Lives of the Artists: Portraits of Ten Artists Whose Work and Lifestyles Embody the Future of Contemporary Art

by Calvin Tomkins

Whether writing about Jasper Johns or Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman or Richard Serra, Calvin Tomkins shows why it is both easier and more difficult to make art today. If art can be anything, where do you begin? For more than three decades Calvin Tomkins’s incisive profiles in The New Yorker have given readers the most satisfying reports on contemporary art and artists available in any language. In Lives of the Artists ten major artists are captured in Tomkins’s cool and ironic style to record the new directions art is taking during these days of limitless freedom. As formal technique and rigorous training continue to fall away, art has become an approach to living. As the author says, “the lives of contemporary artists are today so integral to what they make that the two cannot be considered in isolation.” Among the artists profiled are Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst, the reigning heirs of deliberately outrageous art that feeds off the allegedly corrupting influences of capitalist glut and entertainment; Matthew Barney of the pregenital obsessions; Cindy Sherman, who manages multiple transformations as she disappears into her own work; and Julian Schnabel, who has forged a second career as award-winning film director. Tomkins shows that the making of art remains among the most demanding jobs on earth.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Biography, Essays, Art History, Biography Memoir, Grad School

272 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 2008

About the author

Calvin Tomkins has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1960. He wrote his first fiction piece for the magazine in 1958, and his first fact piece in 1962. His many Profile subjects have included Marcel Duchamp, John Cage, Robert Rauschenberg, Merce Cunningham, Buckminster Fuller, Philip Johnson, Julia Child, Georgia O’Keeffe, Leo Castelli, Frank Stella, Carmel Snow, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Frank Gehry, Damien Hirst, Richard Serra, Matthew Barney, and Jasper Johns. He wrote the Art World column from 1980 to 1988. Before joining The New Yorker, he was a general editor of Newsweek, a post he held from 1957 through 1959. In 1955, he joined Newsweek as an associate editor. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including “The Bride and the Bachelors,” “Merchants and Masterpieces,” “Living Well Is the Best Revenge,” “Off the Wall,” “Duchamp: A Biography,” and “Lives of the Artists.” A revised edition of his Duchamp biography came out in 2014.

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

A revealing compilation of essays on several prominent contemporary artists. I liked Tomkins' personal, conversational approach and general lack of judgment, but I would have liked a wider variety of subject matter. 10 different artists and only one woman, no people of color, and no one from outside of the American/European tradition- that seems narrow-minded to me.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this book I have a new found appreciation for Damien Hirst, more respect for Cindy Sherman, a reaffirmation of supreme apathy for Matthew Barney, a fascination of Maurizio Cattelan, and would someone please tell Jeff Koons to go away already.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

While these profiles give you a peek into the lives of some amazing Contemporary artists, I wish that more female artists would have been profiled in this book.

[Megangoldberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way you make me laugh makes me want to lose myself in you entirely. Let's see where that feeling leads, shall we?

[Duc · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book confirmed that Richard Serra is a total Dick head. And I mean that as a compliment to the author for making it obvious in each paragraph. If you are a great artist you too can get away with this The title borrows from the classic Giorgio Vasari's 'Lives of the Artist'. Tomkins work allows him intimate access to the house and studios of these fine artists. The writing seems less serious then Vasari's. I attempt to read it long ago but it proved to be a snooze-fest. Perhaps I'll try to read it again.
Dare I say that Tomkins work is more 'Chatty' meaning less formal compare to Vasari but that's the times that these artists live in. What was not consider as art during Vasari's time is now art. For example, Serra's empty steel cages with objects in them. New materials have arrived since then such as tires, rubbers, and Core Ten steel. While Johns goes back to the ancient's method of Encaustic, his subject matter is contemporary: maps, arabic numbers, and targets. So to say that the writing is 'Chatty' is not a total loss. It probably adds to the tone. What is art criticism or art reportage now a days when the colloquialism of the blogs attempts to respond to works of art and to get a closer glimpse into the mysterious workings of the artist.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know art is a state of mind, but I've had a hard time understanding conceptual art. This book shows how conceptual artists take an idea and run with it, haphazardly, skillfully, lucratively -- confidently calling their escapades art. They are artists. They make art.
Painting -- been done, done, done...sculpture from stone -- so yesterday! But hey, I've got an idea! Float a dead shark in formaldehyde ... stick a circle of dead butterflies onto the wall ... consider ways to channel the elusive element of light .... take a series of selfies, wearing a different get-up in each ... and best of all, SELL it for big money. That manipulation of the market becomes art too.
I liked this well-written introduction to new art that is old enough to have made it.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valuable to me for the sections about Richard Serra,
James Turrell and Jasper Johns, the three (of the ten
artists featured) who particularly intrigue me. I
skimmed the other sections with less interest, but
do consider this a useful compilation of Tomkins's
articles from the New Yorker. (I'd have called it
"Lives of Some Artists," though.)

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Calvin Tomkins writes reviews on Art for the New Yorker. This book was a collection of previously printed articles he had done on Contemporary Modern artists. Each artist reviewed was different in their choice of medium, lifestyle, intellectual approach to art. I enjoyed this!

[Misha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good mix of artist interviews. Some better than others, but definitely a few gems in here.

[Marianne Frenhofer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nem todos os artistas desse livro valem a pena, vamos ser sinceros aqui. Mas tem muita coisa boa e é sempre interessante saber como é o processo criativo dos outros.
Agora, você quer uma razão muito forte para ler esse livro? O capítulo sobre JAMES TURRELL. Sinceramente, acho que Turrell é um ET, no melhor dos sentidos. Esse homem ou veio de outro planeta, ou veio do futuro. Porque Roden Crater é uma coisa que a humanidade está longe de alcançar. E saiu tudo daquela cabeça.
Leiam, dêem google no nome dele e em "roden crater", e depois me digam o que acham. E o capítulo sobre ele conta justamente como ele começou a construir aquilo tudo. Essencial para artistas e não artistas que querem ter contato com a obra-prima de um ser extra-terrestre.

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this collection of essays, Calvin Tomkins takes the reader behind the scenes while maintaining enough distance to provide critical assessments. "Behind the scenes" barely describes the access he had to his subjects--he was in their living rooms, in their studios, even at family gatherings. His thoughtful critique adds context to some of the bizarre aspects of contemporary art, and this book gave me a greater appreciation of these artists. It made them more accessible both as artists and as human beings.

[Will Fagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting profiles of some of contemporary art's most talked-about artists.

[Erin Lesica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m surprised I only highlighted 3 things in this book

[Amy in the Desert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and easy to read profiles of contemporary artists. Love his writing

[Lindagriggsart · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book. I don't entirely understand how Calvin Tomkins got such access to the inner lives and family lives of these contemporary artists. I guess that they sense he is not going to be judgmental. In his writing he leaves it the viewer to decide about the artists motives, etc. But even when some belligerent, insecure artist is yelling at Tomkin's wife Tomkins remains objective and sensitive to the artists quirks while honestly relating the circumstances.
It's a very special book that changes your beliefs about people.
I came away from this book with a completely changed view of Jeff Koons, for example. I thought he completely careerist and cold. He is now my hero. I don't like being wrong but I really hate staying wrong. My thanks to Calvin Tomkins for this book.

[Amar Pai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always liked Tomkins's artist profiles for the New Yorker, so I enjoyed reading this collection of some of the more high profile ones. Damien Hirst and James Turrell seem really cool, like they'd be fun to hang out with. Richard Serra and Jasper Johns on the other hand come across as real toolboxes. Serra in particular seems like a major dick.

Oh I guess I should list who's in here

James Turrell
Jasper Johns
Matthew Barney
Cindy Sherman
some italiano whose name escapes me
Damien Hirst
Julian Schnabel
Jeff Koons

Pretty much a who's who of contemporary artists whose work fetches a million zillion bucks! Gerard Richter would be the only one I'd add off top of my head.

Overall a very find read. Well, if you enjoy reading New Yorker artist profiles. (I do)

[Monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book took me a long time to finish, since some parts of this book were more compelling than others. Many of the artists were hard to identify with on a personal level - I almost felt like Tomkins predisposed me to like or dislike the person, based on the way that he described each individual. I felt less inclined to pick up this book if I had to slog through a chapter about an artist whose personality or history was off-putting to me.

In some cases, I feel like I resonate better with the art than the personality or background of the artists that were presented by Tomkins. In other cases, the artists were more interesting to me than the art that they produce.

[Jose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interessante coleção de minibios de artistas plásticos contemporâneos.... Nada em comum entre eles, nehum destino impresso numa grande bússola, a não ser gostos por arte precoces cuja intensidade indica que são bençãos do espaço sideral.

Destacaria a minibio de John Curry como uma das mais interessantes por desenrolar as inspirações e técnicas de um artista simplesmente figurativo - tão pouco escultórico, ou criador de instalações, vídeos, filmes.... com outros...

Pode-se sentir a presença de Duchamp, sobre quem o escritor escreveu outra biografia também muito boa.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of essays about contemporary artists (I've marked with an asterix those I didn't previously know). Tomkins made me appreciate more the work of some artists that I hadn't liked. He couldn't do it with Koons--I really dislike his work. But Tomkins is a good art reporter--he gives a very good sense of the artist's life and method of working without judgment.
Damien Hirst
Cindy Sherman
Julian Schnabel
Richard Serra
James Turrell *
Matthew Barney *
Maurizio Cattelan *
Jasper Johns
Jeff Koons
John Currin *

[Randall]

I always enjoy what my favorite artists are like as people as well as artists, and this book provided great insights into Jasper Johns, Damien Hirst, and Julian Schnabel in particular. I wonder now if Hirst's genius is connected to his desire to remove his trousers in public or willingness to destroy his own art so that someone he doesnt like cant have it.

[Shurooq Amin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The insight into the lives of the artists chosen for this book is valid, exciting, relevant. Though I knew about the work of - for example - James Turrell, Richard Serra, Mathew Barney - I was not prepared for the personal accounts of their everyday lives, or of how their thought process began and ended, if ever. I'm inspired by the lives of these artists and would read it again.

[Andrea Paul Amboyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I've decided to write reviews now... If you like visual art, this book is great. Especially if you are kind of curious about artists' lives and you find stories about personal journeys and coming of age extremely motivating. This book has those things. It also talks a great deal about process and media.

If you don't like visual art, I'd suggest another book.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well-written portraits of living visual artists. It was nice to revisit some of these fascinating profiles that I originally read in the The New Yorker. Tomkins has introduced me to some artists I wasn't familiar with (or so I thought) and has caused me to seek out their work, if only out of curiosity.

[Aurelie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a single picture of the artists' art or the artists themselves. The habitual price gouging by Phaidon Press, but they usually try to have some good reproduction of art to justify their prices. Just page after page of text. Makes a great paperweight, but you can find better paperweights that don't make you feel like you were swindled. Just pass on this one.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was entertaining and well written, but it was already too out of date by the time it was published. The author needed to provide more current information from the time when the book was published.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book was like finding an old friend for me. If you have any interest in the art world, this book is full of descriptive stories that gives you incite into who the artist moving the art world today, and what moves them.

[David Macpherson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tomkis just writes so well. I love how he shows the artists. He is always kind to his subjects, that is something you have to accept going in, but the vivd details are so amazing. Just love this writer

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick overview of the lives of a number of well known (read: rich) artists. Tomkins does a good job of talking about their lives and how they live while not getting bogged down in talking about the theory of the work that they make.

[Derick Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book outlining the lives of some of today's biggest artists and the way they became who they are. Very insightful and well written. As an artist living in NYC, this book opened my eyes up to a lot a new and exciting ideas. For a non artist, it might not be as compelling.

[Ryan Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simultaneously intelligent an an ease to read, this book is essential for any art fan. Even those casually interested will find many points of entry in Tomkins' essays.