No. 1 - First Works by 362 Artists by Francesca Richer and .Matthew Rosenzweig. Thames & Hudson 2006

No. 1 - First Works by 362 Artists by Francesca Richer and .Matthew Rosenzweig. Thames & Hudson 2006

240x200: 424pp. colour and black and white illustrations, Original cloth (Hardback),

Sincere and ironic. Hip and stodgy. Academic still lifes and ready to hang museum pieces. When you ask over 300 artists, "What was your first work of art?" the results are vast. An inspirational collection, No.1: First Works by 362 Artists showcases works by a variety of contemporary painters, photographers, sculptors and filmmakers. The artists were asked to submit what they considered their "first" work of art--not necessarily the first piece they ever created, but the one that first successfully represented who they are as an artist today. Some of the works are first "mature" works, others are seminal or pivotal, others are catalysts, some are new beginnings. These submissions, along with written artists' statements, make up this fascinating look at the process of art-marking. Among the artists included are Vito Acconci, Kutlug Ataman, Fiona Banner, Nayland Blake, Louise Bourgeois, Vija Celmins, Judy Chicago, John Currin, Amy Cutler, Martin Creed, Tacita Dean, Wim Delvoye, Mark Dion, Mitch Epstein, Larry Fink, Tom Friedman, Hans Haacke, Ann Hamilton, Gary Hill, Roni Horn, Callum Innes, Joan Jonas, Anish Kapoor, Mary Kelly, Yayoi Kusama, Alfred Leslie, Glenn Ligon, Barry McGee, Tracey Moffatt, Shirin Neshat, Gabriel Orozco, Roxy Paine, Richard Prince, Dorothea Rockburne, Tom Sachs, Kiki Smith, Pat Steir, Juergen Teller, Fred Tomaselli, Rosemarie Trockel, Tunga, Luc Tuymans, Gus Van Sant, John Waters, John Wesley, Sue Williams, Fred Wilson, Lisa Yuskavage and Andrea Zittel. No.1 is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in art and the process of discovery and creation.