Book description
What Are You Looking At? by Will Gompertz - a
wonderfully lively and accessible history of Modern Art by the BBC
Arts Editor
'An essential primer not only for art lovers but for art loathers
too' **** Express
What is modern art? Why do we either love it or loathe it? And why
is it worth so much damn money? Join Will Gompertz on a dazzling tour
that will change the way you look at modern art forever. From Monet's
water lilies to Van Gogh's sunflowers, from Warhol's soup cans to
Hirst's pickled shark, hear the stories behind the masterpieces, meet
the artists as they really were, and discover the real point of modern
art.
You will learn: not all conceptual art is bollocks; Picasso is king
(but C zanne is better); Pollock is no drip; Dali painted with his
moustache; a urinal changed the course of art, why your 5-year-old
really couldn't do it. Refreshing, irreverent and always
straightforward, What Are You Looking At? cuts through the
pretentious art speak and asks all the basic questions that you were
too afraid to ask. Your next gallery trip is going to be a little less
intimidating and a lot more interesting.
'Robert Hughes's The Shock of the New redone la Bill
Bryson' ****Telegraph
This book is essential reading for sceptics, art lovers, and the
millions of us who visit art galleries every year - and are confused.
It will also be enjoyed by readers of The Story of Art by E. H.
Gombrich and is a perfect primer to the subject for the student or beginner.
Will Gompertz is the BBC Arts Editor and probably the world's first
art history stand-up comedian. He was a Director at the Tate Gallery
for 7 years. He has a particular interest in modern art and has
written about the arts for The Times and the Guardian
for over 20 years. In 2009, he wrote and performed a sell-out one-man
comedy show about modern art at the Edinburgh Festival. He was
recently voted one of the world's top 50 creative thinkers by New
York's Creativity Magazine.
