Without a trace of nostalgia and with great enthusiasm, the artist—now well over eighty years old—recalls his life, his work,

and his encounters with teachers and fellow artists, including Max Beckmann, Brancusi, Léger, and Vantongerloo, whom he visited weekly in Paris for a time to watch him paint. The centerpiece of the book is a series of painted-over and collaged postcards from the years 1949–1984, which he is releasing from his archive for publication for the first time. Through these “memories,” he explores his artistic credo and his development as an “artistic manifesto.” He discusses his interest in architecture, the painters who influenced him, and even his design for the World Trade Center. It is the positive attitude of this great maverick in the art of the past 70 years that transforms this small book into a grand literary journey.
Ellsworth Kelly, now more than eighty-five years old, reminisces with great enthusiasm and not a hint of nostalgia about his life, his work, and his encounters and experiences with teachers and colleagues. These include Max Beckmann, Brancusi, Léger, and Vantongerloo, whom he visited weekly while in Paris to watch him paint. Central to the book is a series of painted-over and collaged postcards dating from 1949 to 1984, which Kelly has released for publication for the first time. Through these “recollections,” he discusses his artistic credo and the development of an artistic manifesto.