Listmania!
Artists in their own words
By an Amazon.com customer
The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini (Penguin Classics)The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini (Penguin Classics) by Benvenuto Cellini
Buy new: $10.55 / Used from: $1.61
A remarkble goldsmith and sculptor of Renaissance Italy - maybe almost as remarkable as he thought himself.
Daphnis and Chloe (Pegasus Library Paperback Editions)Daphnis and Chloe (Pegasus Library Paperback Editions) by Longus
Buy used from: $0.77
Barely qualifies as writing by an artist, except that Chagall's sequence of lithos has such strong narrative value.
Camille: The Life of Camille Claudel, Rodin's Muse and MistressCamille: The Life of Camille Claudel, Rodin's Muse and Mistress by Reine-Marie Paris
Buy used from: $2.50
Contains some of the letters from and regarding her long years confined. Not much about her art, though.
Letters of Gustave CourbetLetters of Gustave Courbet by Gustave Courbet
Buy new: $91.00 / Used from: $35.00
Maybe for the completist only - a lifetime of letter-writing.
Dali on Modern Art: The Cuckolds of Antiquated Modern ArtDali on Modern Art: The Cuckolds of Antiquated Modern Art by Salvador Dali
Buy new: $5.95 / Used from: $1.00
Salvador Dali never ran short of opinion, especially on the topic of Salvador Dali. In among the Dalinian excesses of verbiage, he exposes his thoughts on the art of his day.
Diary of a GeniusDiary of a Genius by Salvador Dal
Buy used from: $12.99
More of Dali on Dali. Writing as surreal as hist art, always enjoyable. He wrote lots more, too, but I have to leave room for other artists.
Leonardo's NotebooksLeonardo's Notebooks by Leonardo da Vinci
Buy new: $26.40 / Used from: $9.11
Personal records of a personal favorite
Painting and the Journal of Eugene DelacroixPainting and the Journal of Eugene Delacroix by Michele Hannoosh
Buy used from: $99.95
As it says: extracts from his personal journal. There is some startling prescience here, including hints that sound like linked web pages.
Erte: My Life, My ArtErte: My Life, My Art by Erte
Buy new: $195.00 / Used from: $10.00
Wonderful, recognizable Art Deco fashionisto and designer
Escher on Escher: Exploring the InfiniteEscher on Escher: Exploring the Infinite by Maurits Cornelis Escher
Buy new: $13.46 / Used from: $0.01
A nice presentation of some of his writing. This includes a lecture that was never given, complete with the artworks that went wtih it. Brief and enjoyable.
Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old MastersSecret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters by David Hockney
Buy used from: $17.85
I admit I'm not nuts about Hockney's work, but he does have a well-trained eye. This is an interesting (if contentious) analysis of Old Masters' technology and technique.
An Essay on TypographyAn Essay on Typography by Eric Gill
Buy used from: $4.00
An essay on type design (and whatever else crossed his mind) by the creator of Gill Sans and many others.
Holy Tradition of Working: Passages from the Writings of Eric GillHoly Tradition of Working: Passages from the Writings of Eric Gill by Eric Gill
Buy used from: $19.90
Brilliant. Defines work not only as livelihood and art, but as communitarian and religious duty.
Concerning the Spiritual in ArtConcerning the Spiritual in Art by Wassily Kandinsky
Buy new: $5.95 / Used from: $0.84
Obscure at times, but passionate and filled with personal symbols.
Diary of Frida Kahlo (Abradale Books)Diary of Frida Kahlo (Abradale Books) by Carlos Fuentes
Buy used from: $4.66
Haven't read this one yet, since I'm not much of a Kahlo fan, but sounds good.
Diary and Letters of Kaethe KollwitzDiary and Letters of Kaethe Kollwitz by Kaethe Kollwitz
Buy new: $19.77 / Used from: $6.68
A loving tribute to a loving, profound woman. Her art is the most moving kind, and this shows that it's an honest representation of Kollwitz herself.
Persistence of Memory: A Personal Biography of Salvador DaliPersistence of Memory: A Personal Biography of Salvador Dali by Amanda Lear
Buy used from: $18.37
Best known as a disco singer, this is Amanda's memoir of years as a hanger-on to Dali
Henri Matisse: Jazz (Pegasus Library)Henri Matisse: Jazz (Pegasus Library) by Henri Matisse
Buy used from: $8.00
Not so self-conscious, this integrates calligraphy with Matisse's cutouts
Natural Reality and Abstract Reality: An Essay in Trialogue Form/1919-1920Natural Reality and Abstract Reality: An Essay in Trialogue Form/1919-1920 by Piet Mondrian
Buy used from: $4.85
Piet Mondrian expresses his thoughts (or tries to) on esthetics, architecture, and what mankind should (or must) become.
Munch: In His Own WordsMunch: In His Own Words by Poul Erik Tojner
Buy used from: $5.37
Not an easy man, but an incredibly expressive artist. His woodcuts deserve to be much better known.
Andrew Wyeth: AutobiographyAndrew Wyeth: Autobiography
Buy new: $19.79 / Used from: $10.89
Not really an autobiography, but Wyeth's own comments on selections from his ouvre, spanning more than half a century.
Complete Poems and Selected Letters of MichelangeloComplete Poems and Selected Letters of Michelangelo by Michelangelo Buonarroti
Buy new: $25.60 / Used from: $3.70
Poet, on top of everything else? Wow.
Dear Theo: The Autobiography of Vincent Van GoghDear Theo: The Autobiography of Vincent Van Gogh
Buy new: $11.56 / Used from: $0.92
Not really a straight autobiography, but a huge collection of letters from Vincent to his brother, Theo. Heartbreaking.
Picasso On Art (Da Capo Paperback)Picasso On Art (Da Capo Paperback) by Dore Ashton
Buy new: $16.95 / Used from: $3.30
Anyone "on art" will be a bit pretentious - like this. Still, some interesting insights about this modern master.
Nature's Workshop: Renoir`s Writings on the Decorative ArtsNature's Workshop: Renoir`s Writings on the Decorative Arts by Professor Robert L. Herbert et al.
Buy used from: $0.17
Thoughts of a defining Impressionist
Point and Line to Plane (Dover Books on Art History)Point and Line to Plane (Dover Books on Art History) by Wassily Kandinsky
Buy new: $9.95 / Used from: $1.24
More by the eloquent ex-lawyer.
The Gentle Art of Making EnemiesThe Gentle Art of Making Enemies by James M. Whistler
Buy new: $11.01 / Used from: $2.66
An instructive work by a man who had mastered the art
BoundariesBoundaries by Maya Lin
Buy used from: $3.73
A gentle and very contemporary voice, her own description of her work.
In His Own WriteIn His Own Write by John Lennon
Buy new: $11.48 / Used from: $9.15
Write on! Also: write, Ono!
The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for LifeThe Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp
Buy new: $17.15 / Used from: $4.98
Tharp shows how to make creativity a reliable, predictable skill. As good for scientists as for any kind of artist - maybe even dancers.
To Myself: Notes on Life, Art and ArtistsTo Myself: Notes on Life, Art and Artists by Odilon Redon
Buy used from: $50.00
Another one I haven't read yet - does he speak in the same nightmare terms that he paints in?
A Complete Course of Lithography (Da Capo Paperback)A Complete Course of Lithography (Da Capo Paperback) by Alois Senefelder
Buy used from: $5.00
Litho by the man who invented litho. Fascinating as history, but of limited use to the practitioner
The New Typography (Weimar and Now: German Cultural Criticism)The New Typography (Weimar and Now: German Cultural Criticism) by Jan Tschichold
Buy new: $23.07 / Used from: $19.95
Famous rant by a founder of Swiss School typography
Salome/ Under the Hill: Oscar Wilde/Aubrey Beardsley (Creation Classics)Salome/ Under the Hill: Oscar Wilde/Aubrey Beardsley (Creation Classics) by Oscar Wilde
Buy used from: $1.99
Oscar Wilde lives up (or down) to his reputation in "Salome", and Aubrey Beardsley outdoes Wilde's reputation in "Under the Hill." Not for the delicate reader.
Frank Lloyd Wright: An AutobiographyFrank Lloyd Wright: An Autobiography
Buy new: $16.47 / Used from: $16.00
Great artist, middling engineer. 'Of course it leaks, that's how you know it's a roof.'
News from Nowhere and Other Writings (Penguin Classics)News from Nowhere and Other Writings (Penguin Classics) by William Morris
Buy new: $10.88 / Used from: $3.01
William Morris expounds on socialism in fiction and essays. He also published a fair bit of fantasy, as well.
20th Century Artists on Art20th Century Artists on Art by Dore Ashton
Buy used from: $0.74
Broad, lots of artists represented, but not enough room for any one artist to get beyond a sound-bite or two.