ARTnews lists five new art books for June 2026 that use art and history as portals to other times and places. The selections include Isaac Butler's 'The Perfect Moment' on the 1980s culture wars, Deborah Levy's 'My Year in Paris with Gertrude Stein' on the modernist icon, Ruth Bernard Yeazell's 'Vermeer's Afterlives' on the Dutch painter's legacy, Rem Koolhaas's 'Rem Before Koolhaas' collecting his early journalism, and Katja Hoyer's 'Weimar: Life on the Edge of Catastrophe' on the artistic golden age of the Weimar Republic.
The roundup matters because it highlights how art books continue to serve as cultural commentary and historical reflection, connecting past artistic movements to contemporary debates. By featuring works that reassess figures like Vermeer, Stein, and the Bauhaus, the article underscores the enduring relevance of art history in understanding current culture wars, identity, and political upheaval.