Summer Reading: Art Books from Grand Tour to Carlo Scarpa's Japan

Artribune presents a curated selection of summer reading that explores mythical pasts and exotic worlds. The list includes 'Grand Tour d'Europa' (Franco Maria Ricci editore, 2023, €90), a guide retracing the 17th- to 19th-century Grand Tour with texts by Nicholas Foulkes, Fernando Mazzocca, and Attilio Brilli. Mauro Pierconti's 'Carlo Scarpa e il Giappone' (Electa, 2023, €28) examines Scarpa's 1969 journey to Japan and its influence on his Brion tomb. Francesca Ghedini's 'Maledette' (Marsilio, 2023, €16) deconstructs myths of Circe, Pasifae, Arianna, Fedra, and Medea through literature and iconography. Valter Curzi's edited volume 'Museo e territorio (1972-2000). Politiche culturali nella stagione delle riforme' (Skira, 2023, €35) investigates the evolving relationship between museums and their territories. Pierre Schneider's 'Louvre, mon amour' (Johan & Levi, 2023, €20) collects perspectives from eleven artists including Chagall, Giacometti, Mirò, Francis, Newman, and Steinberg on the Louvre's enduring inspiration. Cristian Seganfreddo's 'La Banalità del Brutto' (Politi Seganfreddo Edizioni, 2023, €15) serves as a manual to recognize pervasive ugliness, arguing that 'beauty is political.' The article was written by Dario Moalli.