Most people can name some famous artists and recognize their best-known works. But what's behind all that painting, drawing, and sculpting? What was Leonardo da Vinci's snack of choice while he painted Mona Lisas mysterious smile? Why did Georgia O'Keeffe find bones so appealing? Who called Diego Rivera "e;Frog-Face"e;? And what is it about artists that makes both their work and their lives so fascinatingto themselves, to their curious neighbors, and to all of us? This book presents the humor and the tragedy in twenty artists' lives as no biography has done before.

Most people can name some famous artists and recognize their best-known works. But what's behind all that painting, drawing, and sculpting? What was Leonardo da Vinci's snack of choice while he painted Mona Lisas mysterious smile? Why did Georgia O'Keeffe find bones so appealing? Who called Diego Rivera "e;Frog-Face"e;? And what is it about artists that makes both their work and their lives so fascinatingto themselves, to their curious neighbors, and to all of us? This book presents the humor and the tragedy in twenty artists' lives as no biography has done before.