Craig Farmer
141 Contemporary Novels with Art Historical Content
Bold = Favorites
Updated 3/31/24
Julian Barnes’ A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters
Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with the Pearl Earring
--------------------- The Lady and the Unicorn
Susan Vreeland’s s Girl in Hyacinth Blue
Kathyrn Davis’ Versailles
Sarah Dunant’s The Birth of Venus
Richard Flanagan’s Gould’s Book of Fish
Michael Frayne’s Headlong
Michael Kernan’s The Lost Diaries of Frans Hals: A Novel
Alexandra Lapierre’s Artemisia
Orhan Pamuk’s My Name is Red
John Updike’s Seek My Face
Kurt Vonnegut’s Bluebeard
Peter Carey’s Theft: A Love Story
Olga Grushin’s The Dream Life of Sukhanov
Allan Gurganus’s The Practical Heart
Dana Horn’s The World To Come and In the Image
Kate Christensen’s The Great Man
Nell Freudenberger’s The Dissident
Marianne Wiggin’s the Shadow Catcher
Geraldine Brooks’ People of the Book
Eva Figes’ light with Monet at Giverny: a novel
Pat Barker’s Life Class
Allan Gurganus’ novella The Practical Heart
Debra Dean’s The Madonnas of Leningrad
Vanora Bennet’s Portrait of an Unknown Woman: A Novel
Sarah Houghteling’s Pictures At An Exhibition
Samantha Peale’s The American Painter Emma Dial: A Novel
Emily Mitchell’s the Last Summer of the World
Deborah Weisgall’s The World Before Her
Sarah Hall’s How To Paint a Dead Man
Cesar Aira’s An Episode In The Life Of A Landscape Painter
Simon Mawer’s the Glass Room
Sabiha Al Khemir’s The Blue Manuscript
Brad Leithauser’s The Art Student’s War
Joyce Hinnefeld’s In Hovering Flight
Sabina Murray’s Forgery
Rene Steinke’s Holy Skirts
Stacey D’Erasmo’s The Sky Below
Julie Orringer’s The Invisible Bridge
Peter Bognanni’s The House of Tomorrow
Tejul Cole’s Open City
Stephanie Cowell’s Claude & Camille: A Novel of Monet
Steve Martin’s An Object of Beauty
Olaf Olafsson’s Restoration
Susana Fortes’ Waiting for Robert Capa
Susan Vreeland’s Clara and Mr. Tiffany
Kevin Wilson’s The Family Fang
David Rocklin’s The Luminist
James McKean’s Quattrocento
Christopher Moore’s Sacre Blue
Tan Twan Eng’s The Garden of Evening Mists
Banana Yoshimoto’s the lake
Don Lee’s The Collective
Whitney Otto’s Eight Girls Taking Pictures
B.A. Shapiro’s The Art Forger
Thomas Van Essen’s The Center of The World
Sena Jeter Naslund’s The Fountain of St. James Court…
Marisa Silver’s Mary Coin
Rachel Kushner’s The Flame Throwers
Cathy Marie Buchman’s The Painted Girls
Nina Siegal’s The Anatomy Lesson
Chloe Aridjis’ Asunder
Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch
Elif Shafak’s The Architect’s Apprentice
Anita Amirrezvani’s The Blood of Flowers
Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist
Ali Smith’s How To Be Both
Esther Freud’s Mr. Mac And Me
Alix Christie’s Gutenberg’s Apprentice
B. A. Shapiro’s The Muralist
Philip Kazan’s The Painter of Souls
Christopher Buckley’s The Relic Master
Hannah Rothschild’s The Improbability of Love
Dominic Smith’s The Last Painting Of Sara De Vos
Dana Spiota’s Innocents And Others
Molly Prentiss’ Tuesday Nights In 1980
Jessie Burton’s The Muse
Alvaro Enrique’s Sudden Death
Anna North’s The Life and Death Of Sophie Stark
Kayla Rae Whitacker’s The Animators
Stefan Hertmans’ War & Turpentine
Eugene Lim’s Dear Cyborgs
Craig Cliff’s The Mannequin Makers
Emily Bitto’s The Strays
Charif Majdalani’s Moving The Palace
Ellen Umansky’s The Fortunate Ones
Martin Seay’s The Mirror Thief
Christina Baker Kline’s a piece of the world
Kunal Basu’s the miniaturist
Salley Vickers’ The Cleaner of Chartres
Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Katherine Vaz’s The Love Life of an Assistant Animator & Other Stories
Carol Rifka Brunt’s Tell The Wolves I’m Home
Sara Baume’s A Line Made By Walking
Nadeem Aslam’s The Golden Legend
Rowan Hisayo Buchanan’s Harmless Like You
Maria Gainza’s Optic Nerve
Mark Sarvas’ Memento Park
B. A. Shapiro’s The Collector’s Apprentice
Tracy Chevalier’s A Single Thread
Mathias Enard's Tell Them of Battles, Kings, and Elephants
Amy Meyerson’s the imperfects
Chris F. Westbury’s The Bride Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors, Even
Donna Digiuseppe’s Lady in Ermine
Anne Lewinson’s Still Life with Meredith
Sophie Hardach’s Confession with Blue Horses
Amina Cain’s Indelicacy
Ben Hopkins’ Cathedral
Sarah Winman’s Still Life
Jasmin Darznik’s The Bohemians
Carrie Callaghan’s A Light of Her Own
Maria Gainza’s Portrait of an Unknown Lady
Mark Haber’s Saint Sebastian’s Abyss
Edgardo Franzosini’s The Animal Gazer
Geraldine Brooks’ Horse
Robert Wexler’s The Painting and the City
Anthony Marra’s Mercury Pictures Presents
Jessie Burton’s The House of Fortune
Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (Video Games)
Brendan Slocumb’s The Violin Conspiracy (Stradivari history)
Simone Van Der Vlugt’s Midnight Blue
Alex Segura’s Secret Identity
Scotto Moore’s Battle of the Linguist Mages (Video Games)
Elizabeth Macneal’s The Doll Factory
Sarah Sheridan’s The Fair Botanists
Tania James’ Loot
Fiona Davis’ The Magnolia Palace
June Gervais’ Jobs For Girls With Artistic Flair
Aimee Pokwatka’s Self-Portrait With Nothing
Mat Osman’s The Ghost Theatre (Elizabethan theater)
Rasha Adly’s The Girl with Braided Hair
Lisa Barr’s Woman On Fire
J. Vanessa Lyon’s Lush Lives
Idra Novey’s Take What You Need
Peng Shepherd’s The Cartographers
Susanne Dunlap’s The Portraitist
Derek B. Miller’s The Curse of Pietro Houdini
Guinevere Glasfurd’s The Words in My Hand (Dutch 17th Century social history)
Angela O’Keefe’s The Sitter
Alyson Richman, et al. The Friday Night Club (Hilma af Klint)
Top Ten:
1. Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with the Pearl Earring
2. Orphan Pamuk’s My Name is Red
3. Emily Mitchell’s the Last Summer of the World
4. Susana Fortes’ Waiting for Robert Capa
5. Tejul Cole’s Open City
6. Elif Shafak’s The Architect’s Apprentice
7. Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch
8. Nina Siegal’s The Anatomy Lesson
9. Tania James’ Loot
10. Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
141 Contemporary Novels with Art Historical Content
Bold = Favorites
Updated 3/31/24
Julian Barnes’ A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters
Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with the Pearl Earring
--------------------- The Lady and the Unicorn
Susan Vreeland’s s Girl in Hyacinth Blue
Kathyrn Davis’ Versailles
Sarah Dunant’s The Birth of Venus
Richard Flanagan’s Gould’s Book of Fish
Michael Frayne’s Headlong
Michael Kernan’s The Lost Diaries of Frans Hals: A Novel
Alexandra Lapierre’s Artemisia
Orhan Pamuk’s My Name is Red
John Updike’s Seek My Face
Kurt Vonnegut’s Bluebeard
Peter Carey’s Theft: A Love Story
Olga Grushin’s The Dream Life of Sukhanov
Allan Gurganus’s The Practical Heart
Dana Horn’s The World To Come and In the Image
Kate Christensen’s The Great Man
Nell Freudenberger’s The Dissident
Marianne Wiggin’s the Shadow Catcher
Geraldine Brooks’ People of the Book
Eva Figes’ light with Monet at Giverny: a novel
Pat Barker’s Life Class
Allan Gurganus’ novella The Practical Heart
Debra Dean’s The Madonnas of Leningrad
Vanora Bennet’s Portrait of an Unknown Woman: A Novel
Sarah Houghteling’s Pictures At An Exhibition
Samantha Peale’s The American Painter Emma Dial: A Novel
Emily Mitchell’s the Last Summer of the World
Deborah Weisgall’s The World Before Her
Sarah Hall’s How To Paint a Dead Man
Cesar Aira’s An Episode In The Life Of A Landscape Painter
Simon Mawer’s the Glass Room
Sabiha Al Khemir’s The Blue Manuscript
Brad Leithauser’s The Art Student’s War
Joyce Hinnefeld’s In Hovering Flight
Sabina Murray’s Forgery
Rene Steinke’s Holy Skirts
Stacey D’Erasmo’s The Sky Below
Julie Orringer’s The Invisible Bridge
Peter Bognanni’s The House of Tomorrow
Tejul Cole’s Open City
Stephanie Cowell’s Claude & Camille: A Novel of Monet
Steve Martin’s An Object of Beauty
Olaf Olafsson’s Restoration
Susana Fortes’ Waiting for Robert Capa
Susan Vreeland’s Clara and Mr. Tiffany
Kevin Wilson’s The Family Fang
David Rocklin’s The Luminist
James McKean’s Quattrocento
Christopher Moore’s Sacre Blue
Tan Twan Eng’s The Garden of Evening Mists
Banana Yoshimoto’s the lake
Don Lee’s The Collective
Whitney Otto’s Eight Girls Taking Pictures
B.A. Shapiro’s The Art Forger
Thomas Van Essen’s The Center of The World
Sena Jeter Naslund’s The Fountain of St. James Court…
Marisa Silver’s Mary Coin
Rachel Kushner’s The Flame Throwers
Cathy Marie Buchman’s The Painted Girls
Nina Siegal’s The Anatomy Lesson
Chloe Aridjis’ Asunder
Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch
Elif Shafak’s The Architect’s Apprentice
Anita Amirrezvani’s The Blood of Flowers
Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist
Ali Smith’s How To Be Both
Esther Freud’s Mr. Mac And Me
Alix Christie’s Gutenberg’s Apprentice
B. A. Shapiro’s The Muralist
Philip Kazan’s The Painter of Souls
Christopher Buckley’s The Relic Master
Hannah Rothschild’s The Improbability of Love
Dominic Smith’s The Last Painting Of Sara De Vos
Dana Spiota’s Innocents And Others
Molly Prentiss’ Tuesday Nights In 1980
Jessie Burton’s The Muse
Alvaro Enrique’s Sudden Death
Anna North’s The Life and Death Of Sophie Stark
Kayla Rae Whitacker’s The Animators
Stefan Hertmans’ War & Turpentine
Eugene Lim’s Dear Cyborgs
Craig Cliff’s The Mannequin Makers
Emily Bitto’s The Strays
Charif Majdalani’s Moving The Palace
Ellen Umansky’s The Fortunate Ones
Martin Seay’s The Mirror Thief
Christina Baker Kline’s a piece of the world
Kunal Basu’s the miniaturist
Salley Vickers’ The Cleaner of Chartres
Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Katherine Vaz’s The Love Life of an Assistant Animator & Other Stories
Carol Rifka Brunt’s Tell The Wolves I’m Home
Sara Baume’s A Line Made By Walking
Nadeem Aslam’s The Golden Legend
Rowan Hisayo Buchanan’s Harmless Like You
Maria Gainza’s Optic Nerve
Mark Sarvas’ Memento Park
B. A. Shapiro’s The Collector’s Apprentice
Tracy Chevalier’s A Single Thread
Mathias Enard's Tell Them of Battles, Kings, and Elephants
Amy Meyerson’s the imperfects
Chris F. Westbury’s The Bride Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors, Even
Donna Digiuseppe’s Lady in Ermine
Anne Lewinson’s Still Life with Meredith
Sophie Hardach’s Confession with Blue Horses
Amina Cain’s Indelicacy
Ben Hopkins’ Cathedral
Sarah Winman’s Still Life
Jasmin Darznik’s The Bohemians
Carrie Callaghan’s A Light of Her Own
Maria Gainza’s Portrait of an Unknown Lady
Mark Haber’s Saint Sebastian’s Abyss
Edgardo Franzosini’s The Animal Gazer
Geraldine Brooks’ Horse
Robert Wexler’s The Painting and the City
Anthony Marra’s Mercury Pictures Presents
Jessie Burton’s The House of Fortune
Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (Video Games)
Brendan Slocumb’s The Violin Conspiracy (Stradivari history)
Simone Van Der Vlugt’s Midnight Blue
Alex Segura’s Secret Identity
Scotto Moore’s Battle of the Linguist Mages (Video Games)
Elizabeth Macneal’s The Doll Factory
Sarah Sheridan’s The Fair Botanists
Tania James’ Loot
Fiona Davis’ The Magnolia Palace
June Gervais’ Jobs For Girls With Artistic Flair
Aimee Pokwatka’s Self-Portrait With Nothing
Mat Osman’s The Ghost Theatre (Elizabethan theater)
Rasha Adly’s The Girl with Braided Hair
Lisa Barr’s Woman On Fire
J. Vanessa Lyon’s Lush Lives
Idra Novey’s Take What You Need
Peng Shepherd’s The Cartographers
Susanne Dunlap’s The Portraitist
Derek B. Miller’s The Curse of Pietro Houdini
Guinevere Glasfurd’s The Words in My Hand (Dutch 17th Century social history)
Angela O’Keefe’s The Sitter
Alyson Richman, et al. The Friday Night Club (Hilma af Klint)
Top Ten:
1. Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with the Pearl Earring
2. Orphan Pamuk’s My Name is Red
3. Emily Mitchell’s the Last Summer of the World
4. Susana Fortes’ Waiting for Robert Capa
5. Tejul Cole’s Open City
6. Elif Shafak’s The Architect’s Apprentice
7. Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch
8. Nina Siegal’s The Anatomy Lesson
9. Tania James’ Loot
10. Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow