'It's easy to feel insecure around art and its appreciation, as though we cannot enjoy certain artworks if we don't have a lot of academic and historical knowledge. But if there's one message that I want you to take away it's that anybody can enjoy art and anybody can have a life in the arts - even me! For even I, an Essex transvestite potter, have been let in by the artworld mafia.'

Now Grayson Perry is a fully paid-up member of the art establishment, he wants to show that any of us can appreciate art (after all, there is a reason he's called this book 'Playing to the Gallery' and not 'Sucking up to an Academic Elite'.) Based on his hugely popular Reith Lectures and full of words and pictures, this funny, personal journey through the art world answers the basic questions that might occur to us in an art gallery but seem too embarrassing to ask. Questions such as:

What is 'good' or 'bad' art - and does it even matter? Is there any way to test if something is art, other than a large group of people standing around looking at it? Is art still capable of shocking us or have we seen it all before? Can you be a 'lovable character' and a serious artist - what is a serious artist anyway? And what happens if you place a piece of art in a rubbish dump?

I found this quite difficult to read, I kept having to re-read bits in case I'd not managed to follow the train of thought.
I did enjoy it though, an interesting prespective & an interesting bloke.

You've found a travelling book!
This book set off on its travels in March....but where has it decided to stay?

Well, if you're reading this then you've found it & you can tell us!
Please take a minute to say where it was discovered...
...& you can tell us what you thought of it.
When you've read it, please pass it to a friend to enjoy
or leave it in a public place for someone else to find -just like you did!




(If you decide to join Bookcrossing, please consider putting me,
cally-c as your referring member-thanks!)