Alex Grey books

June 28, 2006 9:02 PM

I want to buy a book of Alex Grey's book, what's the best "first book" to buy?
posted by pelican to Media & Arts (3 answers total)

It's hard for me to offer an opinion; no matter which you buy first, you will love it and still regret not having the others.

I was given "Sacred Mirrors" as a gift and have been to his chapel several times to see the works in person. I think that "Transfigurations" is thicker, so that's pretty much the only clear advantage it has. "Sacred Mirrors" is mostly based on the works that comprise his chapel-- if you are interested in a more general survey of Grey's work, I guess I'd recommend "Transfigurations".
posted by hermitosis at 10:51 PM on June 28, 2006

I just bought "Transfigurations" and love it. It includes artwork from his entire life, including some dark performance/installation art pieces he did in his 20's. It's fascinating to see how he found his way out of the darkness and developed his signature style.
posted by rhiannon at 12:32 PM on June 29, 2006

Transfigurations is where I would start as well. I have both, but Transfigurations is really a broader collection and is really well produced.

His "Mission of Art" book (without illustrations) is also quite interesting, and not entirely full of crap, which is what I expect from just about any book that claims to define the mission of art.
posted by maldrin at 11:21 AM on April 19, 2007