In My View: Personal Reflections on Art by Today’s Leading Artists

In this splendid tribute to the enduring power of images, art historian Grant, editor of the magazine Tate Etc., gathers the reflections of more than 75 international artists as they contemplate the work of an artist who has inspired and influenced them. American artist Gregory Crewdson picks Edward Hopper’s painting Eleven A. M., because Hopper’s work is “grounded in an American sensibility that deals with ideas of beauty, theatricality, sadness, rootlessness, and desire.” When Portuguese artist Julião Sarmento looks at Eugène Delacroix’s painting Louis d’Orleans Showing His Mistress, it allows him to “breathe when I am breathless, allows me to rediscover the mysteries of seduction and the audacity in painting.” In a moving story of transformation, Swiss artist Thomas Hirschhorn recalls seeing Andy Warhol’s 129 Die in Jet—a moment of grace and solitude. Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper so influenced Chinese artist Zhang Huan that he remade the painting using incense ash. This impressive collection reminds us of the power of great art to inspire and change us. 152 illus. (Sept.)