Recommended titles about creative geniuses.
Artists
Adult Nonfiction – 750.92 Rockwell Sol
"Norman Rockwell mingled fact and fiction in paintings that reflected the we-the-people, communitarian ideals of American democracy. Who was this man who served as our unofficial 'artist in chief' and bolstered our country's national identity? Behind the folksy, pipe-smoking façade lay a surprisingly complex figure―a lonely painter who suffered from depression and was consumed by a sense of inadequacy." —Publisher
Adult Nonfiction – 709.2 Vasari Row
"Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574) was a man of many talents—a sculptor, painter, architect, writer, and scholar—but he is best known for Lives of the Artists, the classic account that single-handedly invented the genre of artistic biography and established the canon of Italian Renaissance art." —Publisher
Available from eLibrary resources
"The underground artist and journalist presents a memoir of her years between September 11 and the Occupy movement in New York City to discuss the impact of historical events on her work and her decision to become a witness journalist." —Publisher
Adult Nonfiction – 750.92 Kahlo Her
"An in-depth biography of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo details her haunting and original painting style, her turbulent marriage to muralist Diego Rivera, her association with communism, and her love of Mexican culture and folklore." —Publisher
Adult Nonfiction – 750.92 Goya Hug
"With his salient passion for the artist and the art, Hughes brings Goya vividly to life through dazzling analysis of a vast breadth of his work. Building upon the historical evidence that exists, Hughes tracks Goya’s development from the early works commissioned by the Church, through his long, productive, and tempestuous career at court, to the darkly sinister and cryptic work he did at the end of his life." —Publisher
Adult Nonfiction – 770.92 Mann Man
"In this groundbreaking book, a unique interplay of narrative and image, Mann's preoccupation with family, race, mortality, and the storied landscape of the American South are revealed as almost genetically predetermined, written into her DNA by the family history that precedes her." —Publisher
Adult Nonfiction – 741.5 Eva
"Jack Kirby created or co-created some of comic books’ most popular superheroes, including Captain America, The X-Men, The Hulk, The Fantastic Four, The Mighty Thor, Darkseid, and The New Gods. More significantly, he created much of the visual language for fantasy and adventure comics. This is his story, by one who knew him well—Mark Evanier." —Publisher
Adult Nonfiction – 730.92 Noguchi Her
"A master of what he called 'the sculpturing of space,' Isamu Noguchi was a vital figure for modern public art. Born to an American mother and a Japanese father, Noguchi never felt like he belonged anywhere and spent his life assembling identities in his statues, monuments, and gardens. The result—massive sculptures of interlocking wood, Zen-like gardens of granite, and stone slides—is now seen as a powerful artistic link between East and West." —Publisher
Adult Nonfiction – 759.13 Monet Kin
"The extraordinary story behind the painting of the Water Lilies, chronicling how these entrancing images were produced at a time of terrible private turmoil and sadness and against the backdrop of World War I." —Publisher
Adult Nonfiction – 750.92 Warhol War
"Warhol’s personal view of the Pop phenomenon in New York in the 1960s and a look back at the relationships that made up the scene at the Factory, including his relationship with Edie Sedgwick. In the detached, back-fence gossip style he was famous for, Warhol tells all—the ultimate inside story of a decade of cultural revolution." —Publisher
Adult Nonfiction – 750.92 Turner Moy
"J.M.W. Turner is one of the most important figures in Western art, and his visionary work paved the way for a revolution in landscape painting. Over the course of his lifetime, Turner strove to liberate painting from an antiquated system of patronage. Bringing a new level of expression and color to his canvases, he paved the way for the modern artist." —Publisher
770.92 Maier Ban
"Many people know her as the reclusive Chicago nanny who wandered the city for decades, constantly snapping photographs, which were unseen until they were discovered in a seemingly abandoned storage locker. Soon the whole world knew about her preternatural work, shooting her to stardom almost overnight. Bannos contrasts Maier’s life with the mythology that strangers—mostly the men who have profited from her work—have created around her absence." —Publisher
Artist
750.92 Delany Pea
In 1772, upon the death of her second husband, Mary Delany arose from her grief, picked up a pair of scissors, and, at the age of seventy-two, created a new art form: mixed-media collage. Over the next decade, Mrs. Delany produced an astonishing 985 botanically correct, breathtaking cut-paper flowers, now housed in the British Museum and referred to as the Flora Delanica. As she tracks the extraordinary life of Delany-friend of George Frideric Handel and Jonathan Swift-internationally acclaimed poet Molly Peacock weaves in delicate parallels in her own life and, in doing so, creates a profound and beautiful examination of the nature of creativity and art.
Musicians
Adult Nonfiction – 780.92 Gucci Mane Guc
"For the first time Gucci Mane tells his story in his own words. It is the captivating life of an artist who forged an unlikely path to stardom and personal rebirth. Gucci Mane began writing his memoir in a maximum-security federal prison. Released in 2016, he emerged radically transformed." —Publisher
Adult Nonfiction – 780.92 Springsteen Spr
"Bruce Springsteen describes growing up Catholic in Freehold, New Jersey, amid the poetry, danger, and darkness that fueled his imagination. He vividly recounts his relentless drive to become a musician, his early days as a bar band king in Asbury Park, and the rise of the E Street Band. He also tells for the first time the story of the personal struggles that inspired his best work." —Publisher
Adult Nonfiction – 780.92 Jay-Z Jay
"A collection of lyrics and their meanings that together tell the story of a culture, an art form, a moment in history, and one of the most provocative and successful artists of our time."
Adult Nonfiction – 780.92 Paisley Pai
"Brad Paisley is one of country music’s leading men—admired as a recording artist, a performer, a songwriter, and a guitar slinger. This was not always so. In Diary of a Player, Paisley for the first time fully retraces his entire musical and personal journey to date." —Publisher
Adult Nonfiction – 780.92 Rodgers Rod
"Today's pop music—genre-crossing, gender-bending, racially mixed, visually stylish, and dominated by dance music with global appeal—is the world that Nile Rodgers created. In the 1970s and 1980s, he wrote and produced the songs that defined that era and everything that came after. Here he gives us the behind-the-scenes tales of the songs we all know, and lovingly re-creates the outsider subcultures that live on in the world of pop he helped to set in motion." —Publisher
Adult Nonfiction – 780.92 Schemel Sch
"Patty Schemel's story begins with a childhood surrounded by the AA meetings her parents hosted in the family living room. Their divorce triggered her first forays into drinking at age twelve and dovetailed with her passion for punk rock and playing the drums. By the late '80s she had focused that anger, confusion, and drive into regular gigs with well-regarded bands in Tacoma, Seattle, and Olympia, Washington."
Adult Nonfiction – 780.92 Brownstein Bro
"A narrative of rock guitarist and actor Brownstein's escape from a turbulent family life into a world where music was the means toward self-invention, community, and rescue. Chronicles the excitement and contradictions within the era's flourishing and fiercely independent music subculture, including experiences that sowed the seeds for the popular television series Portlandia years later." —Publisher
Adult Nonfiction – 780.92 Nelson Nel
"The iconic Country Music Hall of Fame artist and 10-time Grammy winner shares the story of his personal life and career, from his early ambitions and indelible relationships through his bankruptcy and founding of Farm Aid." —Publisher
Available from eLibrary resources
"A noted music critic who knew him tells the unvarnished truth about Cash, whose personal life was far more troubled and his artistry much more profound than even his most devoted fans have realized." —Publisher
Adult Nonfiction – 780.92 Smith Smi
"In this tough, tender memoir, singer-songwriter Patti Smith transports readers to what seemed like halcyon days for art and artists in New York, and her new life in Brooklyn with a young man named Robert Mapplethorpe—the man who changed her life with his love, friendship, and genius." —Publisher
Available from eLibrary resources
"The fiercely honest, no-holds-barred autobiography of Billie Holiday, the legendary jazz, swing, and standards singing sensation." —Publisher
Adult Nonfiction – 780.92 Questlove Que
"A punch-drunk memoir in which Everyone's Favorite Questlove tells his own story while tackling some of the lates, the greats, the fakes, the philosophers, the heavyweights, and the true originals of the music world. He digs deep into the album cuts of his life and unearths some pivotal moments in black art, hip hop, and pop culture." —Publisher
Adult Nonfiction – 780.92 Allman All
"For the first time, the author, a rock music icon, and one of the founding members of The Allman Brothers Band, tells the full story of his life and career. No subject is taboo, as one of the true giants of rock 'n' roll opens up about life on the road in one of rock's most legendary bands." —Publisher
Adult Nonfiction – 780.92 Collins Col
"The Genesis front man and successful solo artist presents a reflective memoir that shares insights into the remarkable experiences behind many of his iconic songs and performances, discussing his early years, relationships with fellow artists, and struggles with addiction." —Publisher