Secret Lives of Great Artists: What Your Teachers Never Told You About Master Painters and Sculptors [Paperback]

Elizabeth Lunday (Author), Mario Zucca (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2008

With outraeous anecdotes about everyone from Leonardo (alleged sodomist) to Caraviaggio (convicted murderer) to Edward Hopper (alleged wife beater), Secret Lives of Great Artists recounts the seamy, steamy, and gritty history behind the great masters of international art. You’ll learn that Michelangelo’s body odor was so bad, his assistants couldn’t stand working for him; that Vincent van Gogh sometimes ate paint directly from the tube; and Georgia O’Keeffe loved to paint in the nude. This is one art history lesson you’ll never forget!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Elizabeth Lunday is a journalist specializing in architecture and art. She writes the “Masterpieces” column for mental_floss magazine and lives in Fort Worth, Texas. 

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Quirk Books (July 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159474257X
• ISBN-13: 978-1594742576
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #241,965 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Secret lives, January 27, 2009

By 

Lisa M. Biddle (jackson, nj usa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secret Lives of Great Artists: What Your Teachers Never Told You About Master Painters and Sculptors (Paperback)

Not too bad. It's like an art history review with some extra tips you don't learn in class. The really juicy parts don't have too much detail though, unfortunately.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of Secret Lives of Great Artists, September 3, 2008

By 

Johanna Stanton - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secret Lives of Great Artists: What Your Teachers Never Told You About Master Painters and Sculptors (Paperback)

This is not only a well-researched book about the great art masters' lives but also a book full of laugh-out-loud humor. Who knew, as pointed out on page 48, that several of Michelangelo's assistants quit during the four years it took to complete the ceiling of the Sistine chapel - "..hardly suprising since the team lived together and shared a single bed. Since Michelangelo believed bathing was bad for his health, the staff may have been eager to make for the door as soon as possible."

Recommended for serious art history students, teachers, and those of us that just enjoy funny stories.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Secrets we actually do kind of know already...Theres my twelve bucks down the drain...., December 12, 2009

By 

ark "ariel" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secret Lives of Great Artists: What Your Teachers Never Told You About Master Painters and Sculptors (Paperback)

I have just finished my book after reading it for mmm... maybe half a day. I have to say I had high hopes for this book at first glance. I really wanted to see what kind of dirt the writer had to offer. And I have to say that I was none to impressed with the research. I mean the title itself is a little misleading. But perhaps its because I majored in Art and am teaching it myself. But while reading the book, I felt as if the writer could have put more effort into "finding out secrets" instead of just reitterating the ones we already know. Yes she put together a nice short summary for each artist, but the illustrations in the book were probally the only interesting parts of this book. If I had wanted a short biography of each artist, this book would have been great. If your looking for more than what you learned in your College Art History classes or from Wikipedia, this book is not for you.