Exhibitionist

”[A] thoughtful and moving memoir.” —Kate Tuttle, The Boston Globe“A blunt and starkly honest account of a difficult time in [Mendelsund’s] life, it also serves as a poetic meditation on art and expression.” —Columbia Magazine“Utterly mesmerizing … [A] highly immersive, gorgeously packaged work I could not look away from. While it’s deeply reflective and personal, Mendelsund draws the reader in with universal themes such as addiction, family, writing, music, silence, photography, philosophy, and more. This is a work about holding on and letting go.” —Leslie Lindsay, Hippocampus Magazine“It feels impossible not to envy Peter Mendelsund—the man who can do everything, and well. Masterful designer of some of our era’s most recognizable book jackets. Lauded author of fiction, as well as books on graphic design. Creative director of the storied monthly The Atlantic. Accomplished classical pianist. And now, movingly expressive painter … The paintings in Exhibitionist speak eloquently—and obstinately—for themselves.” —Melissa Holbrook Pierson, Hyperallergic“Though reminiscent of Anne Truitt’s published journals (Yield, 2022, etc.), which grapple with art-making and life, and William Styron’s memoir of depression, Darkness Visible (1990), Mendelsund’s book is singular in its quiet wit … His humor, along with full-color reproductions of his startlingly good paintings, is solace from his sadness, both for the author and reader … It is amazing. A kind of alchemical miracle: dilettante into artist, depression into creation, something slapdash into something wonderful. A wry and fearless portrait of depression, and the strange solace of art-making in middle age.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“Novelist and graphic designer Mendelsund blends memoir and visual art in this striking account … In short, percussive micro-chapters (“Unpacked. Searched the property. Sat on the porch steps”), he captures both the drudgery of his condition and the ways art helped alleviate it … Witty, inspiring, and endearingly unpolished, this chronicle of a creative mind learning to heal itself will enchant artists of all stripes.” —Publishers Weekly“With Exhibitionist, Peter Mendelsund paints a vivid and unique portrait of isolation, sometimes with words, sometimes with acrylics, always with warmth.” —Sloane Crosley, author of Grief Is for People“We seldom know what is really going on with people behind the scenes, or the hidden burdens they carry. Mendelsund lifts the curtain in this beautiful, painfully touching chronicle of depression and painting his way through.” —Richard McGuire, author of Here“Exhibitionist is an immersive memoir of depression and art. It is utterly mesmerizing—a work that is at once devastating and hopeful, harrowing and beautiful, revealing and mysterious, yet always searing.” —David Epstein, No. 1 bestselling author of Range

PETER MENDELSUND is the author of seven books, including the novels Weepers, The Delivery, and Same Same and the nonfiction works What We See When We Read, Cover, and The Look of the Book. He is also a renowned cover designer and the creative director of The Atlantic.

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