🎨 3 Books on Art That Will Open Your Mind and Lift Your Spirit
Art That Changes You: Three Books to Expand Your Mind and Elevate Your Spirit
There’s something magical about immersing yourself in the world of art—not just by visiting a gallery or standing before a canvas, but through the stories, ideas, and provocations that live behind the artworks we see.
Recently, I read three amazing books that didn’t just teach me more about art—they shifted the way I think about creativity, society, and even human nature itself.
Each one offers a different lens. Together, they remind us why art matters—and why our engagement with it is vital.
If you're ready to expand your mind and lift your spirit, here are three books you won’t want to miss!
🎭 1. Poor Artists by Gabrielle de la Puente and Zarina Muhammad
Art isn't created in a vacuum—and it certainly isn’t insulated from economics, privilege, and systemic barriers.
In Poor Artists, Gabrielle de la Puente and Zarina Muhammad (aka the dynamic duo behind The White Pube) unpack the brutal, unspoken realities that shape who gets to make art—and who doesn’t.
It’s an urgent, brutally honest exploration of what it means to survive and create in an ecosystem tilted heavily in favor of the wealthy and well-connected.
At its heart, this is a book about resilience, resourcefulness, and the fight to make space for authenticity in a system that often punishes it.
Why it will lift your spirit: Because despite its tough love, Poor Artists is ultimately a testament to creative persistence and the unbreakable human drive to express, share, and make meaning—no matter the odds.
🖼️ 2. Get the Picture by Bianca Bosker
If you've ever stood in front of an abstract painting and thought, "Am I missing something?"—this book is for you.
In Get the Picture, journalist Bianca Bosker dives deep into the often-bewildering world of contemporary art. Through candid interviews, behind-the-scenes access, and a warm, inquisitive voice, Bosker takes us on her own journey from outsider to semi-insider, asking the questions we sometimes hesitate to admit we have.
This isn’t a guidebook for “understanding” art. It’s a manifesto for experiencing it—with curiosity, skepticism, delight, and awe.
Why it will open your mind: Because Get the Picture reminds us that you don’t need a degree, a pedigree, or a glossary of terms to connect with art—you just need an open mind and a willingness to look, to feel, and to wonder.
🖌️ 3. The Art Thief by Michael Finkel
This one reads like a thriller—and it’s all the more compelling because it’s true.
The Art Thief chronicles the almost unbelievable true story of Stéphane Breitwieser, a Frenchman who stole more than 200 artworks from museums across Europe (value estimated >$2Bn)—not for money, but for love. His compulsive need to possess beauty raises profound questions about obsession, value, morality, and the strange, sometimes irrational ways we connect to art.
Michael Finkel brings this story to life with vivid detail, sharp pacing, and a deep empathy for the psychological complexity at its core.
Why it will lift your spirit: Because The Art Thief reveals something we often forget: that art is not just a commodity to be bought and sold—it is something capable of evoking powerful, almost primal emotions that transcend logic and economics.
🌟 Art as a Portal
What unites these three very different books is a shared truth:
Art isn’t just something we observe. It’s something that changes us.
It challenges us, comforts us, destabilizes us, and reconnects us—to history, to emotion, to imagination, and ultimately, to each other.
If you're ready to see the world—and maybe even yourself—a little differently, start with these pages.
They might just open a door you didn’t know you were looking for.
If your current strategy assumes nothing has changed, then I’d argue—everything has already changed for you. You just haven’t seen it yet.
Peggy Van de Plassche is a seasoned advisor with over 20 years of experience in financial services, healthcare, and technology. She specializes in guiding boards and C-suite executives through transformational change, leveraging technology and capital allocation to drive growth and innovation. A founding board member of Invest in Canada, Peggy also brings unique expertise in navigating complex issues and fostering public-private partnerships—key elements in shaping the Future of Business. Her skill set includes strategic leadership, capital allocation, transaction advisory, technology integration, and governance. Notable clients include BMO, CI Financial, HOOPP, OMERS, GreenShield Canada, Nicola Wealth, and Power Financial. For more information, visit peggyvandeplassche.com.
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