I Like What I Know: A Visual Autobiography by Vincent Price (1959)

In 1959, Vincent Price recounted the delightful story of his life-long love affair with the art world in his visual autobiography, I Like What I Know.

‘Most art books (and this isn’t one) discuss the artist’s date of birth, his background, his teacher, and endless, detailed depictions of his work… I want the readers to question themselves as I have questioned myself, in my desire to know the art of the past and, at the same time, accept and get to know the art of today and to be ready for the art of tomorrow’. Vincent Price

In his intimate memoir, Price wrote of his early consciousness of the art around him, and of his first art acquisition – which he paid for with money earned at odd jobs. He also recalled his trip to Europe at the age of seventeen (although he writes sixteen in the book) that opened up whole new vistas to his deepening curiosity, and these memories were drawn from the notes that he made in his little blue 1928 travel diary, which I have recreated as the real-time travel blog that you are now visiting.

Here now are some extracts from I Like What I Know, in which a 48-year-old Price reflected back on his first trip abroad to recall how that two-month tour of Europe back in 1928 was key in developing his love and appreciation of art and of the world around him.

Just click on the links below to read the extracts…

• TOUR 22 AND THE ATLANTIC CROSSING
• ON LONDON, THE BRITISH MUSEUM AND THE ELGIN MARBLES
• ON HOLLAND, REMBRANDT AND SCORING WITH A TOOTHSOME BLONDE
• ON FLANDERS FIELD, NUREMBERG AND DURER’S PRAYING HANDS
• ON TITIAN, TINTORETTO, CHEAP HOTELS AND ST MARK’S SQUARE IN VENICE
• ON FLORENCE, CRYING OVER DEL SARTO’S MADONNA, AND THAT $25 BRONZE FOUNTAIN FIGURE
• ON POMPEII, AND ‘FEELTHY’ FRESCOES
• ON THE ETERNAL CITY AND THE GLORIES OF RENAISSANCE CHRISTENDOM
• ON PISA’S LEANING TOWER, ARTLESS MONACO AND ROMANCING IN NICE
• ON REIMS CATHEDRAL
• ON PARIS, THE LOUVRE AND ETHEL BARRYMORE

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