Art Nerds
There are so many places to observe and appreciate artwork, and yet it’s such a gift to have art in your home, whether it’s an original painting, one of multiple prints, limited edition risographs, lithographs or even artful museum merchandise. Books about different genres, artists, designers, buildings, styles and photographers are another way to immerse ourselves with works of wonder—and learn about the history and politics behind art too. Our Art Nerds gift guide includes all of the above and more for those who make art or marvel at it.
Hero image courtesy of Pomegranate Press
Brian Eno’s Turntable II, 2024
Brian Eno’s Turntable II, 2024
Brian Eno has released his next generation light art turntable following the success of his first in 2021, which achieved cult status and became the muse for U2’s mind-blowing show at The Sphere. Similar in concept, Turntable II, 2024 is a fully functional, audiophile turntable featuring a Pro-Ject tonearm, Ortofon cartridge, belt-drive motor and gold plated RCA connectors. The body is made of a single resin block with a frosted cast acrylic cover, and it features a control board and Arduino chip that powers the ever-changing dopamine inducing show of colors. Handmade in the UK, it’s available in an edition of 150 pieces and 20 artist proofs.
Photos © Brian Eno courtesy Paul Stolper Gallery, photography Luke Walker, 2024
Added: March 2024
This product is sold by Paul Stolper Gallery
BIG COLOR
BIG COLOR
We love when CH readers send us their work. Artist Nate Nettleton shared his latest project, an ongoing series inspired by Pantone’s Color of the Year. Starting with the program’s launch in 2000, he’s created one work for each year, showing both the Color of the Year as well as its circular gradient opposite. Printed on 300gsm cotton rag matte paper, the works are available as single editions in 24″ x 30″ and 40″ x 50″; 16″ x 20″ prints have editions corresponding to the color’s release year—1 for the 2000 color, 25 for the 2024 color, etc.
Added: February 2024
This product is sold by Nate Nettleton Art
Twilight
Twilight
Photographer Arthur Drooker has captured our attention for years. His latest book, Twilight, features a colorful, resonant series of twilight images shot at The Sea Ranch in Northern California over a series of months. This peaceful meditation feels particularly good this year, and is a visually compelling break from the increasing complexity of the world.
Added: November 2023
This product is sold by Arthur Drooker
Custom Calligraphy Address Stamp
Custom Calligraphy Address Stamp
From Brooklyn’s Paperfinger calligraphy studio, you can select one of several hand-lettered return address styles that get turned into a rubber stamp, which you can use with any color ink to create a personal imprint for all of your correspondence (or that of your thankful friend). Orders take approximately three weeks.
Added: November 2023
This product is sold by Paperfinger
i-Type Retinex Film
i-Type Retinex Film
Polaroid’s latest special edition film, Round Frame Retinex, is a tribute to founder Edwin Land’s Retinex Theory, which explores how colors are perceived in relation to their surroundings. This film accentuates the phenomenon by framing an image with bold color and pattern to create a unique visual experience. Sold in a double pack edition, there are 10 distinct frame designs that magnify the interplay of colors, with each photograph celebrating the magic of color perception.
Sample images by Francesco Sambati, Courtesy of Polaroid
Added: October 2023
This product is sold by Polaroid
Judy Chicago: Herstory
Judy Chicago: Herstory
Edited by Massimiliano Gioni, Gary Carrion-Murayari and Margot Norton, Judy Chicago: Herstory is a comprehensive and beguiling look at the artist’s 60-year career. A significant artist in a plethora of ways, Chicago is a champion of contemporary feminist art thanks to her infinite talent and vision. Within the 296-page book, her many works—spanning installation, painting, sculpture, drawing, textiles, photography, printmaking, needlework and stained glass—are explored, from The Dinner Party to banners included in What if Women Ruled the World? Altogether it’s an significant look at an immensely important American artist.
Added: October 2023
This product is sold by PHAIDON
Jen Stark: Uno – Infinite Drip Sneakers
Jen Stark: Uno – Infinite Drip Sneakers
Jen Stark‘s colorful art looks great in many artistic mediums, and now you can wear it on your feet. The Skechers Street x Jen Stark: Uno – Infinite Drip women’s sneaker brings her well known Drip series to shoes featuring the brand’s Air-Cooled Memory Foam insole and visible airbag midsole. The Uno is available in full throttle color (shown) and black and white; a second high top style is also available.
Added: August 2023
This product is sold by Skechers
Pacita Abad Retrospective
Pacita Abad Retrospective
You may not be familiar with the work of Pacita Abad, an accomplished artist whose vibrant trapuntos (quilted paintings) were a signature of her unique style that crossed cultures and blended mediums. Nineteen years after her death she and her work are being celebrated in a thorough retrospective at the Walker Art Museum. This book includes the works in the exhibition as well as numerous new writings and essays about the artist along with additional works, many published for the first time. It’s a feast for the eyes and a fitting celebration of her incredible artistic spirit and talent, which never received the level of awareness it deserves.
Added: August 2023
This product is sold by Walker Art Center
Oyster Plate
Oyster Plate
Hand-built and painted by ceramicist Catherine Rex, the artist and creative behind Rex Design, this Oyster Plate exudes color and charm, courtesy of its ruffled edging and the rich details that make up each of its wells. The plate can hold eight oysters with a divot at the center for garnishes—though it can also be used as a platter for any dips, chips and spreads.
Added: June 2023
This product is sold by Rex Design
Katherine Bernhardt Evolution Tote
Katherine Bernhardt Evolution Tote
Platform’s newest limited edition artist collaboration, the Evolution Tote by Katherine Bernhardt, is now available for presale. Limited to 125 pieces, the tote’s panels feature four recent colorful works from the artist’s solo show at David Zwirner gallery in Hong Kong: “Poncho Pikachu” (2021), “Gengar and Mimikyu Tag Team GX Poltergeist Horror House” (2021), “Vmax Charizard 330” (2021) and “Ditto VMax Ju Ju” (2021). As a bonus, five presale customers, chosen at random, will receive a set of signed Pokémon-inspired cards created by the artist. The sale goes live on 22 June.
Added: June 2023
This product is sold by PLATFORM
Blue 600 Film: Reclaimed Edition
Blue 600 Film: Reclaimed Edition
Blue 600 Film—which yields photographs in a range of blue hues—is the accidental consequence of an experiment at Polaroid’s last ever factory in Enschede, Netherlands. Unlike monochrome or duochrome film, it doesn’t use dye but relies on an unexpected chemical reaction. With a desire to use out-of-spec materials, Polaroid chemist Brian Slaghuis worked with a chemical called TBHQ (Tertiary Butylhydroquinone) and Blue 600 was born. The film delivers varying intensities, creating moody, cinematic images.
Added: April 2023
This product is sold by Polaroid
Oliver Jeffers Irish Seder Plate
Oliver Jeffers Irish Seder Plate
From Brooklyn-based Hayom, an organization blending the values of contemporary art and Judaica, comes a limited edition seder plate designed by acclaimed Irish artist and illustrator Oliver Jeffers. A seder plate is central to the feast at the start of the Passover, a celebration of freedom, family and shared stories. For Hayom’s version, Jeffers looked to an old Irish joke (“Are you a Catholic Jew or a Protestant Jew?”) for inspiration and his art depicts the special foods of Passover substituted with Irish equivalents. Each porcelain plate has been produced in the UK.
Added: March 2023
This product is sold by Hayom
Rose Wylie Hooded Sweatshirt
Rose Wylie Hooded Sweatshirt
Limited to 150 pieces, this collaborative hoodie is adorned with a screenprint of beloved British painter Rose Wylie’s “Black Cat (Bones) (Study)” artwork on the back and her signature along the left sleeve. From the exclusive online art market Platform, known as a trove for captivating works from emerging artists at independent galleries, the comfortable garment is made in the USA and screenprinted in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
Added: March 2023
This product is sold by Platform
The Gourmand’s Egg. a Collection of Stories & Recipes
The Gourmand’s Egg. a Collection of Stories & Recipes
Celebrating the link between the culinary and the cultural, The Gourmand’s Egg. a collection of Stories & Recipes explores the social significance of eggs. From appearing in Egyptian mythology to becoming an icon of religious purity in Piero della Francesca’s Brera Madonna, its symbolism in feminist art and more, the egg is omnipresent. Weaving together art history, photography, recipes and essays, this first volume of TASCHEN’s collaboration with award-winning journal The Gourmand is equal parts delectable and fascinating.
Added: March 2023
This product is sold by TASCHEN
“1” Print
“1” Print
Originally an airbrushed painting, this risograph print from skateboarder, activist and artist Jeffrey Cheung is a touching depiction of three nude figures embracing. Printed by Cheung himself, the limited edition artwork (which measures 10.35 by 12.75 inches) celebrates queer identities playfully and tenderly.
Added: March 2023
This product is sold by Jeffrey Cheung
Tiles Gift Wrap
Tiles Gift Wrap
From home goods store Golden Rule comes Tiles Gift Wrap, wrapping paper featuring artist Isabelle Feliu’s hand-painted repeat pattern. Subtly hued, the paper measures around 19 by 28 inches and is crafted from FSC-certified stock with vegetable-based ink.
Added: March 2023
This product is sold by Golden Rule
Eight-Color Crayon
Eight-Color Crayon
Designed and manufactured in Japan by stationery brand Hightide (founded in Fukuoka in 1994), this non-toxic wax crayon includes eight colors in one instrument. Choose from pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, black or purple and let the creativity flow.
Added: February 2023
This product is sold by Hightide
Lil’ Paint Brush Set
Lil’ Paint Brush Set
From women-owned, San Diego-based arts and crafts brand Ooly comes the Lil’ Paint Brush set, intended for kids aged three and over. The set of seven colorful brushes includes different sizes of various types—flat, filbert, round and angled—which will spark creativity in little ones.
Added: February 2023
This product is sold by Ooly
A GIFT
A GIFT
Bringing together artwork and words from children around the world, A GIFT is a heartwarming, humorous and at points heartbreaking book. Included are paintings from South Africa’s Cyrene Mission, art collected in the 1930s from New York’s Children’s Museum of the Arts and more, altogether creating a compendium that serves as a reminder of the wondrous perspective unique to children. Price is in Pounds.
Added: February 2023
This product is sold by The Redstone Press
Heart Cards
Heart Cards
Visual artist Ifeoma Orjiekwe’s heart-shaped faces adorn the exterior of these greeting cards from Heart n Soul, a visual arts company and non-profit that employs individuals with learning disabilities. Available in sets of two (in red or blue and orange), each card has a blank interior and comes with an envelope. Price is in Pounds.
Added: February 2023
This product is sold by Heart N Soul
“How Can We Lose When We’re So Sincere?” Print
“How Can We Lose When We’re So Sincere?” Print
LA-based artist Rosson Crow’s vibrant “How Can We Lose When We’re So Sincere?” screen print was made using a six-color process serigraph on Cougar White Super Smooth paper. It overflows with iconography, florals, fruit and swathes of colors, a lush foreground that complements and contradicts the work’s mournful titular question. Available in an edition of 50, each piece is signed by the artist.
Added: February 2023
This product is sold by Rosson Crow
“Bad Hands” Print (Night Pink)
“Bad Hands” Print (Night Pink)
LA-based artist Rob Sato’s Bad Hands series is composed of hand-printed lithographs in various colorways. Essentially a chart of hand and finger configurations (some of which are impossible), the print is on Cougar cover stock paper and is available in an edition of 60.
Added: January 2023
This product is sold by Rob Sato
Dream AI Art App
Dream AI Art App
Created by Canadian artificial intelligence company WOMBO, Dream is an AI-powered app that converts text to painted art when given a prompt and preferred style. Available on iOS with a monthly subscription starting at $5, the intuitive algorithm explores AI’s ability to bring words to life.
Added: January 2023
This product is sold by WOMBO
No Trespassing Calendar
No Trespassing Calendar
Featuring work by acclaimed 12 artists, the “No Trespassing” calendar aims to raise money for Planned Parenthood of Greater New York. Printed in an edition of 500, the spiral-bound calendar includes pieces by Faith Ringgold, Marilyn Minter, Louise Bourgeois, Jenny Holzer, LaKela Brown, Fumiko Imano, Maggie Lee, Catherine Opie, Farah Al Qasimi, Janiva Ellis, Ana Mendieta and Lauren Greenfield. All profits will be donated.
Added: January 2023
This product is sold by HOMME Girls
The Practice of Art and AI
The Practice of Art and AI
In partnership with Ars Electronica, the European ARTificial Intelligence Lab plumbs the relationship between art and science in The Practice of Art and AI. The book explores the rapid development of AI art and revisits the exhibitions and projects since the lab’s opening, with new insight, interviews and supplementary material. It makes for a thought-provoking meditation on art and technology.
Added: December 2022
This product is sold by Hatje Cantz