Art doesn’t have to be restricted to the conventional notion of a decorative painting on a wall. Art is a shapeshifting concept and can come in many different guises, from literary art to wearable art, from artfully crafted homeware to the art of creating a bespoke scent or fine champagne.

Perfumer Azzi Glasser has perfected the art of smell with ‘The Perfumer’s Story’ and has collaborated with many high-profile artists to embody the spirit of their art in the form of perfume, and with actors to create scents that help them channel the spirit of their characters. Glasser recently worked with Jude Law who is playing Henry VIII in ‘Firebrand’, using her alchemic powers to make a perfume smelling of blood, sweat and smoke to evoke the odour of Tudor England and the former King’s gout-ridden rotting feet. Glasser recently announced a collaboration with Johnny Depp on an ‘Old Books’ perfume range created for his ‘A Bunch Of Stuff’ art exhibition in New York City.

Couture Milliner Victoria Grant has mastered the art of hat-making for socialites, musicians and the fashion conscious with her surreal, witty and beautifully crafted hats. Grant draws on influences ranging from Americana to Warhol and her bespoke creations are wearable works of art.

Artist Nettie Wakefield teamed up with Chef Mark Hix on a series of illustrated recipes celebrating culinary art. Icelandic artist Kristjana S Williams has collaborated with brands and museums including Paul Smith, Penhaligons and the V&A, and she has expanded from unique artworks and limited edition prints into interiors, with arty cushions, globes and even wallpaper featuring her unique designs. Artist Libby Heaney hit the headlines during Frieze London this autumn with an unmissable sculptural installation ‘Ent- (non-earthly delights)’ in the Frieze Sculpture park. It’s possible to wear a piece of Heaney’s art in the form of her ‘slime socks’. And on the topic of slime, indie artist Abi Palmer has written a book titled ‘SLUGS: A Manifesto’, described as an ‘addictive art world gossip column’.

I’ve put together a wish list of some covetable arty objects including arty books, millinery couture, artist inspired perfume, limited edition prints, an artfully created champagne, art materials from OHUHU and artist collaborations with charities including Arms Around the Child, Parley for the Oceans and ARTHOUSE.

Wearable Art from Milliner Victoria Grant

Wear a work of art on your head at a festive party with a Victoria Grant veiled ‘Art’ hat, a dreamy gift for lovers of fashion and art. Grant founded her eponymous millinery company in 2011 and has created bespoke hats for Royalty, Pop Stars and Muses including Madonna, Kylie Jenner, Elizabeth Hurley and Lady Martha Sitwell. The Queen of Millinery Couture was inspired by childhood visits to the Honourable Artillery Company with her Father, who is now a Pikeman with the Pikeman & Musketeers, and is passionate about keeping British millinery heritage alive through her designs.

There is an element of the ‘Mad Hatter’ in some of her eccentric designs, with an Alice in Wonderland-inspired ‘Bunny Top’ hat, and nods to Pop Art in styles such as her ‘In-n-out Neon’ and ‘Disco’ hats.

Biography of Piet Mondrian by Nicholas Fox Weber

Acclaimed cultural historian Nicholas Fox Weber’s new biography looks at the extraordinary life of Piet Mondrian, the ultimate modernist whose unprecedented geometric art revolutionized modern painting, architecture and graphic art. The signature Mondrian geometric style and palette of red, white, blue, black and yellow even infiltrated fashion when designers Yves Saint Laurent and Mary Quant create collections in tribute to him.

Piet Mondrian began creating what would become some of the most recognizable abstract paintings of the 20th century when he was living in avant-garde Paris in the early 1920s. Fox Weber’s biography explores the life of Mondrian from his youth in a religious household in the Netherlands where he first began painting Dutch farmhouses and sand dunes, to his move to Paris where he embraced the work of Pablo Picasso, Georges Seurat, and Cézanne, to the 1920s and onwards.

Azzi Glasser Art Edition Perfume

A perfect gift for those who appreciate the art of scent would be an Art Edition perfume or personalised candle from ‘The Perfumer’s Story’. Perfumer Azzi Glasser is a magician of scent and the name behind the hugely successful brand. Glasser has just announced a new range of ‘Old Books’ fine home fragrance products including a luxury candle and bespoke room spray and that have been specially designed in collaboration with Johnny Depp’s exhibition in New York ‘A Bunch Of Stuff’. The collaboration is a celebration of artistry, ambition, creativity and innovation all captured through scent.

‘Old Books’ is a classic Azzi aroma, pairing notes of warm Woods and sultry resins with layers of Frankincense, Olibanum and Myrrh underneath to tint the air with heritage, transporting you back in time to a magical attic of overflowing books and timeless knowledge.

Glasser has created perfumes with Antony Gormley for his Royal Academy of Arts exhibition, Philippe Parreno for the Palais de Tokyo in Paris and with iconic photographer Rankin. And she has created a bespoke scent of the Amazon for a multisensory evening of art and music at the Saatchi Gallery to raise funds for SOS Amazonia, AmazoniAlerta and Mothers of the Amazon.

Arms Around the Child Charity Print by Pie Herring

Pie Herring’s new work, completed during an artist’s residency in Ghana includes the recent print SENYA, which captures the vibrant essence of Ghanaian life through vivid colours, rhythmic compositions, and storytelling. Her multi-figured paintings are brimming with cultural activity, blending classical techniques with modern flair, reflecting the richness of her experience in the community. Funds raised from the sale of Herring’s print will go directly to support the children Arms Around the Child look after in Ghana, India and South Africa. Buy the print HERE

Parley for the Oceans Upcycled Ocean Plastic Scarves & Artist Surfboards

Parley was founded in 2012 to shine a spotlight on the fragility and beauty of the oceans and embarked on a mission to end ocean destruction. Parley for the Oceans will reveal new limited-edition scarves designed in collaboration with artists Janaina Tschäpe, Sam Falls, and Thalita Hamaoui at the Art Basel Miami shop in December, and will also showcase artworks and sustainable surfboards by artists including Ed Ruscha, Jenny Holzer and Katharina Grosse in the Art Basel Miami Collector’s Lounge, with proceeds benefiting the Parley Foundation and supporting their ongoing ocean conservation efforts.

ARTHOUSE

Charity ARTHOUSE offers a range of products including hand-painted mugs, tea towels and chocolates with Willy Wonka-esque golden wrapping. The ARTHOUSE creations platform the artistic talents of adults living with diverse learning and physical disabilities. ARTHOUSE organise inclusive art sessions providing a safe and collaborative space where artists can express themselves freely, with a goal of empowering each artist and fostering a sense of pride in the work created. 100% of sales from the ARTHOUSE shop help to sustain the charity.

OHUHU Water-based Markers

OHUHU have launched a new line of water-based markers suitable for bullet journals, and their no-peel markers come with a brush and fineliner dual tips in a rainbow of 60 colors. OHUHU’s belief is that everyone can draw, and they have a huge range including a markers gift box set is perfect for adults or children who love doodling, drawing or journalling.

Rob and Nick Carter Limited Edition Print

Rob and Nick Carter have created a limited-edition print inspired by Dutch and Flemish still life paintings for their new exhibition ‘A Closer Look’. My personal favourites are a suitably festive image of ‘Mulberries after Jacob van Hulsdonck’ (2024) and a timeless image of a Sunflower titled ‘Sunflower after Maria van Oosterwijck’, (2024).

The Carters’ latest work dissects traditional Dutch and Flemish still life’s, isolating intricate details and presenting them against a black void. This stark backdrop amplifies the tension between the objects and their lost context, echoing the allegorical depth of Golden Age art. Limited edition prints can be ordered direct from the artists and they are offering a special holiday discount with code FORBES10.

Nettie Wakefield and Mark Hix

Chef Mark Hix first collaborated with artist Nettie Wakefield on his last book ‘Hooked – Adventures in Angling and Eating’. Hix and Wakefield have teamed up again on a visual project that brings art and food together, with a collection of 28 limited edition prints of fish and shellfish drawn by Wakefield to illustrate Hix’s seafood recipes. The duo were inspired by the Andy Warhol’s illustrated book ‘Wild Raspberries’, and the prints are made in London’s Jealous Print Studio.

Kristjana S Williams

Multidisciplinary artist Kristjana S. Williams is inspired by Victorian engravings and her fine art collage pieces, hand cut 3D artworks and illustration are draw on her Icelandic upbringing and love of nature and Victoriana. Williams has translated her designs into homeware including a range of cushions and wallpaper that bring her flora and fauna infused designs into the home. Since 2013 she also designs globes which are made by an award winning globe maker based on the Isle of Wight, who uses a traditional method of creating globes dating back to 1507.

The Knight Champagne and Coracho Tequila

The Knight Champagne was inspired by Jean Paul Vuillin’s grandfather Paul Eroger Vuillin, who came from a wine-making family in the Arbois and always dreamed of making his own champagne. His grandfather was killed in action during World War II and his grandson set out to create a champagne in his honour.

The Knight Champagne is available via Haus of Spirits, a UK based company that sources premium, hand crafted spirits from around the world, and works with high end Tequila brand Coracho, which unites unique flavors from the valley of Jalisco and the sea of Nayarit—the largest blue agave producing region—to create an unparalleled taste of the land of the Coras and Huichol. Coracho is rooted in a belief of weaving unconventional threads and connections between different people, cultures and flavours.

Libby Heaney Slime Socks

Award winning artist Dr Libby Heaney has a PhD in Quantum Information Science and is known as the first artist to work with quantum computing as a functioning artistic medium. Libby Heaney’s 2024 sculptural installation ‘Ent- (non-earthly delights)’ was exhibited in London’s Regent’s Park during Frieze this year as part of the sculpture park, and featured an augmented reality (AR) experience which highlights the transformative potential of our forthcoming quantum future.

Slime is a reoccurring motif in Heaney’s work, characterizing the unstable nature of all things and the self and symbolising potentiality and transformation. Heaney’s Slime Socks are an arty alternative for festive stockings this year and there is also a Slime-themed silk scarf and baseball cap.

Abi Palmer ‘Slugs’ : A Manifesto

From slime to slugs with artist Abi Palmer’s book ‘Slugs: A Manifesto’, which explores a creature that survives by being disgusting. Weaving together manifesto, memoir and poetic language, Abi Palmer considers the politics of space, iridescent queerness, and shapeshifting viscous ‘slug time.’ In the face of a potential apocalypse, ‘Slugs: A Manifesto’ envisions a future where humanity becomes just a little more sluglike. If people place orders via Palmer’s website she will send a signed copy with a hand-drawn slug!