Paintings on book covers are having a major moment–again! Last year, the New York Times spotlighted this book cover design trend as one of the most recognizable looks in contemporary publishing. From classic fine art and museum-worthy paintings to bold, modern typography layered on top, these covers signal stylish literary fiction and serious creative intent.
In this post, we’ve curated 50 book covers published in 2025 that all feature paintings on the cover, highlighting how designers are blending art history with modern book design.
Whether you’re an author, designer, or publishing professional, this roundup captures one of the defining book cover trends of 2025.
If you enjoy this article, you can check out even more book covers with paintings in this collection put together by Bridgeman Art.
To explore 100s of books with paintings on their cover, navigate to our main gallery, look to the filter bar on the left, and choose “painting” under the Style category.
Follow INeedABookCover on Instagram and you’ll never miss curated cover collections like these!
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2024 Edition: 45 Bestselling Books with Paintings as Covers
2023 Edition: 15 Book Covers Featuring Memorable Paintings
2022 Edition: 12 Books With Paintings as Covers
Happiness and Love by Zoe Dubno
Happiness & Love by Zoe Dubno features a painting by Eunnam Hong on both editions. Published in the US by Scribner and by Penguin UK in the United Kingdom.
Among Friends by Hal Ebbott
Lauren Peters-Collaer‘s Riverhead cover for Among Friends features the painting “Life During Wartime,” by Bo Bartlett (oil on linen, 2018). It was featured in this NYT article on the intersection of paintings and book cover trends.
Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah
Theft features a painting by Lubaina Himid. This Riverhead cover was designed by Lauren Peters-Collaer
Rosarita by Anita Desai
Rosarita was published by Scribner (in the US) in Jauary 2025. Contact us if you can provide art credits.
The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis
The jacket design for The Hounding was designed by Nicolette Seeback Ruggiero featuring a bucolic painting of hounds by Benjamin Cam Norton.
Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan
“After the Ball,” by Ramon Casas i Carbo (oil on canvas, 1899) is used on the cover of Disappoint Me, which was designed by Rachel Ake and published by Dial. This cover is featured in the NYT article on book cover design trends.
Nobody Asked For This by Georgia Toews
The jacket for Georgia Toews’ Nobody Asked For This was designed by cover designer Emma Dolan and features a painting by 20-year-old artist Ginna Nebrig.
The Longest Way to Eat a Melon by Jacquelyn Zong-Li Ross
The Longest Way to Eat a Melon uses the painting “Kittens and Snail” by Alfred Arthur Brunel de Neuville (oil on canvas, undated). Cover design by Emily Mahon for Sarabande Books.
Bitter Sweet by Hattie Williams (US & UK)
LEFT: Above is the US edition of Bitter Sweet. This jacket was designed by designer and art director, Elena Giavaldi, who used a painting by Kathrine Leigh Holley. RIGHT: The same painting was repurposed and used in a different design for the UK edition, published by Orion.
The Slip by Miriam Webster
This cover was designed by Duncan Blachford through the INABC Jobs Board. For a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of this cover, read this article from Spine Magazine.
Daughters by Corinne Demas
Published by Little A in 2025, Daughters was designed by Emily Mahar and features an oil painting by Katharina Valeeva.
Love Forms by Claire Adam
Love Forms (Hogarth, 2025) was designed by Cassie Gonzales Vu.
Hungerstone by Kat Dunn
“The Nightmare,” by Henry Fuseli (oil on canvas, 1781) is used on Kat Dunn’s Hungerstone. Published by Zando and designed by Alicia Tatone. This cover was featured in the 2025 New York Times article on book cover trends.
Soft Core by Brittany Newell (US)
Despite its ultra-realistic appearance, this attention-grabbing cover features a contemporary oil painting. The artist is Aistė Stancikaitė and the cover was designed by Rodrigo Corral. Published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux in 2025.
Soft Core by Brittany Newell (UK)
The UK edition of Soft Core also features a painting, this time by artist Kelli Vance. Cover was designed by Jo Thomson.
Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite (UK & US)
LEFT: This UK edition of Cursed Daughters was designed by Anna Morrison for Atlantic Books. RIGHT: The US Doubleday Books jacket for Cursed Daughters was designed by Jaya Miceli. Art Directed by Emily Mahon
The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff
A painting by Young Park was used by cover designer David Litman for the 2025 edition of The Bright Years. Published by Simon & Schuster.
Little Great Island by Kate Woodworth
Little Great Island was published by Sibylline Press in 2025 with a cover design by Alicia Feltman and a painting by William Hallett.
Rabbit Moon by Jennifer Haigh
Rabbit Moon was published by Little Brown in 2025. Contact us if you can provide art credits.
The Tilting House by Ivonne Lamazares
The cover for Catapult’s 2025 The Tilting House was designed by Jaya Miceli and art directed by Nicole Caputo.
Necessary Fiction by Eloghosa Osunde
Eloghosa Osunde’s novel was published by Riverhead in 2025. Contact us if you can provide art credits.
Boy From The North Country by Sam Sussman
Sam Sussman’s novel, Boy From The North Country, for Penguin Press features a painting by Lisa Moore. This jacket was designed by Elisha Zepeda. You can view some of Elisha’s design outtakes here!
Days of Light by Megan Hunter
Days of Light was designed by Daisy Bates and uses a painting by Jan De Vliegher. Published by Grove Press.
Abeng by Michelle Cliff
Cover designer Yasmin Jarjana designed AND illustrated the cover for Michelle Cliff’s Abeng. Published by Plume and art directed by Jason Booher.
Ruth by Kate Riley
Kate Riley’s Ruth features a painting by 17th century Belgian painter Eugène Joseph Verboeckhoven and was designed by Lauren Peters-Collaer. It was named one of the best book covers of 2025 in Lit Hub’s annual roundup.
All The Way to The River by Elizabeth Gilbert
Liz Gilbert’s latest bestselling memoir was published by Riverhead in 2025 with a cover designed by Lynn Buckley who used a painting by contemporary artist Ian Davenport.
The Compound by Aisling Rawle
Aisling Rawe’s bestselling novel was designed by Sarah Horgan with Greg Mollica. The pair used an oil painting by contemporary artist Carrie Graber.
Happiness Forever by Adelaide Faith
The jacket of Happiness Forever was designed by Na Kim and features a striking ‘sad clown’ painting that the designer completed herself.
Dream State by Eric Puchner (UK & US)
LEFT: Doubleday’s Dream State (designed by Oliver Munday) includes the painting “The Teton Range,” by Thomas Moran (oil on canvas, 1897). This cover was included in an article in The New York Times about book cover trends. RIGHT: Sceptre’s UK edition was designed by Lucy Scholes and uses a painting by Lee Ariel.
Ordinary Love by Marie Rutkoski (UK & US)
LEFT: Knopf’s US edition of Ordinary Love was designed by Kelly Blair. RIGHT: Virago Press’ UK edition is shown on the right.
Endling by Maria Reva
Virago Press’ Endling was published in 2025. Did you know that clouds appear on book covers a lot? Explore the tag “clouds” for more, or follow us on Instagram and never miss a collection like this.
Unshrunk by Laura Delano
Unshrunk was designed by Amanda Weiss. You can view her discarded designs here!
Pan by Michael Clune
Pan was designed by Janet Hansen for Penguin Press. The top half of the cover features a painting by 15th century Italian painter Camilo Procaccin.
The Expert of Subtle Revisions by Kirsten Menger-Anderson
Cover designer Chris Allen designed the cover for The Expert of Subtle Revisions. He used a painting by Egon Schiele.
Gold Rush by Olivia Petter
The jacket for Gold Rush was designed by Jo Thomson featuring a painting by contemporary artist Martine Johanna.
The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers
A paitning by contemporary artist Shannon Cartier Lucy is used on the cover of The Ten Year Affair, designed by Emily Mahon for Simon & Schuster in 2025.
Seascraper by Benjamin Wood
Seacraper was published in 2025 by Scribner. Contact us if you can provide art credits.
The Capital of Dreams by Heather O’Neil
The Capital of Dreams features a painting called “Mother and Son in the Garden,” by Hugo Burkner (chromolithograph, 1878). It was included in this article from The New York Times on book cover trends.
These Days by Lucy Caldwell
These Days, published by Zando/SJP Lit, features the painting “Woman in the Window,” by Alberto Morrocco (oil on canvas, 1953). Cover design by Ploy Siripant, a senior art director at William Morrow/HarperCollins.
Big Kiss, Bye-Bye by Claire-Louise Bennett
Published by Riverhead in 2025. Contact us if you can provide art credits.
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
Published by Flatiron in 2025 and featuring an old painting of the sea. Contact us if you can provide art credits.
Shamanism by Manvir Singh
The artwork on the cover of Shamanism is the 1952 painting “Departure,” (oil on canvas) by artist Agnes Pelton. This book was published by Penguin in the US in 2025.
Women, Seated by Zhang Yueran
Published by Riverhead in 2025. Contact us if you can provide art credits.
I Am You by Victoria Redel
Jacket design by Jaya Miceli for Zando Books/SJP Lit. Art Direction by Christopher Brian King
Erased by Anna Malaika Tubbs
Erased features a painting by Luciano Cian titled “La Vie en Bleu #0, 2021.” You can view it and other case studies with paintings on the Bridgeman website.
Sleep by Honor Jones
Published by Riverhead books in 2025. See other book covers featuring people swimming or people in pools by exploring the tag “swim“
A Family Matter by Claire Lynch
Published by Scribner in 2025. Contact us if you can provide art credits.
The Boyhood of Cain by Michael Amherst
Published by Riverhead in 2025. Contact us if you can provide art credits.
How to Find the Best Book Cover Designer for Your Project
The “best” book cover artist is subjective and varies according to an author’s specific vision and style preference. However, platforms like the INeedABookCover Job Board have made it EASY for authors to find and collaborate with talented, professional designers like the ones listed in this article.
If you’re looking for a professional book cover designer who can create stunning cover designs that incorporate modern or classical fine art paintings, post a creative brief on the Jobs Board today! You’ll receive dozens (on average, about 20) replies, often within the first 24 hours. From there, you can choose your favorite designer to hire. Contact INABC if you have more questions!
For more listicles like this, be sure to check out our Design Devices series to explore other elements commonly used on book covers such as clouds or mouths.
For our full collection of books with paintings as covers, click the tag “painting” or choose “painting” under STYLE in the filter column of our gallery section.
Follow @INeedABookCover on Instagram and never miss a post!
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