#willgompertz

After graduating college with a degree in Art History and Visual Culture, I often found my memory failing me, especially when it came to dates and art isms.

During college, I had always relied on and loved E.H. Gombrich’s “The Story of Art,” I read the entire book throughout four years and numerous courses, it was my best ally. However, when I graduated, I knew I would not be able to carry Gombrich with me to every museum and I was well aware that I would probably never read it again, just because its size is incredibly intimidating. 

With time, I found I was mostly interested in modern and contemporary art. I set myself the task of finding a book that would talk to me rather than lecture me, a book that I could carry with me everywhere, only to get excited about discovering, in a museum, a painting or sculpture I had just read about. 

Will Gompertz, the author of “What Are You Looking At? 150 Years of Modern Art,” is pure genius. He not only managed to squeeze the incredible story of modern art into less than five hundred pages, but he also managed to tell it in such a way that art history become somewhat like chatting over coffee with your best friend. 

The book doesn’t go into much detail about every artist and every painting. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for an overview of modern art and a comprehensible explanation to why it matters today, Gompertz will do the trick. 

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.

Na knížkách o umění ujíždím hlavně díky edici, kterou představuje KNIHA ZLIN. Z ní čtu úplně všechno. Jenomže než mi vyjde další kus, zabrouzdala jsem i jinam. A vyplatilo se! Will Gompertz je pravda trochu náročnější, ale zato o dost důkladnější. Ve své knize vás provede světem moderního umění od impresionistů až po nafukovací instalace Jeffa Koonse. Bylo by fajn, abyste před čtením této knihy měli alespoň miniaturní pojetí o dějinách umění. Já jí vděčím hlavně za to, že mě konečně donutila naplno uznat, že Malevičův černý čtverec by nikdo jiný nedokázal povýšit na umělecké dílo. A mým oblíbencem je stále Maurizio Cattelan, sním o tom, že se jednou vydám na některou z jeho výstav.

Will Gompertz: Na co se to vlastně díváme? - 150 let moderního umění v cuku letu