by ibby
Explore Sofia Coppola’s favorite photography books at the V&A Museum in London—dreamy inspirations shaping her films and visual storytelling.
London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) has always been a sanctuary for design lovers, and one of this year’s exhibitions adds a cinematic twist. On view in the Photography Centre until 22 March 2026, the museum invites visitors to step into the personal library of Sofia Coppola, one of cinema’s most distinctive visual storytellers.
Known for films like The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, and Marie Antoinette, Coppola has long turned to photography for creative fuel. Her shelves hold a carefully curated selection of photobooks that echo her cinematic world, dreamlike palettes, adolescent rites of passage, intimate interiors, and fashion’s quiet performance.
For designers and artists, this show is more than an exhibition: it’s a study in how books can shape visual language across mediums.
The Books That Inspire Coppola
Each book on display mirrors a motif that runs through Coppola’s films. Here are highlights from her selection, each a touchstone for anyone looking to expand their own visual reference library:
William Eggleston, For Now (2010)
A master of color photography, Eggleston’s casual yet evocative images of the American South deeply influenced Coppola’s visual tone.
Find For Now here
Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Stills (2003)
A defining work of staged photography, blending film tropes and self-performance. Coppola calls it “a classic reference.”
Order via Amazon
ADDITIONAL TITLES
Luigi Ghirri, It’s Beautiful Here, Isn’t It? (2008)
Ghirri’s quiet, poetic framing questions how we perceive the world, a subtle dialogue between reality and imagination.
Shop via Rizzoli
Uta Barth, In Between Places (2000)
Dreamy, abstract, and atmospheric, Barth’s book resonates with Coppola’s love of ambiguity.
Available via Biblio
Joseph Szabo, Teenage (2003)
A raw and sensitive look at 1970s adolescence, Szabo’s portraits capture fleeting moments of youth.
Browse Teenage
Andrea Modica, Catholic Girl (2023)
Portraits that explore identity and memory through a lens of tenderness and honesty.
See Catholic Girl
Deanna Templeton, What She Said (2021)
A mix of portraits, flyers, and journals, Templeton builds a visual diary of girlhood.
Buy from MACK
Lee Friedlander, Family (2004)
An unvarnished portrait of family life, personal and poignant.
Available at Fraenkel Gallery
Odile Gilbert, Her Style (2003)
A visual celebration of sculptural hairstyling that inspired Coppola’s Marie Antoinette.
Find through IDEA Books
Anthony Hernandez, Rodeo Drive, 1984 (2012)
A satirical yet stunning take on consumerism and fashion excess.
Purchase at Rizzoli
Why It Resonates
Photobooks and cinema share a rhythm: sequenced images unfolding into narrative. Coppola reminds us that these works are not just visual objects, but collaborations between photographers, editors, designers, and publishers. For the design-minded, the exhibit is a study in sequencing, texture, and storytelling, a reminder that inspiration often lives outside your own medium.
As Coppola herself put it, Eggleston’s colors, Szabo’s teens, and Sherman’s self-portraits have all become visual shorthand in her films.
The lesson is simple: fill your shelves with books that feel alive, and your own work will follow.
Visiting the Exhibition
📍 Photography Centre, Room 98, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
🗓️ On view until 22 March 2026
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