Petry co-authored "Installation Art" (1994), and Installation Art in the New Millennium (2003), for Thames & Hudson and authored Abstract Eroticism (1996) and A Thing of Beauty is... (1997) for Academy Editions, part of John Wiley & Sons. The Trouble with Michael, a monograph of his current artistic practice was published by ArtMedia Press in 2001. Petry’s current book Hidden Histories: 20th Century Same Sex Male Lovers in the Visual Arts (2004) is the first comprehensive survey of its kind, and accompanies the exhibition Hidden Histories he curated for The New Art Gallery Walsall. His current book Golden Rain Volumes I & II (ISBN 978-0-9557699-3-1) is part of his exhibition of the same name for Ha gample prestegard's exhibition "On the Edge" for Stavanger 2008, European City of Culture. An e-version of the complete book is free to download from the On the Edge site. His work features in the new "Contemporary Glass" book by Black Dog Publishing. Petry is the author of the upcoming book CRAFTY: the art of not making for Thames & Hudson, a 208 page full colour hardback to be published in March 2011.

Petry's new catalogue - The Revenge of the Florist - is available free on download from the Westbrook Gallery.

Petry is also the editor of the series of catalogues for the Royal Academy Schools Gallery catalogues of recent exhibitions. Surfaced: Nayland Blake & Edward Kay, 2008, ISBN 978-0-9557699-5-5Centrifugal: Liliane Lijn & Annabelle Moreau, 2008, ISBN 978-0-9557699-4-8Morphology: Doug Burton & Nicky Hirst, 2008, ISBN 978-0-9557699-2-4Delivery: David Mach & Sally Underwood, 2007, ISBN 987-0-9557699-1-7Decorum: Richmond Burton & Maisie Kendall, 2007, ISBN 978-0-9552577-9-7Recreate: Matthew Darbyshire & Richard Wilson, 2007, ISBN 0-9552577-5-1Uncanny: Jim Coverlley & Kiki Smith, 2006, ISBN 0-9552577-6-XLiquid: Gary Hume & Lynette Yiadom Boakye, 2006, ISBN 0-9552577-5-9Divyesh Bhanderi & Bryan Mulvihill, 2006, ISBN 0-9552577-3-5Baroqueism: Annie Attridge & Jane Simpson, 2006, ISBN 0-9552577-2-7Breathless: Cornelia Parker & Rob Smith, 2006, ISBN 09552577-1-9Unveiled: Nick Fox & Francis Picabia, 2006, ISBN 0-9552577-0-0

Petry is the Director of the MOCA, London Museum of Contemporary Art, and the curator of the Royal Academy Schools Gallery.In addition to temporary exhibitions and installations at several museums and galleries, such as the Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston, Petry’s works are included in public collections throughout the world including the Museum of Arts and Design, New York; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Toledo Museum of Art, the British Museum, London; The National Collection, UK, the Kunst und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublick Deutschland, Bonn, the Bellerive Museum, Zurich, The New Art Gallery Walsall, UK, Rogaland Kunstmuseum, Stavanger, Norway, The Gallery of Art, Legnica, Poland and the Leopold Hoesch Museum, Duren, Germany

n 2009 Petry received a prestigious commission from The IVY Restaurant, London, to make a large scale glass installation called The NETWORK.

In 2010 Petry will be the first Artist in Residence at the Sir John Soane's Museum, London and will undertake a series of in situ exhibitions and events.

Petry has been included in the Glasstress II, exhibition for the 54th Venice Biennale, 2011 and will have a one man show, Michael Petry: The Touch of the Oracle, at the Palm Springs Art Museum, in 2012.