Eugene Atget was born in Libourne, France, near Bordeaux, in 1857, and he died in 1927 in Paris. During his life, he worked as a sailor, tried acting and at age 40 took up photography. He spent the last 30 years of his life, as the curator John Szarkowski once noted, quietly pursuing his craft, recording "the fruits of French culture" as they looked during the first quarter of the 20th century. Man Ray admired his work, as did Berenice Abbot, who championed Atget as a forerunner of modern photography. His photographs "are notable for their diffuse light and wide views that give a sense of enigma and mystery," notes New York's International Center of Photography, which features the exhibition "Eugene Atget: The Making of a Reputation:"through May 4.

  You don’t want to miss this email conversation I recently had with Josh Cochran—artist, art director, muralist, educator and AI45 juror. In sharing his thoughts on collecting books and using his library, he also tells a story of childhood dreams come true. And please stay tuned for information about a new project launching soon  Peggy Roalf: As an artist, writer and educator,  you must own a lot of books. How have you structured your librar...