Niki de Saint Phalle, Californian Diary (Queen Califia), 1994

On the lookout for a great new artist’s biography? Then What Is Now Known Was Once Only Imagined: An (Auto)biography of Niki de Saint Phalle by Nicole Rudick is just the ticket.

Featured in our curated Reading List for Elephant Issue 47

, the book “consists of copious letters, writings, illustrations and previously unpublished material from de Saint Phalle’s archive,” explains Ravi Ghosh. “From an illustrated itinerary of her influences (Rubens, Picasso and Matisse alongside St Moritz mountains, Mexican Temples and ‘a sense of joy’) to panels of her illustrated AIDS activism, dispelling myths about transmissibility in a playful fashion.” Get your hands on the SS22 issue

now to discover our other recommendations.