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Playing to the Gallery: Helping Contemporary Art in its Struggle to Be Understood
£8.60£9.50 (-9%)
‘I have never read such a stimulating short guide to art’ Lynn Barber, Sunday Times
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 BBC Radio 4 Reith Lectures and full of 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.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Penguin (25 Feb. 2016) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 144 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0141979615 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0141979618 |
by JoJo
I’m a big fan of Grayson so a bit biased! A live recording of the Reith Lectures (2013), Grayson is both entertaining and challenging, breaking down the idea that you have to be an academic to somehow understand ‘art’ and talks about his own journey and obviously makes reference to his being a transvestite and the wonderful dresses he wears…wearable art. Spent many an hour listening to this audio ‘book’ and thoroughly enjoyed it! Highly recommend.
by G. High
This book is a light and fun introduction to contemporary art, taken (more or less directly) from Mr.Perry’s 2013 BBC Reith Lectures. The main differences being the addition of fun irreverant illustrations from the artist which add humour and clarity to the arguments presented, and the merciful absence of Sue Lawley’s tedious drivel on Mr. Perry’s wardrobe.
The contents are written in an informal conversational style and also from a unique perspective; i.e. a contemporary artist willing to talk about the art world without drifting into verbal obfuscation and multisyllabic silliness.
The book is enjoyable and does what it sets out to do. It is however quite short – and once read is unlikely to be referred back to. The Kindle version is very good value – it both displays and reads well.
by Dalea11
Grayson Perry is as talented a writer as he is a visual artist. He writes with great fluency and facility. He is insightful and humorous, peppering his narrative with an abundance of anecdotes and illustrations. This is a very readable, engaging, and educational book.
by Stephen Lee Ellinsworth
Very good book! Arrived safe and sound
by J A Pearce
Arrived in perfect condition. Not read it yet.
by John C Verity
An attempt to answer the question ‘What is contemporary Art?’ or ‘How should we know what is good art?’. To both questions he fails miserably. He fails to understand that art is ‘In the eye of the beholder’ and to most of us who collect art it doesn’t matter a toss what other artists consider good or bad. It the artists who want to try to make a science out of art because by doing so they can have competitions and award each other prizes. A pompous book that diminishes the importance of us the general public who ultimately buy the works and put money in the pockets of the artists. I like you Grayson but you could have done a lot better. Oh by the way there is a great cartoon on page 69 and it is worth buying the book just for that.
by Nic C – Liverpool
I read this in three days – Grayson is a creative genius who is still in touch with the real world – he served his time as a proper (poor) artist and is now receiving the acclaim and rewards he justly deserves – this is a great book which should be read by every art student and especially curators who are often too self important to consider the views of the people – its not a case of dumbing down its just a case of communicating with the public in a friendly and understandable way. Grayson achieves this in this book and its something I will go back to again and again to refresh my enthusiasm for art and what is should stand for.
by Katie
In Playing to the Gallery, Grayson Perry offers a humorous and accessible introduction to the art world. A must read for anyone who feels like they don’t really understand but would like to appreciate modern art.