Harper’s Art Desk

A photograph by Courtney Allen, from her book Splendor, which was published in September by Deadbeat Club. Courtesy the artist and Deadbeat Club

AI City, a painting by Inka Essenhigh, whose work is on view through April 17 at Victoria Miro, London © Inka Essenhigh. Courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro

A photograph by Anne Rearick from her book Gure Bazterrack, which was published in October by Deadbeat Club. Courtesy the artist and Deadbeat Club

The Material World, a painting by Emma Webster, whose work is on view through April 12 at Petzel, New York City. Courtesy the artist and Petzel, New York City

Chameleon Flowers, a collage by Catie O’Leary, whose work is on view through March 29 as part of the exhibition Perhaps Interiors at Jack Fischer Gallery, in San Francisco. Courtesy the artist and Jack Fischer Gallery, San Francisco 

“The Message,” a photograph by Cig Harvey, whose book Emerald Drifters will be published this month by Monacelli © Cig Harvey. Courtesy Monacelli

The Evening Star, ca. 1830, a painting by Caspar David Friedrich, whose work is on view through May 11 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Courtesy Freies Deutsches Hochstift, Frankfurter Goethe Museum, Frankfurt am Main (IV-1950-007) 

A spread from Afropean: A Journal, by Johny Pitts, which was published in November by MO?REL. Courtesy the artist and MO?REL 

Self-Portrait ‘en plein air’ 4, a painting by Adrian Ghenie, whose work is included in the exhibition TO LIVE IS TO FLY, which is on view through April 5 at Tim Van Laere Gallery, in Antwerp, Belgium. Courtesy the artist and Tim Van Laere Gallery

A photograph of Valparaíso, in 1963, by Sergio Larrain, whose book Valparaíso, was published this month, in English for the first time, by Thames & Hudson © Sergio Larrain/Magnum Photos

Untitled (Encampment with three Eidola), a painting by Charles Avery, whose work is on view through March 22 at GRIMM, in New York City © The artist. Courtesy GRIMM 

“Untitled (Zabriskie Point) Death Valley, California, 2021,” a photograph by Victoria Sambunaris, whose book Transformation of a Landscape, was published in November by Radius Books. Courtesy the artist

Big Fish Eat Little Fish, 1557, a print by Pieter van der Heyden (after an engraving by Pieter Bruegel the Elder), whose work is included in the book Art in a State of Siege, by Joseph Leo Koerner, which was published this month by Princeton University Press. 

A beech wood and rubber walking stick created by Marialaura Irvine and produced by Thonet, from the book Walking Sticks, edited by Keiji Takeuchi and Marco Sammicheli, and published this month by Lars Müller Publishers © Marialaura Irvine. Photograph by Natalia Gracia. Courtesy Lars Müller and D.A.P.

Smoky Eye Every Step, a painting by Gina Beavers, whose work is included in the exhibition Ordinary People: Photorealism and the Work of Art since 1968 through May 4 at MOCA, in Los Angeles. The accompanying catalog was co-published by MOCA and DelMonico Books. Courtesy the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery, Aspen and New York City

Resonance, a painting by Xie Lei, whose work is on view through March 15 at Semiose, in Paris. Courtesy the artist and Semiose, Paris 

Photographs of smoke trails from fighter jets and missiles captured during various military airshows and demonstrations throughout Denmark by Paula Duvå from her book Killer Machine, which was published in 2023 by Disko Bay © The artist. Courtesy Disko Bay 

Lovebites, a painting by Nova Jiang, whose work is on view through February 8 at Union Pacific Gallery, in London © The artist. Courtesy Union Pacific Gallery, London 

A photograph by Ian Beesley from the second edition of his book Life, which was published last year by Bluecoat Press. Beesley’s retrospective is on view through December 2025 at Salts Mill in Bradford, England © The artist. Courtesy Bluecoat Press

A photograph by Tod Papageorge from his book Studio 54, which was published in November by Stanley/Barker. Courtesy the artist and Stanley/Barker

Faith As Small as a Mustard Seed, by Hopie Hill, whose work is on view through February 1 at Charles Moffett in New York City. Photo by Jeff McLane. Courtesy the artist, Jeff McLane, and Charles Moffett, New York City

“Bridesmaids, Brooklyn, NY,” a photograph by Kathy Shorr from her book Limousine, which was published in November by Lazy Dog Press © The artist