Five Art-Historical Novels Reviewed: From Velázquez to Kahlo

The Art Newspaper's books editor reviews five recent art-historical fiction titles. Carolyn O’Brien's 'Rose & Renzo' (Northodox Press, £9.99 pb, 14 May) follows a young art student in Manchester befriended by a mysterious Italian artist as fascism rises in Europe. Kerry Chaput's 'The Secret Courtesan' (She Writes Press, £16.99 pb, 10 February) involves an art historian racing against a crime family to uncover the creator of a late-Renaissance erotic statue in Venice. Matthew Plampin's 'These Wicked Devices' (the Borough Press, £9.99 pb, 7 May) is set during the Holy Jubilee 1650, where Diego Velázquez's assistant gets entangled in a Vatican power struggle. Lucy Waverley's 'Noble Beasts' (Black and White, £16.99 hb, 21 May) portrays Edwin Landseer creating lions for Trafalgar Square in 1858 while grappling with pressure and memories of a grand passion. Claire Berest's 'Frida' (Mountain Leopard Press, £20/£12.99 hb/pb, 23 April/24 September) translates 'Rien n’est noir' (2020) by the great-granddaughter of critic Gabrièle Buffet-Picabia, covering Frida Kahlo's meeting with Diego Rivera.