s secret possession of Carel Fabritius’s “The Goldfinch” is both a comfort and a curse, drawing him into the glittering salons and shadowy criminal underworlds of the art market.
The novel explores themes of grief, authenticity, and the redemptive power of beauty, questioning whether an object’s true value lies in its exquisite creation or the human meaning we attach to it.
Tracy Chevalier offers a spare and intimate imagining of the story behind Johannes Vermeer’s iconic painting. Told from the perspective of Griet, a young maid in the Vermeer household, the novel delicately traces the unspoken relationship that develops between the artist and his subject.
Through the quiet observation of domestic life, the alchemy of mixing pigments, and the charged atmosphere of the studio, Chevalier explores the tensions of class, creativity, and the subtle boundary between muse and creator in 17th-century Delft.
Inspired by the life of Paul Gauguin, this novel dramatizes the consuming nature of artistic obsession. Maugham’s protagonist, Charles Strickland, is a conventional London stockbroker who inexplicably abandons his family and career to become a painter.
The narrative follows his ruthless pursuit of a singular artistic vision, from the garrets of Paris to the lush landscapes of Tahiti. It is a powerful examination of genius as a destructive and amoral force, posing enduring questions about the sacrifices required for great art.
This profound novel chronicles the life of a young painter torn between his prodigious artistic talent and the strictures of his Hasidic Jewish community. For Asher Lev, the drive to create is a sacred calling, yet his art often clashes with the religious traditions that define his family and his world.
Potok sensitively portrays the schism between artistic expression and communal faith, creating a powerful coming-of-age story about the immense personal cost of genius and the complex negotiation between identity, tradition, and self.
This sweeping biographical novel offers a meticulously researched portrait of Michelangelo Buonarroti, from his apprenticeship as a young sculptor to his monumental work on the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
Stone immerses the reader in the political and religious turmoil of Renaissance Italy, framing Michelangelo’s life as a relentless struggle against patrons, rivals, and the physical limitations of his materials. The novel emphasizes the sheer physicality of creation and the artist’s lifelong, agonizing obsession with achieving perfection.
In this companion to his work on Michelangelo, Stone vividly chronicles the passionate and tormented life of Vincent van Gogh. The novel connects the artist’s intense emotional suffering and psychological turmoil directly to his revolutionary use of color and texture.
From the coal mines of Belgium to the sun-scorched fields of Arles, readers witness how van Gogh’s profound sense of isolation and his desperate yearning for connection were channeled into an artistic vision that would permanently alter the course of modern art.
A brilliant comic novel told from the perspective of Gulley Jimson, an elderly, anarchic, and utterly indomitable painter. Fresh out of prison, Gulley is a scrounger, a thief, and a visionary, perpetually scheming to find canvas and paint for his next grand masterpiece, which he sees prefigured on any available wall.
Cary captures the voice of a man possessed by his art to the exclusion of all social convention, offering a hilarious and surprisingly moving portrait of the artist as a magnificent, impoverished rogue.
Set in the vibrant and volatile world of Renaissance Florence, this novel follows the young painter Luca, a protégé of Fra Filippo Lippi who possesses an almost supernatural ability to see and capture the inner life—the soul—of his subjects.
This gift brings him both acclaim and danger in a city governed by the powerful Medici family and the fiery sermons of Savonarola. Kazan’s narrative explores the intersection of art, spirituality, and politics during a period of breathtaking creative innovation and intense social conflict.
This satirical romp through London’s contemporary art world begins when a lonely chef, Annie, buys a grimy painting at a junk shop, only to discover it may be a long-lost masterpiece by Antoine Watteau.
Uniquely, a significant portion of the story is narrated by the painting itself, which offers a witty, cynical, and centuries-spanning perspective on its various owners. Rothschild skillfully skewers the greed, vanity, and absurdity of the high-stakes art market, weaving a clever mystery that interrogates ideas of provenance, desire, and value.
Controversial painter Elaine Risley returns to her childhood home of Toronto for a retrospective of her work, a visit that forces her to confront the deeply buried memories of her formative years.
The novel moves between past and present, revealing how the complex and often cruel dynamics of childhood friendships shaped her identity and became the primary subject of her art.
Atwood powerfully illustrates how personal trauma is sublimated into creative expression, showing how an artist must excavate their own history to make sense of the present.
Spanning three centuries, this novel connects the lives of a rare female painter in the Dutch Golden Age, a wealthy New York lawyer whose prized painting is a forgery, and the art historian who expertly forged it.
Smith braids these narratives into a compelling literary mystery that examines themes of authenticity, loss, and the secret histories behind great works of art. The book is a rich exploration of the painter’s craft and the delicate act of imitation, questioning what makes a work of art truly original.
This novel gives a compelling voice to Artemisia Gentileschi, a formidable female painter in Baroque Italy who defied convention to become one of the era’s most celebrated artists.
Vreeland follows Artemisia’s journey from Rome to Florence and beyond as she fights for recognition in a male-dominated world after suffering a brutal assault and enduring a public trial. The narrative powerfully links the violence and injustice she experienced to the dramatic power and female agency depicted in her famous biblical paintings.
A central novel in Zola’s Rougon-Macquart cycle, The Masterpiece is a harrowing and definitive account of the bohemian art scene in 19th-century Paris.
It chronicles the struggles of Claude Lantier, a visionary but commercially unsuccessful painter (modeled on Paul Cézanne and Zola himself) whose uncompromising ambition to create a modern masterpiece descends into madness and despair.
The novel is a stark, naturalist depiction of the Parisian art world’s rivalries and the tragic conflict between artistic ideals and the realities of life.
Set against the backdrop of Belle Époque Paris, this novel imagines the passionate and tumultuous relationship between Impressionist painters Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas.
Oliveira depicts a bond built on mutual artistic respect that is constantly tested by their temperamental differences, professional rivalries, and the restrictive social conventions of the time. The narrative offers an intimate glimpse into their creative processes and the personal vulnerabilities that fueled their groundbreaking art.
In post-World War II Paris, Max Berenzon embarks on a quest to recover the masterpieces stolen from his father’s gallery by the Nazis. As he navigates a city haunted by collaboration and loss, his search becomes an investigation into the very nature of art and ownership.
Houghteling’s narrative functions as an art-historical mystery, delving into the complex issues of provenance and restitution while poignantly exploring how art serves as a fragile container for both cultural memory and personal history.
This fictionalized account tells the remarkable story of Lili Elbe, one of the first known recipients of gender-affirming surgery. The novel begins with Danish artist Einar Wegener, who, while sitting for his wife and fellow artist Gerda, playfully puts on a dress and stockings.
This moment awakens a long-suppressed identity, leading to Einar’s transformation into Lili. The narrative sensitively explores how the act of painting and being painted becomes a catalyst for self-discovery, tracing a journey of identity, love, and immense courage.