Five Vancouver Art Books to Read This World Book Day

British Columbia is home to the second-largest book publishing industry in the country, according to Creative BC. It also boasts the highest concentration of artists in Canada: one in every five Canadian artists resides in B.C., according to provincial government data. With World Book Day on April 23 and the Art Vancouver contemporary art fair happening April 24 to 27, now is a chance to zoom in on Vancouver’s art book scene.

Found at art galleries, gift shops and independent bookstores (of which there are dozens in Vancouver), art books illustrate the creative life of the city by featuring the work of local architects, painters, carvers, curators and collectors.

Books written by Canadians made up 12 per cent of print book sales in Canada in 2024, according to BookNet Canada. Time will tell whether the recent push to buy Canadian will flow through into book sales, including the sales of Canadian art books.

Looking for local art book recommendations? Here are five picks published in Canada that put the spotlight on Vancouver-area artists.

Taizo Yamamoto: Carts, Hedges, Lions

Vancouver architect Taizo Yamamoto presents three series of intricate graphite drawings that depict real-world examples of assembled, grown and built objects common to areas of Vancouver: the shopping carts piled high with belongings that clatter along sidewalks in the downtown core; the long, high hedges that insulate single-family homes from the din of arterial traffic; and the sculptural lions placed for good luck atop fence posts in front of Vancouver Specials. With contributions by author Kevin Chong, art critic Aaron Peck and The Tyee’s own Jackie Wong, this book documents the often overlooked elements of our urban streetscapes.

The Place of Objects: The John David Lawrence Collection

Hitting the shelves this June, The Place of Objects features the eclectically curated collection of John David Lawrence, a lifelong collector and the owner of Doda Antiques, a fixture in Vancouver’s Gastown. Co-published with the Vancouver Art Gallery and accompanying the exhibition Written in Clay opening May 25, the book reveals a kaleidoscopic portrait of the diverse talents working in and around B.C.’s art scene over the past 40 years.

Sea of Islands: Exploring Objects, Stories, and Memories from Oceania

The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia holds some 3,500 objects from Oceania, making it the largest and most diverse collection from this region in Canada. Sea of Islands brings together knowledge holders, scholars and artists from across the Pacific with western scholars working with Pacific collections — alongside members of diasporic Oceanic communities — to share the stories and journeys of the objects that make up the collection. The work ranges from regalia and jewelry to bark cloths and woven mats to carvings and canoes.

Jack Shadbolt: In His Words

This is the memoir Jack Shadbolt never quite got around to writing. Edited by Susan Mertens, a longtime friend of Shadbolt’s and a former arts critic, this is an intimately candid memoir about the ambitions, struggles and achievements of one of Canada’s most prolific and important modernist artists. Shadbolt’s work was deeply influenced by the West Coast landscapes and cultures that surrounded him.

Curve! Women Carvers on the Northwest Coast

Curve! is an 80-year overview of wood and argillite carving by Indigenous women artists on the northwest coast who have long carved poles, canoes, panels and masks, but have not become as well known outside their communities as their male counterparts. The artists — including Susan Point, the carver behind the People Amongst the People totem poles in Stanley Park — are cherished in their communities for helping to keep traditional carving practices alive. Curve! accompanies an exhibition at the Audain Art Museum in Whistler (which closes on May 5, so head over quickly!). It features works by 14 Indigenous women carvers.

This year, Canadian Independent Bookstore Day is on April 26. Support local by finding these art books in a bookstore near you!