About

HIRMER

“Excellent illustrated books on art, photography, and architecture can be found at Hirmer.”
— Süddeutsche Zeitung

Why does the world need art books? Aenne Hirmer had a convincing answer to this question. While a well-made art book cannot replace a visit to a museum, it can “bring a work of art even closer to people than a museum visit ever could”. With our books we have been offering readers the opportunity to get closer to art since 1948, when Max and Aenne Hirmer founded our publishing house in Munich.

Hirmer Publishers is one of the most prestigious publishers of art books worldwide. The subjects of our many award-winning books range from painting, photography, and architecture to sculpture, drawing, fashion, and cultural history, as well as collection catalogues and catalogues raisonnés.

The current programme focuses on art and culture from the Renaissance to the present day. We present classics as well as setting trends. Our monographs on prominent artists such as Raphael and Marina Abramović stand alongside volumes on specific subjects like Surrealism and graffiti. We continue to develop the traditional focal topics in our programme, while expanding them by such aspects as the Global South and LGBTQ+. We support diversity in art throughout the ages.

Exhibition catalogues form an important constant in our wide-ranging programme. We have long-standing collaborations with leading art and cultural institutions. Hirmer cooperates with a large number of museums and cultural institutions in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and has proven itself as a partner for other European institutions. We also maintain close collaborations with museums in America, where Hirmer Publishers enjoys an excellent reputation. In cooperation with Thames & Hudson and the University of Chicago Press, we distribute our extensive English-language programme worldwide.

“Is there a recipe for this success?”
“Hard work,” was Aenne Hirmer’s answer. “But the work must be beautiful.” Just like making books.