Book Review: What Am I Looking At?

Contemporary art can be, at times and for many people, totally confusing and almost intimidating. As an artist, this is the type of art to which I am most strongly attracted. I admire the techniques and skill of more traditional painters but I do not look at their work and wish that I had been the one who created it. I get that feeling, however, quite often when I am looking at more contemporary paintings.

In his book—What Am I Looking At—Will Gompertz teaches art history with a zany sense of humor. Gompertz is himself a former director of the Tate Gallery in London and is the art editor for the BBC. He makes it his mission in this book to btring modern art’s exciting history alive for everyone. He explains why an unmade bed or a pickled shark can be artr—and why a five year old couldn’t really do it.

I listened to the book on Audible. It was a fascinating overview of contemporary art history and I recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about that subject.