“I do not think it is an exaggeration to say that this publication—lovingly and discreetly edited by the artist’s son, Christopher Rothko—is a major event, for to open The Artist’s
Reality is to discover buried treasure. This is a fully worked-out theory of art, written by an essential American painter at the very dawn of his artistic maturity.”—Jed Perl, New
Republic
“[The Artist’s Reality]shows an artist looking back to the entire past of art, and a few contemporary manifestations of it, in order to project himself forward from being a minor
provincial artist into one whose work is sought after throughout the world.”—John Golding, New York Review of Books
“The book broaches a poetics of space that would finally place Rothko’s art among the more uncommon visual achievements of the 20th Century.”—David Anfam, The Art Newspaper
Published by Yale University Press in the fall of 2004 to critical acclaim, The Artist’s Reality is now available in paperback. Probably written around 1940–41, this revelatory book
discusses Rothko’s ideas on the modern art world, art history, myth, beauty, the challenges of being an artist in society, the true nature of “American art,” and much more. The Artist’s
Reality alsoincludes an introduction by Christopher Rothko, the artist’s son, who describes the discovery of the manuscript and the complicated and fascinating process of bringing the
manuscript to publication.
