Akademie X

Assembled from the wisdom of 36 legendary art teachers - all of them artists or critics at the top of their field - Akademie X: Lessons in Art + Life is an ideal curriculum for the aspiring artist.

Each of the book's "tutors" has provided a unique lesson that aims to provoke, inspire and stimulate the aspiring artist. These lessons cover some combination of the following: technical advice (e.g. don't make a sculpture bigger than your studio door), assignments (some of which will take five minutes to complete, others five years), tips for avoiding creative ruts (including suggestions for mind‐expanding materials to read, watch or listen to), principles of careful looking (demonstrated with images of artworks, photographs, films or even billboard advertisements), advice on the daily practice of art (how to balance time alone in the studio with building an artistic community), career pointers (how to prepare for a studio visit from a curator or gallerist) and personal anecdotes (e.g. stories from the instructor's own humble beginnings). Taken together, these lessons offer the reader a set of tools for thinking, seeing and living as an artist.

Not only is Akademie X: Lessons in Art + Life the first illustrated text book of its kind for artists, but it will also appeal to anyone interested in contemporary art, providing first hand revelations into the philosophies and techniques of some of the world's best artists and writers.

"Akademie X is an art school without walls. Unrestricted by geography and open to all, it brings together the finest faculty of arts educators from across the globe ... Its tutors have the freedom to instruct and guide according to their individual style, revealing wisdom drawn from their own experiences or setting structured assignments and tasks. They inspire creativity by presenting examples of their work, while their resources lists offer stimulating guidance for self-directed study. Akademie X's educational philosophy is that, above all, students need preparation for professional life--in practical, financial and ideological terms. Here, they can become fully prepared for the real business of being an artist in the fast-changing environment of the contemporary art world"--Pages 2-3.

"Akademie X is a book with seemingly all of the answers." -

--Interview Magazine

"A life book." -

--Juxtapoz

"Crucial wisdom from leading artists and writers - an unprecedented insight into 21st-century knowledge production and life as an artist today." -

--Hans Ulrich Obrist