What one seems to want in art, in experiencing it, is the same thing that is neccessary for its creation, a self-forgetful, perfectly useless concentration. Elizabeth Bishop

...we had had the Calders here...They've spent time in Brazil before, and they love to samba. Calder went sambaing all over the terrace, wearing a bright orange shirt, just like a calendula swaying in the breeze.

from a letter by Elizabeth Bishop of 8 September 1959

Elizabeth Bishop was a painter throughout her life, although few were aware of her originality as an artist. It was not until 1993 that her forty surviving paintings were tracked down, identified and exhibited by the poet and art critic William Benton, in a process whose frustrations and serendipities he describes in his introduction. Reproduced for the first time in the original, hardback edition of Exchanging Hats in 1997, Bishop's subtle, confident artworks illuminate the 'painterly' qualities of her poetry.

This revised edition of Exchanging Hats contains an updated introduction, revised and corrected details for the provenance of each painting, and a new afterword locating Bishop's paintings within the wider context of contemporary art.