Art Work - by Sally Mann (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The much-anticipated new book by artist Sally Mann about the challenges and transcendent pleasures of the creative process, now a New York Times bestseller

"Erudite, frank, and funny." --Amor Towles, bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow and The Lincoln Highway

Art Work, by photographer and writer Sally Mann, offers a spellbinding mix of wild and illuminating stories, practical (and some impractical) advice, and life lessons.

Written in the same direct, fearless, and occasionally outrageous tone of her bestselling memoir, Hold Still, this new book reaffirms Mann as a unique and resonant voice for our times and is destined to become a classic.

Illustrated throughout with photographs, journal entries, and letters that bring immediacy and poignancy to the narrative, Art Work is full of thought-provoking insights about the hazards of early promise; the unpredictable role of luck; the value of work, work, work, and more hard work; the challenges of rejection and distraction; the importance of risk-taking; and the rewards of knowing why and when you say yes.

In sparkling prose and thoughtfully juxtaposed visuals and ephemera, Art Work is a generous, provocative, and compulsively readable exploration of creativity by one of our most original thinkers.

Review Quotes

"Filled with wisdom, energy and immense hope for what can still be made from a life well lived."

-- "THE WASHINGTON POST"

"It is laugh-out-loud funny. It's irreverent. And it's refreshingly practical as she guides the reader through her experience and process of being an artist."

-- "THE CULTURE SHOW PODCAST"

"Profane, literary, adventuresome."

-- "THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW"

"Candid, kickass, and wise . . . As she recounts crucial moments of serendipity and misery, mistakes and breakthroughs with verve, precision, rueful self-critiques, and spirited insights, Mann is galvanic, funny, and profound."-- "BOOKLIST"

"I love this book. It's not just about art--if anyone's asking me--it's about being a human. And it is really wise about that business."-- "JAMES REBANKS, bestselling author of The Shepherd's Life"

"If it's possible to learn fearlessness--or cussedness or dust-yourself-offedness or stick-to-itiveness--Sally Mann is the one who could teach it to you. Sally Mann may be the only one who could teach it to you. This book will make you brave."-- "MARGARET RENKL, bestselling author of The Comfort of Crows"

"In this erudite, frank, and funny book, Mann gives us wonderful new insights into her photography and her life as an artist. Full of inspiration and sage advice, it should be required reading for young artists setting out to work in any medium."-- "AMOR TOWLES, bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow and The Lincoln Highway"

"Mann is a clear-eyed, self-deprecating guide, framing her many mistakes as part of a lifelong creative practice. In the process, she reminds readers that there's nothing static about still photography. This entertains as much as it enlightens."-- "PUBLISHERS WEEKLY"

About the Author

Sally Mann is a Guggenheim Fellow and three-time recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. She was named "America's Best Photographer" by Time in 2001. In 2021, she received the Prix Pictet and was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame. She has been the subject of two documentaries: Blood Ties (1994), which was nominated for an Academy Award, and What Remains (2006), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Emmy for Best Documentary. Mann's Hold Still: A Memoir with Photographs (Little, Brown, 2015) received universal critical acclaim, was a finalist for the National Book Award, and won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. Mann is based in Lexington, Virginia.