The Artist in His Studio

World of Art

by Alexander Liberman

Liberman draws on his skill as a photographer and his wide acquaintance with the great modern artists to construct a splendid visual and verbal meditation on art and the act of creation. First serial to Vogue and Vanity Fair. 216 photos, 161 in full color.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Photography

292 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1968

Reviews

[Kerfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took this out of the library for the photos--but Liberman's interviews and observations gave me a lot of insight both into the artists and the author. He sometimes crosses the border from writer into fanboydom but his patience and admiration often result in remarks that show new sides of the artists he profiles.

These are European artists of the 20th century and only two women (Sonia Delaunay and Nathalie Gontcharova) make the cut. Wives and mistresses are often noted approvingly for their quiet and heroic support. Surely there were other women artists who could have been included.

All of the artists were familiar to me, but I did not know that Jacques Villon and Marcel Duchamp were brothers, nor that had had another brother, Raymond Duchamp-Villon, who was also an artist. Most of them have stood the test of time (the first edition of the book was published in 1960) but I was puzzled by many who Liberman did not seek out--Klee, Magritte, Redon, Kollwitz, Josef and Anni Albers to name a few.

I really liked Braque and agree with his statement: "The attempts of the artist should not be to convince people, but to make them reflect."

A book rich in images, words, and life.

[Lauren Parsons · Rating 3 out of 5]

This reminds me of Giorgio Vasari writing about artists, but Liberman actually visited these artists in their studio! A comparative analysis of these two would be really interesting. Liberman provides a bit of background on the artist, what the inside of their studio looks like and how this reflects their art, and includes a brief interview with the artist and what it means to be an artist. Beautiful photographs are also included. It’s a product of its time as well - only male artists are featured, hence the title “in HIS studio”, but still lots to learn about each artist.

[Bindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful photographs. You can see the glimpse of how the everyday life was for some of the famous painter and artists. What they used and how they lived, some famous paints that are in "works in progress" at the time. It was fascinating to turn the pages of Artist In His Studio.

It will be added to my arts book shelf and I got the 1988 copy of this book and super happy about it :)

[Maria Hammon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous view of so many great artists, interviewed and photographed, in their own studios by Alexander Liberman. My daughter found the 1988 edition of this fantastic collection to add to our home library.

[Cindy]

Brilliant pictures and very useful text i.e. descriptions of how Cezanne painted ,t he best wall color for an artists studio ( dove gray ) and how all the stuff fits into the process ....

[Harry Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book that interviews most of the West's preminent 20th C artists in their studios. I only wish that the photos had been larger and better quality.

[Agatha Nettles · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a manly book for sure.
Only gal is Sonia Delaunay.
Really interesting stuff.

[M. Sarki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent revised edition.