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Dat Kan Mijn Kleine Zusje Ook: Waarom Moderne Kunst Kunst Is (2012)

by Will Gompertz(Favorite Author)

4.1 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

9029088133 (ISBN13: 9789029088138)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Meulenhoff

review 1: This was sort of a busman's holiday for me. Gompertz has a deft touch and a sense of humor as he reviews the "surprising, shocking and sometimes strange story of 150 years of Modern Art." Beginning with the work of Romantic artists Theodore Gericault and Eugene Delacroix, he traces the evolution of Modernism and then Contemporary Art. What makes this book different from, and more entertaining than, most discussions of modern art, is that he cuts through the pretentious art speak and even imagines conversations these artists really might have had with each other, including the planning of the first Impressionist exhibition, the gleeful purchase of that infamous urinal by Duchamp and how Cezanne is really the "Father of Us All." I loved his approach and enjoyed learning ... moremuch more about such artists as Malevich, Giacometti and Kandinsky.
review 2: I went into this book with some definite doubts about modern art, and I have to confess that I emerged from it with those hesitations still intact. Knowledge rarely impacts one's tastes! However, this very-readable book did an outstanding job of telling the story of modern art: why it started, how it progressed, and how we ended up where we are today. The author did introduce some fictionalized conversations, but he was right up-front about that: the people were where he placed them, when he placed them there, in the company in which they appear...but the words and actions may be somewhat imaginary. Most of these seemed to occur in the first part of the book. It got a bit tricky trying to keep all the names sorted out, and as the book progressed I was a little overwhelmed with names and dates. In addition, I found it very helpful to have my computer or smart phone in hand to look up images of the referenced works that didn't appear printed in the book. If you have any interest in art at all, I would recommend this book (even if you don't like much of the art he discusses). less

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