Artbooks

ART versus BEAUTY

We live in an era that constantly exposes us to contemporary art, a greater range of which is on offer than ever before. New art museums and galleries display an abundance of recent works, which are increasingly being traded online. All the same, contemporary art can be confusing and controversial. Adrian David thinks that this is because we approach modern and contemporary art with outdated ideas. He argues in this book that notions like ‘beauty’ and ‘imagination’ have outlived their usefulness. They put us on the wrong track when faced with the likes of El Greco, Goya, Manet, Schiele, Bacon, Haring or Banksy. David draws on all sorts of examples to reflect on art and, by extension, what it is to be human. The result is an accessible, trenchant and richly illustrated book, written by a passionate connoisseur and sincere lover of art. – The publisher

Take a look at more books.

Media

Keith Haring: Heaven and hell

Gao Brothers: Miss Mao

Xiaogang Zhang: Bloodline

James Ensor: Fleurettes rares et masques hilares

 Marcel Broodthaers: Several works