20 gift ideas for art lovers
20 interesting and fun gift ideas for art lovers, not to be missed!! Christmas is around the corner and obviously with the holidays the gifts are approaching. And since I’m often asked for some gift ideas for friends who are passionate about art, I thought I’d give you some ideas, a bit at the last moment.
Many of the gift ideas for art lovers I’m telling you about can mostly be purchased in bookshops, stationery shops or even some in the museum bookshops of your cities. And they are useful ideas not only for Christmas but also for birthdays, name days, anniversaries, diplomas, degrees or other occasions when you need to give something to an art lover and you don’t really know where to start.
I’ve divided the 20 gift ideas for art lovers by type so let’s get started.
Books. Novels
The first I would like to tell you about are books. You can find them in large bookstores such as Feltrinelli and Mondadori, but also easily online with immediate shipping and always with a cost of around €10.
To be exact I’d like to start with some of the art-related novels of one of my favorite authors Susan Vreeland.
I have read several of them and I will definitely tell you about some of them in dedicated posts, but the top 3 of his to choose from is definitely
# number 3
The passion of Artemisia dedicated to the life of Artemisia Gentileschi and her story of passion and intrigue.
# number 2
A girl at Tiffany’s on the life of designer Clara Wolcott Driscoll who, together with a group of girls called the “Tiffany girls” revolutionized American Art Noveau lamps.
# number 1
Modern life which focuses on a period in the life and activity of Auguste Renoir, the one in which he was painting The rowers’ lunch. This is truly my favourite!!
There are many other books by Vreeland that I have read and some that I hope to receive for Christmas too because they are on my wish list: The girl in blue is one of them, but also Lisette’s list.
Another classic of art-related novels is Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier, which also became famous thanks to the film and dedicated to the work Girl with a Turban by Jan Vermeer, kept in The Hague.
Books. Essays
If, on the other hand, you already know that the person you want to give a gift to doesn’t like novels but prefers essays obviously dedicated to art, my advice is Francesco Bonami. Again there are several but the writing is always fun and cheeky so you play it safe.
The ones I recommend are:
I could do it too who wants to dispel the myth of the ease of creating a work of art and focuses on modern and contemporary art.
Mom I want to be an artist perfect for friends who want to become artists but also for enthusiasts.
These are just some of the books that can be gift ideas for art lovers. However, honestly they are the ones I have always given more willingly and they have always made me look good.
Stationery
Still on the subject of gift ideas for art lovers that you can find in bookstores, especially in the best-stocked ones that also sell stationery, my favorite Christmas gift is the diary. In particular, for some years I have been given or bought the one from TeNeues. There are different ones every year. Mine from last year had the works of Matisse.
This year for 2018 I have already eyed ‘s Weekly Van Gogh with Irises o ‘s Weekly Monet with water lilies. I’m still undecided but the choice is varied. There are daily or weekly ones. I prefer the weeklies so as to see everything on the same page.
If not TeNeues you can also choose Kaos or other brands that can be found at Feltrinelli or Mondadori. The advantage of Kaos is that in addition to those related to art, it also has a collection of diaries dedicated to cities.
Last purchase in the “stationery” theme that I adore are the Stabilo colored felt-tip pens. I received them once for my birthday in a pack of 30 and me and I’m in love. I use them to write notes, research but also to pin some recurrences or information on the diary.
Clothing and Accessories
Bags
Let’s move on to another section of gift ideas for art lovers, one of my favourites, the art-themed clothing and accessories.
My bag favorite artwork LOQI. The one with was given to me last year for Christmas the Wave of Hokusai. However, I saw some at the Triennale bookshop with one with a brilliant work by Magritte. And online I found some by Van Gogh, Vermeer or Delaunay.
Furthermore, together with the bag, you buy a small clutch that can be used to store it or even as a purse or something else.
Scarves
If not the bag, another idea could be the scarf. I’ve seen PrettyStern with impressionist works and more. Big but a little more expensive than LOQI bags. Also, you must like the idea of wearing a work of art so it seems like a risky gift to me.
But definitely the scarf with Van Gogh’s Sunflowers in spring is colorful and fun.
Umbrella
Another accessory for autumn – winter and therefore perfect for Christmas is the umbrella. This too is easy to find these days in the museum bookshops of our cities, but also online.
My favorite is the one where the work is inside, so as not to be excessive when you go around and want to keep the umbrella closed which is usually black on the outside, but colorful and elegant on the inside with a beautiful work of art.
Superb of this type those of the Von Lilienfield.
Clothing. Socks and skirt
Finally, two witty gifts that I really like: socks and skirt. Art themed socks online are now everywhere. I’ve seen very nice ones, sometimes with the artwork reproduced exactly, other times instead with the modified work. My favorites are the ones with the classic works in pop style.
And also the art-themed skirt I happened to see this summer in Paris at the Center Pompidou by Picasso on a girl. I actually saw the Picasso-themed jacket on Instagram as well. But there are several, including the most popular online the skirt with Van Gogh’s Starry Night.
Tech Ideas
You can also take one as an accessory cell phone or Ipad cover. The only problem with this kind of gift is obviously knowing the model of the cell phone. Or the computer sticker, great. This has been on my wish list for a while now.
Objects for the home
Another typology of gift ideas for art lovers is that of objects for the home. I don’t adore them, to be honest, in fact I tend to choose only the most useful ones that I like the most.
But I was once lured into the bookshop of a museum by a soft watch by Dali and I decided to take a look online to add it among these ideas. In my opinion it is an original and certainly witty and appreciable gift for lovers of his works.
Hobbies
Still on the subject of beautiful things that must be liked, there is the section that I wanted to define “hobbies“.
Beyond typical puzzles with millions of pieces or just a few dozen, which I like but for which I have never had enough patience, unfortunately there are art-themed puppets.
I discovered them for the first time thanks to a colleague of mine who came back from a trip to class with the Frida Kahlo puppet brooch and investigating I found a thousand brands online, but in my opinion the most beautiful are the Little Thinkers.
It is a series dedicated not only to great artists but also to scientists and musicians. Too cute!!
They are not the only ones, in fact Barbie also launched its Museum Collection with three beautiful and super super dear collectible Barbies. Dedicated to Leonardo, Klimt and Van Gogh. They are not gifts for everyone and it is difficult to find them on the market, but it is certainly a very original idea for collectors or enthusiasts.
Magazine Subscriptions
One of my favorite gifts: magazine subscriptions. Useful both on paper and online. A dear friend of mine gave me FlashArt and I found it incredibly comfortable.
This year, among other things, in addition to the Flashart subscription, it is possible to buy or give the Boxset with the special edition for the 50th anniversary and the limited edition with the reprint of the first issue and fun gadgets such as a bag and stickers.
In Italy, another magazine that I’ve always loved to read is Art by CairoEditore, so that too could be a good choice in my opinion.
Membership museums
Another gift idea in terms of subscriptions is that of membership , it can be a really interesting gift and I also talked about some of these in my video How to enter museums in Italy and abroad for free.
Still on the subject of gifts that allow you to give not an object but an experience, there are the Gift boxes. There are different types, but lately I have been very intrigued by those of Musement, which allow in various European cities to buy skip-the-line tickets or to give guided visits inside museums.
These are just a few gift ideas for art lovers that are useful for Christmas or other occasions such as birthdays. I hope it will be useful for you to gather some ideas and amaze the person you love with a truly artful gift.
If you’re looking for 25 more gift ideas for art lovers and a 2019 update, that’s enough. click here.
