Novels About Art
There is something about reading novels about art that is so intriguing. It’s almost like art within art. The art world is almost like an entirely separate universe. In the last few years, I have read some unforgettable books. This is a list of my favorites.
If you are looking for books about artists, I have that list as well. I hope you love this post as much as I loved making it.
The Best Novels About Art
Each colorful block below represents the best book in a subgenre. Click on the arrow to reveal my “best” pick in any category. You’ll also be able to use a page jump to see more books in that section.
The Best Historical Fiction Novel About Art
Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr- Jump to Section
The Best Contemporary Fiction Novel About Art
Mona’s Eyes by Thomas Thomas Schlesser – Jump to Section
The Best Thriller About Art
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown – Jump to Section
The Best Magical Realism Novel About Art
The Art of Vanishing by Morgan Pager- Jump to Section
*Post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through links result in a small commission to us at no cost to you. Some books have been gifted. All opinions are our own.
Historical Fiction Novels About Art
Woman on Fire
Author: Lisa Barr
Year: 2022
Genre: Historical Fiction
More info:
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Buckle up for a stunning story in Lisa Barr’s newest book, Woman on Fire. Jules, an ambitious investigative journalist, is working on a story about a piece of art that was stolen by the Nazis during WWII.
But she’s not the only one looking to track down Woman on Fire. Margaux, a gallerist and art thief, also wants to get her hands on the painting.
As we learn the origins of the painting and the many hands it switched to over the years, we also discover the dark underbelly of the art world.
Trigger Warnings
Antisemitism, Murder
Why Kirsten loves it
I was ENTHRALLED with this novel about art. I’ll be putting this pick from mystery books on every must-read list we do this year. It was thrilling and informative. Buy it now, and thank me later.
Find this book in: Books About Art and Artists / Books by Jewish Writers / Best Books of 2022 / Beach Reads 2022
The Marriage Portrait
Author: Maggie O’Farrell
Year: 2022
Genre: Historical Fiction
More info: December 2022 Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
I found the story, which also revolves around the painting of the titular marriage portrait, to be fast-moving and fascinating. It’s one of those historical fiction books that had me googling what was real and what truths were bent.
Why Kirsten loves it
I found the story, which also revolves around the painting of the titular marriage portrait, to be fast-moving and fascinating. It’s one of those historical fiction books that had me googling what was real and what truths were bent.
Find this book in: Biographical Fiction Novels / Novels About Art / Books Set in Italy / Reese Witherspoon Book Club List 2022 / Books Set in the Italian Renaissance
The Doll Factory
Author: Elizabeth Macneal
Year: 2019
Genre: Thriller
More info: #1 International bestseller and The New York Times Editor’s Choice
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 18+
Plot
This historical fiction novel about art is part mystery, part love story, and part thriller. MacNeal’s debut takes place in Victorian England during the time of the Great Exhibition.
Iris dreams of learning to paint like a true artist, while she toils away with her twin sister in a doll shop. Silas is a curiosity collector who can’t seem to get Iris out of his head after their chance meeting, and Albie is the rag-a-muffin street urchin I wanted to take home.
Why Kirsten loves it
Their stories weave together in a slow burn until the blood-pumping, heart-racing conclusion.
Find this book in: Best Books of 2019 / Best Books with Stalkers / Books Becoming Movies or TV Series in 2024 / Novels About Art / Historical Thrillers
The Magnolia Palace
Author: Fiona Davis
Year: 2022
Genre: Historical Fiction
More info: Instant New York Times Bestseller
Age Range: 16+
Plot
The story of Helen Frick and her assistant at a formative time in Helen’s life that coincides with Magnolia Diamond’s disappearance is riveting. As is the later timeline, told 50 years later, when a model and a Frick Museum intern are locked in the mansion overnight and on the hunt for the missing diamond.
Why Kirsten loves it
I’ve been big on Gilded Age books recently, so I knew I would love reading about the Frick family and their gorgeous mansion built in that time frame. I couldn’t put this jewelry novel down. It might be my first Fiona Davis, but it won’t be my last!
Find this book in: Dazzling Jewelry Novels / Books With Flowers in the Title / Books Set in Museums / Beach Reads 2022 / Novels About Art
The English Masterpiece
Author: Katherine Reay
Year: 2025
Genre: Historical Fiction
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 14+
Plot
Lily, an assistant at the Tate, is helping her boss, Diana, plan a major Picasso exhibit. The exhibit features Picasso’s iconic works as well as a newly discovered painting. When Lily publicly claims one of the paintings is a forgery, her accusation throws the art world into chaos and puts her career and her mentor’s reputation at risk. With time running out, Lily must follow the clues and prove that she was right before she loses everything.
Why Kirsten likes it
This had all the pieces I’m looking for in a historical mystery: artwork, a protagonist on the run, a dual narrative, and a fun setting (1970s at the Tate Museum), but Lily drove me batty. Her constantly losing attention to her surroundings came off as grating rather than charming, and her woe-is-me attitude was even remarked upon by her family members. If she had been a stronger character, I would have rated this one higher, but in the end, this was more like not a love.
Find this book in: Novels About Art / Books Set in Museums
The Botticelli Secret
Author: Marina Fiorato
Year: 2010
Genre: Historical Fiction
Spice Rating:💋💋
Age Range: 18+
Plot
This gritty story is about a prostitute during the Italian Renaissance who needs to flee for her life after learning a secret while sitting for famed artist Botticelli. She turns to a novice, Brother Guido, for help after her friends start dying.
Trigger Warnings
Sexual Content, Violence
Why Kirsten loves it
It’s sort of like a Da Vinci code set in the 15th century and it all revolves around Botticelli’s Primavera painting. It’s a fun, quick read and one of the first books set in Italy that I ever read.
Find this book in: Novels About Art / Books Set in the Italian Renaissance / Royal Mysteries and Thrillers
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Author: Oscar Wilde
Year: 1891, 2021
Genre:
More info:
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range:
Plot
Dorian lives a hedonistic lifestyle and believes in beauty above all else. He stays the same externally while his portrait ages and portrays the ugliness within.
Why Kirsten loves it
I cannot think of a more iconic pick for novels about art than this iconic work by Oscar Wilde. It caused a huge uproar when it was published. This book is the OG statement of appearances versus reality. Maybe it should be required reading in high school.
Find this book in: Novels About Art
Contemporary Fiction Novels About Art
Mona’s Eyes
Author: Thomas Schlesser
Translator: Hildegarde Serle
Year: English in 2025
Genre: Literary Fiction
More info: International Bestseller
Age Range: 14+
Plot
When ten-year-old Mona has an unexpected episode of blindness, the doctors are afraid that she may be losing her sight permanently. Mona’s grandfather, Henry, is afraid that Mona will have a life of darkness, so he decides to fill her life with beauty.
Over the next year, rather then take her to a therapist, Henry takes Mona to see a different masterpiece in one of Paris’s museums every Wednesday afternoon. This novel takes you on a journey through 52 pieces of art from the Louvre to the Beaubourg and Musee d’Orsay.
Through the art, Henry teaches Mona about love and loss.
Why Jackie loves it
The descriptions in this book are unlike anything I have ever read. I felt like I had a class on art history with a wonderful and insightful teacher. This is a debut novel that is masterful. The relationship between Mona and her grandfather is so special. I listened to this book, but the foldout dust jacket of the physical book has all 52 pieces of art. #gifted by PRH Audio
Find this book in: Books in Translation / Books Set in Museums/ Novels About Art
The Parisian Heist
Author: Jo Piazza
Year: 2026
Genre: Fiction
More info: Bestselling Author
Spice Rating:💋💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Emma is a scrappy young artist making her way in Paris, working as a maid to help pay for art school. She lives with two other female artists, each talented in their own right and each working to support their artistic pursuits. When Emma’s client, Stella Swanson, the recent widow of a famed art dealer, asks her for help in taking control of the art empire she helped to build, Emma is torn between helping Stella and falling for her charming step-grandson, whose father is working to cut Stella out of her inheritance.
Stella will do whatever it takes to unveil some of her deceased husband’s family secrets, and she’s trying to bring Emma and her friends along on her not-so-legal path to taking them down. While Emma is working out what to do in the present day, her story is cut between that of Jo van Gogh as she works to fulfill her late husband, Theo’s, dream of making his brother Vincent a famed artist.
Jo was a real-life unsung hero in the creation of Vincent as a god-like figure in the world of art, and her struggles, narrated by her fictitious nanny/assistant, intertwine with Emma’s present-day story in the most rewarding way.
Why Kirsten loves it
This propulsive novel had me flipping through the pages. I adore biographical fiction and art heist novels, and this was the perfect combination of both, with a major dose of feminism thrown in. I was enthralled by Jo’s tenacity as she became the driving force behind making Vincent van Gogh a household name, but even more, I was ensnared by the modern plotline of Emma and Stella reclaiming their power.
If you are looking for an escapist read that will also inspire you to fight the patriarchy, this should be an immediate purchase! You learn a lot, you’ll have fun while reading, and you’ll come away with renewed energy as you realize the power of women working together.
Find this book in: Books Set in Paris / Books Set in Museums / Best Beach Reads 2026
Plot
A group of teenagers spends their summer on an abandoned pier where they take solace in their friendship, as they dream of leaving their small town and difficult childhoods. From that friendship comes one of the most famous paintings in the world which, years later, is given to 18-year-old Louisa, an aspiring artist.
After receiving the unexpected item, and struggling with her own feelings of abandonment and homelessness, she embarks on a cross-country journey to find the story behind the painting. What follows is a deep, touching story, of teens forced to grow up too soon, found family, and finding the light in the darkest of times… told as only Backman can write it.
Trigger Warnings
Domestic Violence
Why Kirsten loves it
It took me ages to read this book because of the incredible ruminations on life, love, death, and friendship peppered throughout this treasure of a novel. Numerous times, I would read a sentence, pause, read it again, and then marinate on the token of wisdom that felt like a gift from Backman.
This is not a story to be rushed, but one to be savored. Resoundingly one of my favorites of the year, it’s Backman at his best. #gifted by Simon and Schuster
Find this book in: Books About Art / Friendship Books / Best Fiction Books of 2025 / Giftable Books / Books Like A Man Called Ove
Road Trip
Author: Mary Kay Andrews
Year: 2026
Genre: Fiction
More info: New York Times Bestselling Author
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 14+
Plot
When their mother dies, Maeve and Therese are left with barely anything aside from a work of art passed down from their grandmother, a former servant from an estate in Ireland. When it turns out that art might be worth millions, the nothing alike sisters head off on an Irish adventure to determine if the painting they have is rightfully theirs.
Why Kirsten loves it
This fun story was about sisters, finding yourself, and art all in one. It was a delightful romp through the Irish countryside as only Mary Kay Andrews could write! While not technically a road trip, the sisters certainly go on an entertaining adventure. Gifted by MacMillan Audio.
Find this book in: Novels About Art
Thrillers and Mystery Novels About Art
The Da Vinci Code
Author: Dan Brown
Year: 2003
Genre: Thriller
More info: Robert Langdon Series #2
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
This is one of the first books about secret societies that I ever read. Dan Brown found a way to incorporate symbolism and brilliant riddles into this modern-day mystery.Â
While visiting Paris, Robert Langdon receives a phone call that the curator of the Louvre is dead. The body is covered in strange symbols that lead them on a search for the killer and for answers. This is one of the best murder mystery books I have ever read.
Why Jackie loves it
The plot does not slow for a minute from the first page to the last. It is the second in the Robert Langdon series and but it’s favorite. I love the mystery, the suspense, and the non-stop action in this amazing novel!
Find this book in: Novels About Art / Books About Puzzles / Best Mystery Books of All Time
Plot
Five college students are hired by a Beijing art company to steal back relics stolen from the Old Summer Palace by colonists and now on display in famous museums the world over.
Each person brings their talents (getaway driver, hacker, art historian, etc.) and their dreams of what the life-changing sum they’ve been offered can mean for themselves and their immigrant families.
Trigger Warnings
Racism
Why Kirsten loves it
Billed as Ocean’s 11 meets The Farewell, I found myself most closely comparing it to The Italian Job and I LOVED IT. While it might sound frivolous, it’s actually a novel about art with a more emotional vein running beneath. One of longing to fit in, the struggle of straddling two worlds, and the quest for individual and collective identity as Chinese-Americans.
Find this book in: Books About Con Artists / Novels About Art / Books Set in Museums
Magical Realism Books About Art
Art of Vanishing
Author: Morgan Pager
Year: 2025
Genre: Magical Realism
Spice Rating:💋💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Claire is a museum employee who works the night shift. She loves the paintings and feels a deep connection to them, especially one painted by Henri Matisse that depicts his family. Jean Matisse is front and center of the painting, reading a book but actually watching clare from inside his frame.
When Claire discovers that she can step into the painting and travel between the paintings in the museum, her entire world changes. Soon, she spends her days waiting for her shift to come so she can jump into his world. Jean and Claire fall in love and must find a way to defy reality and find happiness.
Trigger Warnings
pandemic
Why Jackie loves it
There are so many things that I love about this delightful novel. The story is told from the point of view of both Claire and Jean and I love getting their perspectives. I also love that this book takes place in the Barnes. It is not explicitly stated, however, as a local to the town where the original Barnes was located, it was interesting to hear about it from the paintings’ points of view. This book is so original. I listened to and read the book and couldn’t get enough. Thank you, PRH and PRH Audio, for my copies of this book.
Find this book in: Novels About Art / Magical Realism Books /Best Beach Reads 2025 / Books Set in Museums
Plot
Dani Poissant is the daughter of the world’s most famous art thief, who happens to be in jail because Dani turned her in. Now, ten years later, she is approached for a once-in-a-lifetime heist that can make up for her past mistakes and reunite her with her mother’s old gang, which includes the love of her life and her former best friend. Can she pull off the heist? Oh, did I mention that the secret to their success is magic?
Why Kirsten likes it
The magical realism of this story sets it apart from other art heist novels, but the magical mechanisms should have been more thoroughly explored in the story. The more interesting part was Dani’s journey of self-discovery and her realizations about her relationship with her mother.
Find this book in: Books About Thieves / Novels About Art
Expert Tip
If you are looking to find a book you will love, these are my tips:
- Have a look at the book description. Jackie and I read all of these books.
- Take a look at who read the book. Are you a Kirsten or a Jackie?
- Have a look at the trigger warnings and also what other lists we have each book on.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a novel about art?
In each of these books, art is a central theme of the book. These are fiction books centered around the art world. There are historical fiction, contemporary fiction, mysteries and thrillers, and magical realism novels on this list.
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Epilogue
Which novels about art are your favorite?
