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

I think like others have mentioned, not all the images were included which is a little annoying.... But it is more a matter of curiosity, personally, I am too lazy to go see the paintings off of the internet, but I don't feel like I have missed much as the paintings mentioned but not displayed tend not to have much depth in their explanation. They are merely a historical point without much analysis of the painting itself. I think the book gives a great analysis of paintings as it puts them in a historical timeline, which is necessary, because context is everything, which most art books don't do. They just talk amount motion, focus, lighting etc.... But now you know why this artist was famous what he did well, what areas of painting he sacrificed on etc.... The analysis is not on the specific painting so much as the painter as whole and what his goals were. It really gives you a chance to walk up to one of his/her paintings and appreciate it even if it wasn't analyzed in the book. That being said it is written in a very light and enjoyable manner. I would prefer sometimes that the book stick to factual conversations, but to be fair the assumed conversations do help make the book very readable.

Will Gompertz takes you through the evolution of modern art with intelligence, ease, and humor. I originally picked up this book at the local library. Once I started reading it, I knew I needed a copy of my own to write in and reference. I dug in and began to learn the language of modern art and see the spontaneous, and often unconscious, parallel of art and cultural history. There are many photos, however, there isn’t a photo of every art discussed. Thankfully, a quick search on my cell phone and I’ll see a picture of the artist and the art. I’ve always been interested in art – now my appreciation and understanding has grown.

Effective book for someone who wants to begin to understand modern art. I bought this book because for years I had wandered through museums and became curious about modern art pieces. I found that when I took the time to understand a piece and what the artist was saying, I was grateful I did. Hence taking the plunge to educate myself more! This book contributed greatly to my understanding and appreciation of modern art. It was very readable in that the author tells interesting stories about the artists that really pull the reader in, and the chapters are sized that one chapter takes about 25 to 45 minutes to read. The book reads like a story and is very entertaining. I appreciated how well the different art movements were woven into the historical and philosophical contexts. I gave the book 4 stars because I thought there could be two improvements. The first was providing more pictures, even if they are black and white. Many times I had to go back and forth between the computer to look up different pieces in order to follow along. The second suggestion would be to provide a small summary at the end about the movements. I used a highlighter and pad of paper to keep track of characteristics of the different types. There are about 20 chapters and each chapter details a different movement, so it can be useful to keep a reference handy in case the movements start to blend together (or if you're like me, and you forget some details from a specific type.) However, I found the visual at the beginning and end of the book extremely helpful.

I give tours at a local art museum and I have read several books on modern/contemporary art to help me explain this genre which many find inaccessible. Most books go into detail about the artist but not really addressing why they are viewed as significant. What I liked about this is that Gompertz talks about the major art movements, how one leads to another and how artists interacted with one another. He includes entertaining stories which illustrate his points. This book should be approached as an 'overview' not an in depth study. Recommend it as a good starting point for those who want to learn more on this topic.

Excelente book. I recomend

As a high school art teacher, this was such a fun read. I've always enjoyed reading the back stories of the contemporary art world, and this book didn't disappoint. Made lots of highlights to share with my students. If you are interested in understanding how today's art became such a mad collection, this is for you. I am going to highly recommend this for my AP Studio Art students. (I will need a disclaimer though for high school age. A few topics and sections might be considered "too adult" by some.)

A tutorial on modern art by a British expert, written in a breezy, conversational style. I think that the author, Will Gompertz, does a nice job of informing the reader of the various courses the stream of art in Europe and America have taken over the flow of the last 150 years, especially to and through Minimalism. The last few chapters were more of a struggle for me as the ever enthusiastic Mr. Gompertz runs through a few of the highly publized artists of recent years, attempting to convince the reader that their works (for example, those of Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, and Jeff Koons) are worth the immense media attention and the millions showered on them by a few wealthy collectors. I remain unconvinced. As I am of his choice of the clunky word "Entrepreneurialism" to describe the hodgepodge created by Mr. Gompertz' selection of artists from the last few decades.

I simply loved this book! The style is clear and conversational--so easy to follow, and so entertaining. It is like spending a terrific time with a very erudite but down-to-earth friend who explains all those things about the development of Modern Art that have always either bored or eluded one. I had the hard copy from a library and then bought the download for my Kindle because I will always want to go back to this book and re-read sections.

Excellent “user-friendly” introduction to Contemporary Art. Many times wandering in art galleries and hopelessly staring at seemingly incomprehensible brushes of colors and 3D exhibits, I was wondering – what does it all mean? I always wanted to ask some expert or at least somebody who claims to understand it. This book is exactly what I was looking for. It is for the completely uninitiated. It patiently explains logical progression toward ever more abstract art, and gives invaluable insights into meaning (or lack thereof), aesthetic aspects, and context of contemporary art. After reading this book I visited Albright-Knox Contemporary Art Gallery in Buffalo, NY, and was able to enjoy a lot more exhibits than I would’ve been able to appreciate without this book. I highly recommend it to anyone puzzled about and interested in understanding Contemporary Art.

For those who’ve been attracted to, yet baffled by, modern art, Will Gompertz is a wonderful, enlightening, down to earth guide. Highly recommended.

Llego en perfectas condiciones y en el tiempo indicado.

....und sich nicht getraut haben zu fragen - das haben sie in diesem Buch! Es ist kurzweilig zu lesen, die Exponate sind interessant beschrieben und mit der Prise trockenem Humor versetzt, der englische Bücher häufig so unterhaltsam macht. Mit Will Gompertz hat man einen Fachmann an der Hand, der es versteht einem die selbst verrücktesten Exemplare moderner Kunst näher zu bringen. Man muss ja nicht gleich alles toll finden worüber die Kunstszene so schwärmt, aber man bekommt mit dem Buch ein paar tiefere Einblicke warum dieses oder jenes Werk als moderne Kunst zu betrachten ist und halt nicht "weg sollte" (um den Spruch "Ist das Kunst, oder kann das weg?" mal gleich zu benutzen). Definitiv sieht man nach der Lektüre einige Ausstellungen mit anderen Augen und kann bei Unterhaltungen mit Kunstkennern gut seinen (angelesenen) Senf dazu geben. Klare Kaufempfehlung!

It's very well written, funny and very well researched. Haven't finished it yet, but no complaints. Good one.