The best gifts for art lovers under 20 €? Who has never thought at least once in their life that making a gift to an art lover can be very difficult? If on the one hand it is known that the friend, relative or boyfriend has a strong passion for a specific subject. On the other hand, a thousand questions arise about what will be your favorite period? If he will just like to go to museums or even make works? It goes without saying that the perfect gift for an art lover would probably be a work of art. But we can’t always afford to give a Caravaggio or a Banksy as a gift, so the solution is to make a small art-themed gift.
My name is Clelia and today I recommend some gifts under € 20 that I have received or made over the years, plus a few extra ideas.
I decided to divide the post into categories and find all these ideas together on my Amazon page. There I add not only what I like but a mini review to each object to give you an idea and understand together if it is something suitable for what you are looking for or not.
Gifts for art lovers under € 20 – Books
, Biographies and Art-themed Novels
The first category I want to tell you about is certainly that of books. They can be a great find for the person who receives them and a passe partout for the gift giver. Let’s start with two completely different biographies in style and topic, but both engaging. Crossing the walls of Marina Abramovic who tells the whole story of the artist in first person. It goes from his childhood through the discovery of performance art and the relationship with Ulay. The book that I loved the most this year among my readings and that I myself will give away. And then Van Gogh’s Letters to Theo. A classic that many like because of the type of writing and the possibility of discovering Van Gogh’s relationship with art, nature and life through sometimes intimate letters.
We then move on to a more original book that was a new entry in my house this year too. This is We are artists. 15 stories of women artists who made art. You will find Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’keeffe, Kusama, Gabriele Munter and many others that I have known through reading. The illustrations in the book are gorgeous, but it’s in English. Even if it is simple and fluent English.
Books for artists and on the market
If you are looking for a book to give to a highly recommended artist: Mom, I want to be Bonami’s artist. Or instead for a lover of the art market Thompson’s bubbles, chaos and greed. On the subject of novels, I always recommend Susan Vreeland and a lot depends on the historical period you are passionate about. For a romantic but feminist reading, the choice falls on A Girl at Tiffany. For a novel about joie de vivre, I recommend The Modern Life which tells of Renoir’s rowers’ lunch.
Finally, here is a book from my wish list. Contrary to all the above, I haven’t had time to read it yet. In fact, it came out a couple of weeks ago and is the latest book by Daniela Collu: A minute of art. It could be the discovery of the year together with Armocromia that tells the relationship between color, season and clothing.
Gifts for art lovers under 20 € – The agenda
Still on the subject of gift ideas for art lovers, my favorite Christmas gift is the agenda. I didn’t buy it last year. I’ve used Google Calendar and Notion, but if you know it’s a welcome gift it could be a great combo: utility and art. I always recommend the weekly TeNeues. And my favorite model is the one with the rings, so you can turn the pages and make them comfortable even on the subway or in a cafe. For 2021 the most beautiful seem to me to be those of Chagall, the Impressionists or Monet or Hokusai. It really depends on the tastes of the recipient of the gift but there are several options.
Clothing for art lovers under 20 €
All the ToteBags I would like
I am not a person who likes to accumulate a lot of objects, but I appreciate some little things. For example, a good book or a board game that makes me spend time alone or in company. And then it’s useless to make a mystery of it: I have a thing for tote bags that allow me to carry around books or shopping. There aren’t many other art-themed clothing items that take me that much, with the exception of actual collections like those from Vans or Pull / Bear.
My favorite tote bags and the ones I always buy and give are those of LOQI. Resistant, made with high definition images and with options for all tastes in terms of artists and historical periods. My personal selection can be found in the description in the section All the LOQIs I would like. A mini collection that goes from Leonardo to Basquiat and which I hope over time to be able to put together.
An alternative to these tote bags are those of museums, such as that of the TATE that you find online. Super elegant black and white version for only 4 pounds. Since you don’t have the opportunity to travel as before, I think it might be a good idea to support the museums that have online shops by buying our Christmas gifts there. So taking a trip to Spain another option could be that of the Thyssen Tote bag with the wish Have an art day. Capsico there are shipping costs to consider, but by taking a tour of the online shops of a single museum, you may be able to buy different gifts for several people and you also support the museum.
The perfect accessory – Gifts for art lovers under 20 €
And always in the museum in the Tate shop are my favorite socks of all time, those of Chatty Feet. In fact, you will find dozens of socks online with works or artists, both from famous and non-famous brands. But these in addition to being very beautiful are also witty because each has an original name that comes from the distortion of that of the artist to whom they are dedicated. For a witty friend or friend they are perfect.
For small but original gifts and always under € 20, another nice option are the badges of the Guild of unemployed philosophers. The brooch can be found online and there are several, their characteristic is to combine the face of an artist with an object that characterizes him or recalls one of his works. Some examples? Frida and her monkey, Van Gogh and her ear and Warhol with Campbell Soup.
Finally, a collaboration that allows you under € 20 to give an art-themed item of clothing is the one between Uniqlo and several museums that hold the copyright of some famous works. The two most interesting collaborations available on the Italian store in my opinion are those with works by Haring or Hokusai.
Objects for the home for art lovers
Another type of gift ideas for art lovers is that of objects for the home. I don’t love them so I tend to choose only the ones that are most useful or that seem more witty to me. This year, if you decide to buy from a museum shop, I suggest two witty little things. The Salvador Dalì travel mug in ceramic and the egg cups of Frida and Dalì at the Tate in London.
Or the Mondrian coasters from the National Gallery in Dublin. Obviously I mention these two museums together with the Thyssen because they are the most beautiful museum shops I have ever visited in person, in which I also bought a couple of things as a souvenir of my tour. Unfortunately I took a look online and I am not aware of any Italian museums that at the moment, despite being closed, sell online through the shops. Write me in the comments if you know them because maybe it could be a starting point for all of us.
Finally, among the objects for the home, one of those that I have recommended in the past on the blog and has been super appreciated is the soft Dalì clock. which is also found on Amazon. In fact, as for the previous ones, business is combined with pleasure. A clock for the home that seems to have come out of a painting.
Gifts for art lovers under € 20 – Games
Still on the subject of beautiful things that must be liked, there is the section that I would define games and hobbies. As board games for art history lovers there are two valid options. Guess the artist which consists of a challenge to Guess who of the art. Through only 3 visual clues per card the opponent must guess which artist we are talking about. And on the back of each card there are goodies and insights. And then Art Oracles this more than a game is a true spiritual guide. If you have friends who love quotes or stereotypes of art I am sure these will be the perfect cards.
On the subject of collections of objects, one of the passions of many lately are the Funko, that I know only Van Gogh and Leonardo and can be found on the official website in dollars or on Amazon Italy. A nice idea if you know that the person is already collecting Funkos.
Finally, given that it is not possible to travel during this period and that many museums in our cities are closed, it makes little sense to give a museum card as a gift. But we art lovers can certainly support remote museums with donations whenever possible. And having to stay at home a subscription that could be given under € 20 is the one to Netflix where there are several of the films that I mentioned in my posts on films for art lovers. In this way he gives himself a pastime that is certainly appreciated. But on the subject of films, if you know that the person also loves DVDs, you can give away those from wonderful films such as Woman in gold, The best offer, Midnight in Paris or Big Eyes.
These are just some gift ideas for art lovers under € 20 to be exploited during this Christmas period or on many other occasions. And if this video was useful to you, leave a like and subscribe to the channel by activating the bell so you don’t miss the next videos that will come out.
Thanks and see you next time!
