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Artists' Letters

Leonardo da Vinci to David Hockney
By Michael Bird
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Check link for latest rating. ( 92 ratings, 26 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Artists' Letters by Michael Bird is an intriguing exploration of the personal correspondence of some of history’s most significant artists. The book delves into how these letters reveal the intimate thoughts, creative processes, and vibrant personalities behind iconic artworks. It provides a unique perspective on the art world, blending historical context with personal insights from the artists themselves.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$4500
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this collection if you're fascinated by the personal thoughts and reflections of renowned artists through their letters. It's an engaging journey into the creative minds and personal lives of artists, offering insights into their inspirations, struggles, and relationships within the vibrant world of arts and culture.

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A treasure trove of noteworthy letters, arranged thematically to provide an insight into the lives and work of great artists.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A treasure trove of carefully selected letters written by great artists, providing unique insight into their characters and a glimpse into their lives. Artists' Letters is a collection of intriguing, entertaining, moving, significant, surprising, witty and insightful correspondence from great artists.

Arranged thematically, it includes writings and musings on love, work, daily life, money, travel and the creative process. On the theme of friendship, for example, letters provide evidence of a creative community between peers, with support and mutual appreciation that helps to dispel the myth of the artist as solitary genius.

Letters between Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin show an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas. We see mutual admiration between Claude Monet and Berthe Morisot, and Picasso's quick notes to Jean Cocteau illustrate their closeness. Letters, some of which include sketches and drawings, are reproduced with the transcript and some background and contextual information alongside.

Artists' Letters includes correspondence from an impressive array of artists such as: Salvador Dali, Goya, Lucian Freud, Vanessa Bell, Michelangelo, Mondrian, Gustav Klimt, Jasper Johns, Edward Burne-Jones, William Blake, Marcel Duchamp, Dorothea Tanning, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Picasso, Mark Rothko, David Hockney, Monet, Marina Abramović, Cindy Sherman, Joseph Cornell, Leonora Carrington, Wang Zhideng, Yayoi Kusama, Yoko Ono, Renoir, Rubens, Eva Hesse, Cy Twombly, Roy Lichtenstein, Mary Cassatt, Jackson Pollock, Leonardo da Vinci, Joseph Beuys, Judy Chicago, Frida Kahlo, Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia O'Keeffe, Auguste Rodin, Camille Claudel, Henry Moore, Joshua Reynolds, Rembrandt, Whistler, Anni Albers, Naum Gabo, Kazimir Malevich, Francis Bacon, Ana Mendieta, Lee Krasner, and Andy Warhol.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Artists' Letters by Michael Bird is praised for its captivating collection of letters that provide insightful glimpses into the artists' lives and thoughts. Readers appreciate how the book allows artists' unique voices to come through, offering both personal and artistic perspectives.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780711288867

Publisher: Quarto Publishing PLC

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 07 September 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Frances Lincoln

Illustration: colour photos

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 7.0mm

Height: 9.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 224

Collections

Arts & Culture Biography & Memoir Journals Michael Bird Non-Fiction Stationery

About the Author

Michael Bird is a writer and art historian. His books include Artists Letters: Leonardo da Vinci to David Hockney (White Lion Publishing, 2019), Studio Voices: Art and Life in 20th-century Britain and The St Ives Artists: A Biography of Place and Time. He is Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the University of Exeter.

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