After a year with far too much sadness from COVID-19, we at Art & Object have been thinking about the people in our lives who mean the most to us. It is perhaps only during life's most challenging times that we realize how fortunate we are to have our loved ones. While every holiday season offers an opportunity to let friends and family know you are thinking of them, sending season's greetings seems more important in 2020. Even if you can't exchange gifts in person this year, we think these 13 gifts would lighten the spirits of any art lover in your life!
We could have created this whole gift guide by just selecting items from the MoMA Design Store. We can’t recommend browsing their online store highly enough! That said, we did want to highlight one new item that we find truly stunning. These light sculptures were designed by Isamu Noguchi in 1954 to help revitalize Japan’s paper lantern industry. For $200, these light sculptures are the ultimate conversation piece.
Keep your loved ones safe and stylish with a fine art face mask. Etsy has many art-history-inspired face masks, but we especially love this Edward Hopper mask from GoldWren for $9.99.
Wentworth Puzzles are widely regarded as some of the best wooden puzzles in the world. Their finely crafted designs are even beloved by the likes of actor Hugh Jackman. For around $50, you can experience the joy of recreating an iconic work from art history in the form of a Wentworth Puzzle.
This wonderful new book from Phaidon offers a unique way to explore the Met’s collection. The book is organized by thematic keywords and features 800 works spanning 6,000 years of art history. At $75, we think any bibliophiles you know would be proud to have this on their shelves.
If you are fortunate to have ever been to a Kusama installation, you will know how breathtaking they are. Here is a way to bring some Kusama-inspired magic into your home. For a few hundred dollars, you can transform any space with this beautiful wallpaper. That’s what we call an accent wall!
There is perhaps no better gift for the art lover than a work of art itself! For the holiday season, Cross Contemporary Partners has curated a fabulous collection of works under $1,000 that would be the envy of any collector. From woodcut prints to painted collages, they have something for everyone at an affordable price point.
This stylish shirt from the National Museum of Women in the Arts gift shop is a great way to show your support for female artists. Even better, 100 percent of the proceeds of this $25 shirt go to support NMWA. We call that a gift that gives back!
Whether you are looking for a gift for a child or child at heart, this Andy Warhol Lego kit is sure to delight. What makes this kit extra special is that it includes a curated educational playlist to listen to while you work. For $119.99, you will end up with a fun decoration and learn a bit about the artist who created the iconic original Marilyn Monroe prints.
Like many of you, we have been missing going to museums this year. Here’s a fun way to bring the museum experience into your home or office. Protect your caffeine masterpiece with this humorous mug for just $13.
St. Nicolas is an English Christmas ornament company that is committed to fair trade. Their ornaments are designed in London but handmade in Thailand by a small Christian charity that supports local women. St. Nicolas has many art-inspired designs, but we are partial to this Van Gogh ornament from the MoMA Design Store for $15.95.
Antiquities are a fascinating area of collecting, and ancient objects are often more affordable than one might expect. This exquisite Indus Valley bowl circa 2500 BC is one of the many works offered for sale by Throckmorton Fine Art, Inc. For those who are passionate about history or art history, we cannot think of a more exciting gift.
Jeremy Howell
Jeremy Howell is the Co-Creator and Editor-In-Chief of Art & Object.