This is not how art history should be explained… or is it? There are all sorts of ways to contextualize art, but not enough choose fun as a mode for understanding art. Josse Goffin’s “Ah!” reminds me how much my children have taught me about art, especially how to see it through laughter, surprise, and the everyday. See some of my favorite moments from the book below:

Published in 1991, it documents twelve artworks from major museums in Paris. This wordless, fold-out book begins with an simple illustration of an everyday object, like a hat. When you unfold the page, the hat is transformed into an unexpected illustration of a pelican with a painting in it’s mouth. Each illustration includes a hint at the next starting object. “Ah!” by Josse Goffin is one of the best art catalogs for remembering the gift of seeing art through a child’s eyes.