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Art's Prospect

The Challenge of Tradition in an Age of Celebrity

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Art's Prospect

By: Roger Kimball
Narrated by: Christopher Lane
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About this listen

 In this series of essays, Roger Kimball, managing editor of the New Criterion and an art critic for the London Spectator, examines the current art scene with a scathing intelligence and a crystalline eloquence of writing style. Particularly amusing are his dissections of art-show catalogspeak.©2003 Roger Kimball (P)2004 Blackstone Audiobooks Art
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Would you consider the audio edition of Art's Prospect to be better than the print version?

Yes I would. Listening to this whilst driving or walking was an absolute pleasure.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the scope of artists that Kimball discusses. While he is highly critical of conceptual artists, he evokes the beauty and vitality of various impressionists, grand masters and several contemporary artists with mastery. This book is worth reading, especially if you are easily bored with dry "history of art" or are disillusioned with rambling "art speak".

What does Christopher Lane bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

The narrator brings the authors wit and sarcasm to life, however I would have preferred an English accent. This is good because American narrators tend to annoy me because they tend to suck the life out of a piece.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I loved how Kimball bagged out the Whitney Biennale - spot on! But also loved that I was introduced to wonderful new artists like Odd Nerdrum.

Any additional comments?

If you like the art criticism of Robert Hughes, this book is the closed thing you'll find on Audible, as the site really lacks a decent collection of audiobooks on art criticism.

Best art criticism writing on Audible.

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Wilful misunderstanding of contemporary art combined with unoriginal views of great artists of the past and uninteresting views on unoriginal minor artists of the present.

Tired cynicism about the contemporary combined with clichés about the past

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