This is a superbly illustrated volume showcasing the work of acclaimed contemporary artist Elizabeth Peyton. For more than 20 years, Elizabeth Peyton has been at the forefront of the contemporary art scene. Since the mid-1990s, her stylized and idealized portraits of close friends, celebrities, and historical figures have garnered critical acclaim - her works can be found in galleries and museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Center Pomidou in Paris. "Reading & Writing" brings together a carefully chosen selection of 24 paintings, drawings, and prints from 1991 to 2009 that showcase Peyton's dazzling palette, refined graphic sensibility, and the profound influence of literature and poetry in her work. This volume also includes a selection of texts, poems, and songs that have directly inspired Peyton's work including Shakespeare, Bob Dylan, Oscar Wilde, Francois Truffaut, and Jay-Z.