Letters of Note: Art

by Shaun Usher (Compilation)

A splendid new volume of missives about art, from the author of the bestselling Letters of Note collections.

Vincent Van Gogh curses the stare of the blank canvas. Salvador Dali contemplates mailing a piece of his 'lobster-colored pajamas' to Federico Lorca. Hollis Frampton, to the MoMA, demands that artists be paid. The dean of students at San Francisco Art Institute argues to Alicia McCarthy, in very stern words, that graffit is not art but, rather, a "pain in the ass." In a letter to the editor, Martin Scorsese defends and celebrates Fellini's filmmaking. This collection celebrates extraordinary correspondence about art, from missives on the agony of being overlooked, the ecstacy of producing work that excits, to surprising sources of inspiration and rousing manifestos. These thirty letters show us the many ways that art and life can intersect, and what we talk about when they do.

Includes letters from Carl Jung, Mary Cassatt, Mark Rothko, Oscar Wilde, Frida Kahlo, Mick Jagger, and more.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art, Audiobook, Art History, Philosophy, History

144 pages, Paperback

Published March 5, 2020

About the author

Shaun Usher is a writer, editor, and compulsive collector of remarkable words. He is the author of Letters of Note, an international bestseller that began life as a blog and grew into a celebrated series of books and inspired the live stage show Letters Live, which he has co-produced since 2013. He has published 16 books so far, covering everything from love and grief to music, dogs, and outer space, and in October 2025 will release his 17th, Diaries of Note: 366 Lives, One Day at a Time, a curated journey through a year’s worth of diary entries from history. He lives in Manchester with his wife, Karina, and their three children.

Reviews

[AcademicEditor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book begins: "Think of this book as a gallery. Better still, a private gallery that fits in your pocket, with no rules to speak of. Yes, you can touch the exhibits. Of course you can take photos with the flash on. And no, you are not required to speak quietly..." That is a fitting way to approach these recorded words, which offer insights into the people who wrote them and the world in which they fit. The letters are also astonishingly relevant to issues today: Native American artist Oscar Howe responds to the prejudiced pigeonholing of his art not being "in the traditional style of Indian painting" and Artemisia Gentileschi pushes back against a client trying to pay her less because she is a woman. Hollis Frampton rails against the MFA for wanting to exhibit his work "for love" and not pay him, a familiar problem for modern artists paid only in exposure.

In sum, this book would be a great addition to any collection of works on art and creativity.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital ARC for the purpose of an unbiased review.

[Phillip Marsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great. A slight gripe in that this book doesn’t have any copies of the original letters as the first letters of note book I read did; I missed that.

[Becky Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, interesting and insightful. An enjoyable read.

[Yasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened on audio.

Highlights include

• Sanjeev Bhaskar and Noel Fielding reading as Dali

• Ian McKellan reading as Kurt Vonnegut

• Mark Strong reading as Martin Scorsese

• Toby Jones reading as Karl Jung

• Stephen Fry reading as Matisse

And Meera Syal

[Jami M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isn’t it great when you stumble across something you didn’t know you needed? I listened to this audiobook and at the end thought to myself, how have I not listened to this sooner. Why did I not listened to this sooner. Why???

Amazing voice actors reading letters from artists and creators from recent history. Gah! I just really enjoyed this. What a fantastic surprise. The art historian in me is totally thrilled.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Artists are nut jobs

[Jake Cooper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Apparently bouncing unexpectedly around topics and emotional gravities was one of the joys of the original (non-topical) Letters of Note.

[Jade O'Donohue · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Draw things that have some meaning to you. An apple, what does it mean?
The object drawn doesn't matter so much. It's what you feel about it, what it means to you.
A masterpiece could be made of a dish of turnips.
Draw, draw hundreds of drawings.
Try to remain humble. Smartness kills everything.
The object of art is not to make salable pictures.
It is to save yourself.”

- Sherwood Anderson

[Cinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so brilliantly alive. It screams at you, whispers to you, coddles you, urges you, begs you to DO. To do art for art’s sake. To do art as sustenance. To do art. To do. Do. If you find yourself in creative block, this book is exactly what you need.

[Robyn Roscoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this book in order to satisfy the languishing category of "art" for this year's list. This little book of letters was delightful but very light. I think perhaps that artists - especially painters and sculptors - are not especially good writers. The best letters here are those from Oscar Wilde (of course), Martin Scorsese, and Frida Khalo (which I imagined being read by Salma Hayak). The letters show artists in not-the-best light, as petty or petulant, with lots of complaints and very little collaboration. I'm sure these are selected to be entertaining in that way, but I didn't find that I learned much about art or the artists here.

The Letters of Note books have evolved into compendiums like this one and the Letters Live events, where letters are "read" or rather acted out. Those that I've seen are very entertaining and moving and thoughtful. Perhaps, like poetry, they are better aloud.

Fate: another one for the little book library.

[🌶 peppersocks 🧦 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reflections and lessons learned:
“I’ve walked over ground all seeing what makes up that colour... light makes so much difference...”

Scorsese letter to a newspaper re Fellini, Jagger and Escher interchange, an angry Kahlo letter to a lover, Noel Fielding matching in with the bonkers Dali brilliance in performance (donkey obsessed!) and a short Kurt Vonnegut penned wondrous overview on art. Especially within this collection is the obvious leveller of this form of communication - a letter puts us all on an equal footing in terms of paper and pen and the choice of information that we convey is what drives it

“Art is an adventure into an unknown world”
Rothko and Gottlieb

Ps, What is the plural of haggis?

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartening & inspirational collection of letters from/to artists, throughout the historic past & into the most recent present, which show their very human concerns, fears, joys, principles, opinions & desires. Letters 15 & 20 struck me hard, in them the discussions on cultural diversity & the representation of women are still relevant.

[Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great entry in the Letters of Note series, but certainly reminded me why I sometimes think artists are up themselves. Fascinating reading. Some artists went WAY overboard in the discussion of the process and the result. Nonetheless, recommended reading from me.

[Corrie Isla McLaren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful little book of letters about art. Some very creative, insightful and inspirational letters. Great book to go back to again and again. Loved it!

[Teresa Heffernan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!

[Kori May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this!!

Been going through a bit of a creative dry spell and I found this has inspired me to 'get back in the horse' and for that, I would recommend this collection to everyone.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat interesting depending upon the artist. An artist’s retort or answer to expectations of their art pieces.

[Ashlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those books that I didn't know how much I needed to read it until I read it!

[Tonie Hewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook.
A must for any art lover!

[Beatriz]

really enjoyed Sol's letter to Eva Hesse and found Frida Kahlo's letter the most amusing of all!

[Fală Victor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unele sunt adevărate perle !

[Iuliana Naughton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some real gems in this collection, particularly loved the letters from MC Escher, Frida Kahlo, Dali and Kurt Vonnegut. The amazing cast of narrators really enhance these letters.

[Darareads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stuff.

[Gabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solider collection with helpful contextual notes.