As a child, Josef Albers loved to watch his handyman father paint houses.When Josef grew up and became an artist, he reduced each image to its simplest shapes, breaking it down into blocks of color.

He made an incredible discovery: he could alter the entire mood of a painting just by changing the way he combined the colors! Josef spent his entire life studying color, and what he found revolutionized the way people look at art.

“An accessible and lively introduction to this artist and to color theory.”—Publishers Weekly

“An expanded biographical spread and comprehensive glossary with a color wheel greatly enhance this unusual effort, which closes with hands-on projects that explore color theory.”—Booklist

 

“[A] sophisticated and engaging account of an artist and color theorist.… Strikingly illustrated by the award-winning graphic artist Breckenreid (in an admirable picture-book debut) and supported by terrific, inclusive backmatter, this will prove a must-have for museum shops as well as school and public libraries hungry for handsome and unique art books.”—Kirkus Reviews

 

“Brechenreid’s paintings illuminate the story  . . .  always employing her subject’s preferred flat colors and geometric shapes.”—The Horn Book, Starred Review

 

“Art and science intersect in An Eye for Color: The Story of Josef Albers…. Brilliant canvases with squares within squares are today part of the modern art canon. Albers, their creator, emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1933, and ultimately he produced more than 1,000 such images in a quest to understand color and perception. Oddly, he doesn't enjoy instant name recognition. This lively biography will help correct that. Wing, who grew up down the street from Albers, finds much to appreciate in his paintings, persistence and passion.”—San Francisco Chronicle