June Book Bag: JR, Venice Biennale Oral History, and Antiquities Smuggling

Four new art books are featured in this June roundup. Taschen publishes a monograph on French street artist JR, covering his major works including the Déplacé·e·s series featuring refugee children in Turin and Lviv, and a project book on his wrapping of the Pont Neuf in Paris (6–28 June) honoring Christo and Jeanne-Claude's 1985 project. Massimiliano Gioni edits 'High Waters: An Oral History of the Venice Biennale', featuring interviews with 16 curators from 1993 to 2026, including Ralph Rugoff, Adriano Pedrosa, Francesco Bonami, Bice Curiger, and Daniel Birnbaum. Matthew Campbell's 'The Man Who Stole the Gods' investigates antiquities smuggler Douglas Latchford, who received over $12m from 2003–2020 for stolen Southeast Asian artefacts. 'How Did We Get Here: Reading Vasif Kortun' documents the Turkish curator's career, from his 1977 trip to Western Europe to his roles at Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center and as co-curator of the 9th International Istanbul Biennial and 6th Taipei Biennial.