The culture Christmas gift guide 2017

HOMEWARE

Hockney: A Bigger Splash towel

Art-loving swimmers will surely appreciate this towel featuring a print of David Hockney’s famous 1967 painting A Bigger Splash. Makes a trip to the municipal baths feel like diving into the infinity pool of a Bel Air mansion. shop.tate.org.uk, £45.

Bauhaus candle

Not all candles have to be twee; this one is staunchly modernist with a bold scent (clove, citrus, plum) to match. made.com, £30.

Matryoshka bears

Do bears hibernate in winter or do they just get sleepy? Scientists are divided. For what it’s worth, these bears nest inside each other.
conranshop.co.uk, £175.

Fender amp Bluetooth speaker

Your dad can live out his Pete Townshend fantasies by blasting Pinball Wizard through this Bluetooth speaker styled like a classic Fender guitar amplifier. Just make sure he doesn’t get carried away and smash it up at the end of the song. shop.fender.com, £310.

Soviet propaganda cushion

To commemorate the centenary of the Russian revolution, someone has turned Anatoli Petritsky’s propaganda poster The Pans Destroy – The Proletariat Creates into a comfy cushion. It’s what Lenin would have wanted. shop.tate.org.uk, £35.

Boba Fett mood light

Avoid succumbing to the dark side with a mood light in the style of Star Wars’ coolest villain, Boba Fett. debenhams.com, £16.

Abstract Aerial Art print

Is it a Rothko? Is it a Riley? No, it’s a photograph of a beach taken by a drone-mounted camera! All the intensity of your 20th-century abstract masters, but at a fraction of the price. abstractaerialart.com, £55.

KITCHENWARE

R2-D2 cafetiere

In a latte far, far away ... After decanting a brew from this R2-D2-shaped coffee press, the morning commute becomes a daredevil mission to destroy the death star. thinkgeek.com, $39.99 (£30).

Music genre mugs

These trendy handleless mugs come emblazoned with a range of music genres, though fans of neo-classical and grindcore may be disappointed. trouva.com, £15.

Prince tea towel

“I would dry for you, darling if you want me to.” trouva.com, £12.50.

CLOTHING

Peter Blake ICA bomber jacket

Pop artist Peter Blake designed this striking bomber jacket in 1978 to raise funds for the ICA. Now the garment has been relaunched in a limited run for the venue’s 70th anniversary – sadly not at 1978 prices, but still good value for a wearable work of art. ica.art/shop, £70.

Father John Misty T-shirt

Sadly the Pure Comedy leggings he was apparently flogging on his last tour appear to have sold out. But lovers of mischievous folk-rock troubadour Father John Misty should be consoled with this self-referential T-shirt. fatherjohnmisty.store, $25 (£19).

Hamilton babygro

Hamilton may be sold out, and it’s not really suitable for the under-twos anyway. But it’s never too early to inculcate a love of musical theatre. What starts with a scream slowly but surely turns into a song... broadwaymerchandiseshop.com, $20 (£15).

ACCESSORIES

Lawrence Weiner human rights necklace

Designed by influential conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner, this aluminium and stainless steel adornment is no mere fashion statement – part of the proceeds go to Human Rights Watch. gemsandladders.com, CHF590 (£450).

Taylor Swift gold snake ring

Taylor Swift is all about owning her narrative. And now her fans can own it too, thanks to an official reproduction of the snake ring she wore in the Look What You Made Me Do video. Jewellery with bite. store.taylorswift.com, $60 (£45).

Yayoi Kusama pumpkin coin purse

One of Yayoi Kusama’s pumpkin sculptures sold for $1.1m recently. Thankfully, this purse is a little cheaper: a piece of iconic pop art that doubles as a handy storage device for pound coins, receipts and fluff.
store.moma.org, $100 (£75).

Aubrey Beardsley Salome scarf

This startling illustration originally accompanied the publication of Oscar Wilde’s Salome in 1894. It makes for a sophisticated if slightly sinister garment, suggesting the wearer is not to be messed with. vam.ac.uk/shop, £85.

Cassette coin purse

A neat reminder of those halcyon days when music meant more than a hastily compiled Spotify playlist. And is there an added layer of knowing retro irony in the fact that, in this age of contactless payment, the coin purse may soon be going the way of the cassette tape? tattydevine.com, £10.

HP Lovecraft Cthulhu balaclava

There has never been much natural crossover between the worlds of HP Lovecraft and crochet – until now. Like a good local pub, this balaclava is scary on the outside, cosy on the inside. amazon.co.uk, £7.99.

Twin Peaks fragrance set

What does Twin Peaks smell like? This fragrance set attempts to distil the essence of David Lynch’s surreal TV masterpiece with perfumes called Future’s Past, The Red Room and World of Blue. Notes of cedarwood, blackcurrent and confusion. store.sho.com, $244 (£184).

Louise Bourgeois eye mask

Inspired by the art – and face – of famous insomniac Louise Bourgeois, this silk eye mask is designed to ease the passage into the land of nod. Whether it will do the same to whoever’s sharing the bed is open to conjecture. shop.tate.org.uk, £28.

TOYS & GAMES

David Shrigley cat toy

This Shrigley-designed soft toy is pointless and proud. Just like a real cat, let’s be honest.
magma-shop.com, £25.

Mozart music box toy

Having trouble getting your kids to engage with any music that isn’t Ed Sheeran or the Frozen soundtrack? Try this Mozart soft toy that doubles up as a music box playing his Rondo for Violin and Orchestra in B-flat Major (presumably not all the way through, but it’s a start). vam.ac.uk/shop, £30.

Superhero comic kit

Holy craft session, Batman – this kit provides everything that caped crusaders both young and old might need to create their own superhero comics. waterstones.com, £12.95.

Celebrity kokeshi dolls

From Dalí to Bowie and Kahlo to Karl (Lagerfeld), there is someone for everyone in this collection of Japanese-style dolls from Danish design house Lucie Kaas. selfridges.com, £35 each.

First Dates board game

Increasingly, Channel 4’s First Dates resembles a gameshow, contestants grappling with a series of blatantly scripted questions in an attempt to win a shared taxi ride to Shoreditch. This board game claims to recreate all the awkwardness of the real thing. Well, it’ll make a change from Monopoly. totally-funky.co.uk, £22.99.

Art Nouveau colour-by-numbers kit

A therapeutic afternoon is guaranteed for ages 9 to 99 with this set of design cards and stickers based on the ravishing art of Gustav Klimt. A slightly safer option than the Egon Schiele colouring book. brightminds.co.uk, £19.99.

BOOKS & MUSIC

Vajournal activity book

Billed as an “interactive diary for feminists”, Isabella Bunnell’s Vajournal is a fun way to fight the patriarchy. amazon.co.uk, £9.95.

Bolshoi Confidential

Behind the pliés and the pirouettes is a fascinating and turbulent story of revolution, revenge and immense physical sacrifice, as told by Simon Morrison. amazon.co.uk, £20 (hardcover)/£9.99 (paperback).

Beatles Christmas records box set

For every year of their existence, The Beatles recorded a special Christmas single for their fan club featuring versions of festive classics, snippets of unreleased compositions and copious larking about. Now they’ve all been reproduced in this 7inch vinyl box set. store.hmv.com, £69.99.

Ian Schrager’s Studio 54 book

A deluxe pictorial history of the legendary Manhattan discotheque, edited by co-founder Ian Schrager. As opulent as Bianca Jagger’s birthday party. amazon.co.uk, £55.

BeyoncéGraphica

Who runs the world? Beyoncé, obviously. This coffee table tome charts her unstoppable rise to the top with a series of photos and fun infographics. asos.com, £20.

Die Hard Christmas storybook

It’s Christmas! Or as John McClane would say, “Yippee-kay-ay, motherfuckers!” This festive picture book retells the story of how our vest-clad hero diffused a tense hostage situation at his wife’s office party – in verse. amazon.co.uk, £12.99.