What are You Looking At? 150 Years of Modern Art in the Blink of an Eye Synopsis
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 Cezanne 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. It includes full of beautiful colour and black and white illustrations. It includes a free pull-out map of Modern Art to guide you through the movements. 'Will Gompertz is a natural communicator whose passion for art is expressed with wit and verve' Sir Nicholas Serota, Director of Tate Gallery 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 .
'Move over Gombrich - there's a new art book in town! For sceptics, art lovers, and the millions of us who visit art galleries every year - and are confused - What Are You Looking At? by BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz is a wonderfully lively, accessible and enlightening history of Modern Art, from Impressionism to the present day.' Robert Hughes
'The Shock of the New redone a la Bill Bryson ...few are the histories of modern art that name check Beyonce, David Foster Wallace and Susan Boyle, describe the saturnine Paul Cezanne as the 'Cool Hand Luke of the Parisian avant garde' ...Filter (s) out all jargon and pretension and filter (s) in plenty of fun...A richly detailed and highly entertaining history from Delacroix to Damien Hirst.' Telegraph
'Will Gompertz is the best teacher you never had.' Guardian
Author
About Will Gompertz
Will Gompertz is the BBC Arts Editor and was a Director at the Tate Gallery for 7 years. He is a world expert on 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.
