It Speaks to Me

Art that Inspires Artists

Finkel Jori

Imagine your favorite artist leading you through a museum to the very work of art they can't stop thinking about. That's the experience at the heart of It Speaks to Me. In lively and intimate interviews, some of today's most acclaimed artists share the compelling details that make an artwork memorable and meaningful to them. Together these artists bring to life a wide range of museum pieces, from celebrated masterpieces to little-known gems, or from a Rembrandt self-portrait to a social-protest drawing. In the process they remind us of why we look at art at all: to share in the spark of creativity that can jump across countries and centuries and to experience the extraordinary sensation of being inspired. Highlights include: David Hockney on Edgar Degas, Marina Abramovi´c on Umberto Boccioni, Ai Weiwei on a Shang Dynasty jade, Nick Cave on Jasper Johns, Judy Chicago on Agnes Pelton, William Kentridge on Antoine Bourdelle, Luc Tuymans on Jan van Eyck, and Gillian Wearing on Rembrandt.

About the Author

Jori Finkel covers art for The New York Times from Los Angeles and is the West Coast correspondent for The Art Newspaper. She has also written for Artnews, Art in America, Town & Country, and Art+Auction magazine, where she was formerly senior editor, and has contributed to broadcasts on NPR, PBS, and CNN.

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