The Big Three

I guess with all the talk of outrageous art prices, Post-war American Art, my influences and inspirations, etc., etc., I thought it might be worthwhile to mention some of the books that have been invaluable to me as an artist.

The three biggies, besides exhibition catalogues and looking at imagery, are:

-de Kooning: An American Master, by Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan
-Mark Rothko: A Biography, by James E. Breslin
-Jackson Pollock: An American Saga, by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith


There are others that have been interesting (Arshile Gorky; From a High Place) and wonderful (Paul Hayes Tucker’s exhibition catalogue for “Monet in the 20th Century" is amazing), but the three biographies above have helped immensely in my approach to art.

On top of that, all three are a good read— not too heavy on art speak, etc.

Then again, I could make an argument that those three are on my favorite artists all-time all star team (de Kooning would probably play point guard), so I may be a bit biased.