Four of the best new books about painting

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Helen Frankenthaler: Painting without Rules

The late American abstract expressionist and “colour field” artist pioneered the soak-stain technique, which allowed paint to seep deeper into the canvas. Published in conjunction with a show at Florence’s Palazzo Strozzi, this book documents her work, placing it in dialogue with pieces by friends and contemporaries such as Pollock and Rothko. Marsilio, €40

Jean-Michel Basquiat: Engadin

Basquiat is most often associated with New York, but less is known about his relationship with Switzerland, and particularly Engadin, where the idea was born for his collaborations with fellow artists Andy Warhol and Francesco Clemente. A new book charts the influence of the country on his paintings to coincide with a solo exhibition at Hauser & Wirth St Moritz. Hauser & Wirth Publishers, £23

Alfredo Volpi: Lucca–São Paulo (1896–1988)

This catalogue celebrates one of the key figures of Brazilian modernism, Alfredo Volpi. Around 70 paintings from the late artist’s most prolific period (1940 to 1970) convey his mastery of colour, alongside reflections from Brazilian curator Valéria Piccoli and Stefano Collicelli Cagol, director of Prato’s Centro Pecci. Mousse Publishing, €35

Denzil Forrester: Duppy Conqueror/We Culture

This kaleidoscopic volume spans nearly five decades of work by Grenada-born, Cornwall-based Forrester, who draws on London’s dub reggae culture and ‘80s club scene for his rhythm-fuelled sketches. Essays by art and music historians and poems by Linton Kwesi Johnson feature throughout. Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art/Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, $60