What Are You Looking At? : The Surprising, Shocking, and Sometimes Strange Story of 150 Years of Modern Art

In the tradition of __Eats, Shoots & Leaves__, art history with a sense of humor Every year, millions of museum and gallery visitors ponder the modern art on display and secretly ask themselves, “Is this art?” A former director at London’s Tate Gallery and now the BBC arts editor, Will Gompertz made it his mission to bring modern art’s exciting history alive for everyone, explaining why an unmade bed or a pickled shark can be art—and why a five-year-old couldn’t really do it. Rich with extraordinary tales and anecdotes, __What Are You Looking At?__ entertains as it arms readers with the knowledge to truly understand and enjoy what it is they’re looking at. We All Know What Modern Art Looks Like. We've Seen Monet's Water Lilies, We've Admired Picasso's Nudes, And We've Gawked At Damien's Shark, As Well As The Price Tag. But What Does It All Mean? What Is Modern Art? Who Started It? Why Do We Love/hate It? And Why Is It Such Big Money? What Are You Looking At? Takes The Reader On A Captivating Tour Of Modern Art From Impressionism To The Present Day, Telling The Story Of The Movements, The Artists And The Wonderful Works That Not Only Changed Art Forever, But Helped Create And Define The Modern World. Refreshing, Irreverent And Extremely Accessible, The Book Is Rich With Extraordinary Tales And Anecdotes - A Coffee Morning In Paris With Monet And The Impressionists, Marcel Duchamp Purchasing His Famous Urinal, Sir Nicholas Serota, The Director Of The Tate Empire Confessing His Terror At Not Knowing What To Think Every Time He Encounters A Work Of Art For The First Time. It Also Lifts The Lid On The Astronomically Expensive Art Sales - How Buying Modern Art Has Become A Sound Investment- And Explains How The Market Really Works - The Artists, The Dealers, The Auction Houses And The Curators. With Wonderful Humor, Down-to-earth Storytelling, And A Flair For Odd Details That Spark Insights, Will Gompertz Is The Perfect Tour Guide For Modern Art. He Is A Former Director Of The Tate Gallery In London And The Bbc Arts Editor, So He Brings Both Considerable Expertise And Genuine Love Of The Subject To This Informative And Engaging Narrative. What Are You Looking At? Doesn't Just Tell You If A Work Of Art Is Any Good Or Not; It Does Much Better Than That. Will Gompertz Arms Us With The Knowledge To Be In A Position To Make Our Own Minds Up By Telling Us The One Thing That We've Always Wanted To Know: What Are We Looking At?-- Introduction : What Are You Looking At? -- The Fountain, 1917 -- Pre-impressionism : Getting Real, 1820-70 -- Impressionism : Painters Of Modern Life, 1870-90 -- Post-impressionism : Branching Out, 1880-1906 -- Cézanne : The Father Of Us All, 1839-1906 -- Primitivism, 1880-1930/fauvism, 1905-10 : Primal Scream -- Cubism : Another Point Of View, 1907-14 -- Futurism : Fast Forward, 1909-19 -- Kandinsky/orphism/blue Rider : The Sound Of Music, 1910-14 -- Suprematism/constructivism : The Russians, 1915-25 -- Neo-plasticism : Gridlock. 1917-31 -- Bauhaus : School Reunion, 1919-33 -- Dadaism : Anarchy Rules, 1916-23 -- Surrealism : Living The Dream, 1924-45 -- Abstract Expressionism : The Grand Gesture, 1943-70 -- Pop Art : Retail Therapy, 1956-70 -- Conceptualism/fluxus/arte Povera/performance Art : Mind Games, 1952 Onward -- Minimalism : Untitled, 1960-75 -- Postmodernism : False Identity, 1970-89 -- Art Now : Fame And Fortune, 1988-2008-today. Will Gompertz. Includes Index. "We all know what Modern Art looks like. We've seen Monet's water lilies, we've admired Picasso's nudes, and we've gawked at Damien's shark, as well as the price tag. But what does it all mean? What is Modern Art? Who started it? Why do we love/hate it? And why is it such big money? What Are You Looking At? takes the reader on a captivating tour of modern art from Impressionism to the present day, telling the story of the movements, the artists and the wonderful works that not only changed art forever, but helped create and define the modern world. Refreshing, irreverent and extremely accessible, the book is rich with extraordinary tales and anecdotes - a coffee morning in Paris with Monet and the Impressionists, Marcel Duchamp purchasing his famous urinal, Sir Nicholas Serota, the Director of the Tate Empire confessing his terror at not knowing what to think every time he encounters a work of art for the first time. It also lifts the lid on the astronomically expensive art sales - how buying modern art has become a sound investment- and explains how the market really works - the artists, the dealers, the auction houses and the curators. With wonderful humor, down-to-earth storytelling, and a flair for odd details that spark insights, Will Gompertz is the perfect tour guide for Modern Art. He is a former director of the Tate Gallery in London and the BBC Arts Editor, so he brings both considerable expertise and genuine love of the subject to this informative and engaging narrative. What Are You Looking At? doesn't just tell you if a work of art is any good or not; it does much better than that. Will Gompertz arms us with the knowledge to be in a position to make our own minds up by telling us the one thing that we've always wanted to know: what are we looking at?"-- Provided by publisher For skeptics, art lovers, and the millions of us who visit art galleries every year—and are confused—What Are You Looking At? by former director of London's Tate Gallery Will Gompertz is a wonderfully lively, accessible narrative history of Modern Art, from Impressionism to the present day. What is modern art? Who started it? Why do we either love it or loathe it? And why is it such big money? Join BBC Arts Editor 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 Cézanne 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 trip to the art gallery is going to be a little less intimidating and a lot more interesting.With his offbeat humor, down-to-earth storytelling, and flair for odd details that spark insights, Will Gompertz is the perfect tour guide for modern art. His book doesn't tell us if a work of art is good; it gives us the knowledge to decide for ourselves. In the tradition of Eats, Shoots & Leaves , art history with a sense of humor Every year, millions of museum and gallery visitors ponder the modern art on display and secretly ask themselves, “Is this art?” A former director at London’s Tate Gallery and now the BBC arts editor, Will Gompertz made it his mission to bring modern art’s exciting history alive for everyone, explaining why an unmade bed or a pickled shark can be art—and why a five-year-old couldn’t really do it. Rich with extraordinary tales and anecdotes, What Are You Looking At? entertains as it arms readers with the knowledge to truly understand and enjoy what it is they’re looking at.