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THE SHORT STORY OF MODERN ART by Susie Hodge (Laurence King £14.99, 224 pp)

HAVE you ever looked at a Picasso and thought you could have painted it with your eyes closed? Or seen Tracey Emin’s unmade bed and wondered what the big deal was? This brilliant little book explains the cultural significance of many of the most baffling (but usually important) contemporary artworks. Beautifully illustrated with handy notes on the movement with which each work is associated, it’s a cheat’s guide, from Cézanne (above) to Yayoi Kusama. Keep this to hand and you’ll sound like you practically live in the Tate Modern.