I Sold Andy Warhol (Too Soon)

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• Inure: NEW
• ISBN13: 9781590513378
• Notes: Name brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Description

In early 2005, Richard Polsky decided to put his much-loved, hard-won Warhol Fright Wig, up for auction at Christie's. The market for contemporary art was robust and he was hoping to turn a profit. His instinct seemed to be on target: his picture sold for $375,000. But if only Polsky had waited . . . Over the next two years, prices soared to unimaginable heights with multimillion-dollar deals that became the norm and not the exception. Buyers and sellers were baffled, art dealers were bypassed for auction houses, and benchmark prices proved that trees really do grow to the sky. Had the market lost all reason?
In I Sold Andy Warhol (Too Soon), Polsky leads the way through this explosive, short-lived period when the "art world" became the "art market." He delves into the behind-the-scenes politics of auctions, the shift in power away from galleries, and the search for affordable art in a rich man's playing field. Unlike most in the art world, Polsky is not afraid to tell it like it is as he negotiates deals for clients in New York, London, and San Francisco and seeks out a replacement for his lost Fright Wig in a market that has galloped beyond his means. A compelling backdoor tell-all about the strange and fickle world of art collecting, I Sold Andy Warhol (Too Soon) takes an unvarnished look at how the industry shifted from art appreciation to monetary appreciation.

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A Q&A with Richard Polsky

Question: In 1987, you set aside $100,000 to buy an Andy Warhol painting. Your 2003 memoir I Bought Andy Warhol chronicled your search to acquire that painting, which ended in the purchase of a "Fright Wig." I Sold Andy Warhol (Too Soon) is the story of what happened when you sold your beloved Warhol. Why did you sell? Was it worth it?

Richard Polsky: As you know, I Sold Andy Warhol (Too Soon) is about selling my hard-won Andy Warhol “Fright Wig” painting, which was a direct result of being under financial pressure from my former wife. As she put it, "Would you rather look at me or your painting?" The question of whether it was worth it is far more complex. From the standpoint of personal self-esteem, absolutely not. I felt like I had let myself down and in an odd way had let Warhol himself down. Financially, though, it was the right thing to do. I sold at what I thought was an opportune time and got what seemed like a strong price. I had paid $47,500 and sold it for $375,000. The irony to the situation, and hence the title to the book, was if I had only waited two years I might have gotten as much as $2 million.

Question: You take the art world to task in your new book, calling the business of buying and selling art "high school with money." What do you mean by this and where do you fit in?

Richard Polsky: Referring to the art world as "high school with money" may have been too generous. At times, it feels more like “grade school with money.” What I mean by this is that there is an inordinate amount of juvenile behavior in my industry. Because anyone can become an art dealer, since there are no qualifying exams to take, the business attracts plenty of people that are under qualified. Often, they are misfit children of the rich, or worse yet, children of art dealers. They lack a background in art history and the history of art dealing, as well. This may sound self-serving, but I happen to be one of the few exceptions, in that I don’t come from a privileged upbringing and I’ve worked hard to become knowledgeable in both the art itself and the history of the art business.

Question: You write lovingly of your "Fright Wig," calling it "more than just an investment; it was part of my soul." As a dealer, how do you balance your appreciation of art for art’s sake with the business of selling art?

Richard Polsky: A dealer’s biggest quandary is balancing his love of art with the reality of having to make a living (that is to say those few souls who actually need to earn money). In my case, I used to collect the artists I dealt and at one time owned a major Joseph Cornell "Aviary" (bird box), a John Chamberlain crushed auto-metal sculpture from the 1960s, and an Andy Warhol portrait of Chairman Mao. It was a mixed blessing, but the art appreciated and I decided it was prudent to cash out--and greatly missed the art. Having learned my lesson, I now only collect work by artists who I don’t deal in. Most of what I own are paintings by friends--emerging and mid-career talent. Since the work has negligible resale value, I can enjoy it and don’t feel compelled to rush out and sell it.

Question: There is the public perception that the art world is elitist and therefore inaccessible to the average American, and yet it’s getting its own reality show thanks to Sarah Jessica Parker. How would you wish to see both public perception change and the industry itself change?

Richard Polsky: It’s not so much that the art market needs to change. Serious art by its very nature can’t be for everyone in much the same way serious literature, wine, food, dance, and music can’t be. Enjoying art requires that the viewer educate himself. It’s kind of like learning about wine--you have to drink a lot. Art is the same way--you have to look a lot. That means going to museums, galleries, and reading art books. I just don’t think most people are curious enough to do that. I would like to see the industry itself change. Ideally, I would love for art dealers to have to become certified and pass a serious exam, much like an attorney passing the bar or a physician taking the medical boards. If that happened, I think it would expand the art market by giving a wider swath of potential collectors greater confidence in it.

Question: What interests you today, as a collector and as a dealer?

Richard Polsky: My personal interests as a collector includes collecting fossils, minerals, and natural history specimens. I’m also interested in the work of the woodcut artist Gustave Baumann. Briefly, he worked in Santa Fe during the twenties and thirties and produced the most extraordinary woodcut prints imaginable. His subject matter varied from the Southwest landscape, especially the Grand Canyon, to American Indian iconography, often abandoned pueblos--Baumann’s work breathed nature and was filled with soul. My interest as a dealer remains the Pop artists. They come from an authentic place in the art world--the days where it was still about making art rather than building careers. There’s also something about how they drew inspiration from popular culture that still rings true.

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Customer Reviews

Fascinating Look At The Art World
In i sold Andy Warhol. (too soon), Richard Polsky takes the reader on a tour of high priced art and the dealer world of artists, buyers, sellers, galleries, auction houses, and of course, the deal. Polsky is well suited to this task as he has been involved in most of these roles. As a former galley owner and collector, he purchased art and sold it. He is intimately familiar with the big auction houses and the inside manuverings that characterize the transfer of great art from one collector to another.

The book is loosely organized around Polsky's quest to find an Andy Warhol painting for one of his clients. They work the network, approaching known Warhol collectors, quizzing galleries, and attending auctions. All of this brings angst to Polsky. He had had a Warhol and sold it years ago, before the meteoric rise of art prices. Seeing what a Warhol brought at today's prices (a million or more) made his selling that much more painful.

I found the discussion about how the art world is changing quite interesting. Polsky sees a decline in galleries and more and more attention shifting to the big auctions. He redefines himself in this world, changing his role to an art purchasing advisor rather than a gallery owner, and believes this is where many who want to stay in this world will end up as a career choice. I also found the world of the super-rich and their concerns interesting.

This book is recommended for anyone interested in art, how artists work, and especially the finance of great art.

2010-02-21 (High Point, North Carolina United States) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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As the Art-World Turns...
I'm admittedly ignorant when it comes to the art world. While I enjoy looking at art, I haven't the least clue as to what makes one painting more valuable than another. Surprisingly, this ignorance didn't keep me from enjoying this hysterical art world expose.

Polsky relates the tempestuous, oft-times greedy, heady business of high-end art collection. From the artists themselves to the dealers to the famous auction houses, Polsky chronicles the premature sale of his beloved Andy Warhol painting at auction (he needed the money to fund his wife's obscene shopping habit).

One forgives the occasional over-the-top, Chandler-esque metaphor ("....festered like a piece of rotting fruit") because Polsky is just so damned entertainingly informative. The art world reads like a soap opera run amok. Ever wonder how a piece of art comes to sell for millions and millions of dollars? What makes it "worth" that amount? Polsky explains it all and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

2010-02-11 | Stop the Spelling and Grammatical Errors! (Southeast of Disorder) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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I Sold Warhol
Terrific follow up to 'I Bought Andy Warhol.' Sad sack art dealer Richard Polsky proves the ineptitude of the so-called secondary market dealer. Hilarious. Well written. A real page turner.

2010-01-08 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Well worth considering for art fans critical of the direction of the modern world of art
Art has become a multimillion dollar business. "I Sold Andy Warhol (Too Soon)" is one man's reflections on the world of art and how it has quickly departed from admiring artistic expression to being all about the art on green paper we call money. Jaded, surprised, and disappointed, Richard Polsky tells what can be a sad tale of the commercialization of human creativity. "I Sold Andy Warhol:(Too Soon)" is a fine and recommended read that is well worth considering for art fans critical of the direction of the modern world of art.

2009-12-16 (Oregon, WI USA) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 5

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An interesting read for anyone who is interested in art
This is a chatty, informative and even, at times, humorous look at the comings and goings in the world of selling and buying fine art. The author had one of the Andy Warhol "Fright Wig" paintings and he sold it at an auction for a price that completely satisfied him. Of course, in two years the painting was sold again for triple the price. Now it is worth in the millions. Hence the book's title.

If you are not much interested in art I don't think you would enjoy this book. I liked it myself, but I teach Art History. Students often are amazed at the price of fine art and this books gives some very good background.

2009-11-04 (Houston TX) | Helpful Votes: 3 | Rating: 3

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The Philosophy of Andy Warhol : (From A to B and Back Again)

Product Details

• ISBN13: 9780156717205
• Notes: Label New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Fitness: NEW

Description

Warhol talks: about love, sex, beauty, fame, work, money, success; about New York and Americanca; and about himself. "A constant entertainment and enlightenment." -Truman Capote.

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Customer Reviews

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This is an awesome book it's funny and Andy is God or at least my God and this is my bible :D

2009-10-15 | Giulia Goolia | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Read It When Things Suck
I only wish I'd had a copy of this book when I was dealing with rage in the workplace. Life can be tough and complicated. Somehow I think Andy Warhol was more than visionary when he saw such levels of stress entering into the American life. The modern age is complex with more than just issues of making money and survival - we are still struggling with the right use of our technology and STUFF. Andy, had he lived longer, would have been able to provide some insights and solutions towards the stupid things people do when it comes to cell-phones, text-messaging and "tracking" emails. He would have flipped for reality TV, and by now would have a show of his own. It would have been inevitable. Such a loss!

One thing I appreciated here was his advise to never complain or create problems when in the midst of other people's dramas... Learn how to use the drama of your own silence constructively! And then? After the drama has died down -? BLAME SOMEONE.

So far his philosophy is working like a charm! I LOVE IT!

2009-08-28 | Stargoddess7 (Seattle) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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The Ragady Philosophy of Andy Warhol: From A to Z and Back Again
Upon receiving this book ,which I gave as a gift to my sister, I was very disappointed. The book was listed as if it were in decent shape with a few minor imperfections. On the contrary, the book was in pitiful shape. Luckily, it was not the only thing I was giving to my sister. I don't feel like I over paid by too much, but I was expecting a good deal. What I got was less than a fair deal.

2009-04-20 (College Station, TX USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 2

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If you love Andy, you'll love his philosophy
This book was very funny and a great insight on how Andy's mind works.
Some of his philosophy is so far from the norm that when you think about it it actually might work. Its a quick read, seemingly a lot of it is actual transcribed conversations, so some things get a bit monotonous like an hour long conversation with B about what she cleaned all day. (I think the idea is that B is high and rambling, but its pretty funny when you think about it). I laughed out loud through most of the book, I highly recommend it if you're an Andy fan.

2008-08-26 | Flavia (New York) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Warhol: A Zeitgeist Mirror
I recently had lunch at the Andy Warhol museum in Pittsburgh PA from where I purchased this book. With me was a very intellectual Indian guy who hadn't heard of Warhol nor was he familiar with his work. He wanted to understand who this person was and understand his significance.

Without thinking much about it, I explained that Warhol was a central figure in the pop art scene who made the spirit of art--the ability to see everyday things in a different light and from multiple perspectives--available to the common man. How was it that I knew this? It wasn't any remarkable brilliance on my part, rather I would credit the ability of Andy Warhol to make a philosophical statement purely on the basis of his art. That an artistically untrained person such as myself could get this is a reflection of Andy Warhol's genius.

Andy Warhol made the living essense of art available to the common man by showing him the beauty of popular culture.

Warhol is an iconic American figure and we should really appreciate this fact. His appreciation of blue jeans, ballpark hot dogs, a Coke and yes obviously Campbells soup is revolutionary in that no one else at that time, save a happy go lucky American could appreciate that. In that vein, what is truly American about Warhol's art is that it is divorced from any specific tradition, thus apart from any cultural phenomenon and so it stands as an inspiration to see that commercialization as the American way has indeed an equalizing power unparalleled by any political or philosophical system. I do believe that Warhol appreciated this fact and there are many other unique insights to the American experience that support this point of view.

The book itself is loosely based on categories of human interest...Love, Fame, Work, Time, Death etc. Within these chapters, Warhol observes from his experience and those of his acquaintences simple ideas that put the world into perspective for him. I find his approach to be existential in that he simply observes in journalistic fashion the effects of lifes experiences and the results to his thinking.

The tone is conversational and you get the impression from the narrative that you are witnessing some spectacle and hearing Warhol's commentary and this makes the book very easy to read. It is not pretentious or pompous, rather there is an innocence and naivete to Warhol that comes through.

There are more than a few gems, one the most important the paradoxical aspects of life in terms of success. I find it extraordinary that he felt that good business was an art as very few seem to appreciate this fact.It seems that Warhol's commercial motivations for art gave rise to the best work produced by him. Though I would not be quick to dismiss him as an artistic prostitute.

A worthwhile read for anyone who is constantly on the lookout for evidence that the American experiment has noteworthy contributions towards social development.

2008-07-02 | onevoguer (USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Pop: The Genius of Andy Warhol

Product Details

• State: NEW
• ISBN13: 9780066212432
• Notes: Trade name New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Description

Book Description

A major reassessment of the most influential and controversial American artist of the second half of the twentieth century

To his critics, he was the cynical magus of a movement that debased high art and reduced it to a commodity. To his admirers, he was the most important artist since Picasso. Indisputably, Andy Warhol redefined what art could be. As the quintessential Pop artist, he razed the barrier between high and low culture, taking as his subject matter comic books, tabloids, Hollywood publicity photos, and supermarket products. Through his films and the exotic milieu of the Factory, he exhibited an unprecedented talent for publicity and outrage, revealing an underworld of speed freaks, transvestites, and glittering, doomed superstars. Beneath the deceptively simple surface of his silk screens, the old hierarchies of art collapsed. Warhol's x-ray vision exposed the garish, vulgar, and irrepressible new world of 1960s America.

Focusing on that influential decade, Pop disentangles the myths of Warhol--fraught with contradictions--from the man he truly was, and offers a vivid, entertaining, and provocative look at the legendary artist's personal and artistic evolution during his most productive and innovative years. A detailed, insightful chronicle of his rise, as well as a critical examination of Warhol's most important works, this ground-breaking book sheds light on a man who remains an icon of the twentieth century. Drawing on brand-new sources--including extensive original interviews and insight from those who knew him best--Pop offers the most dynamic, comprehensive portrait ever written of the man who changed the way we see the world.

Art from Pop: The Genius of Andy Warhol
(Click to See Full Image)

Andy Warhol, Gold Marilyn, 1962. Silkscreen ink on synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 83 1⁄4" × 57". Gift of Philip Johnson. Museum of Modern Art, New York. © 2009 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts/ARS, New York. Digital image © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA/Art Resource, New York.	Andy Warhol, Silver Liz, 1963. Synthetic polymer paint and silkscreen ink on canvas, 40" × 40 1⁄2". Collection of the Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh. © 2009 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts/ARS, New York. Photo credit: The Andy Warhol Foundation, Inc./Art Resource, New York.	Andy Warhol, “Flowers,” 1964. Screenprint printed on white paper. 23" × 23". © 2009 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo credit: The Andy Warhol Foundation, Inc./Art Resource, New York.	Bob Dylan’s screen test. © Billy Name/Ovoworks.	Andy in front of Serendipity, 1961. Photo by John Ardoin. Courtesy of Serendipity 3.

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Customer Reviews

Pop: The Genius of Andy Warhol
His name is Andrew Warhola, but he is famously known the world over as Andy Warhol. He is a "pop" artist from the 1960s who confounded the world with his fine creations because he looked at the sublime in all things common. You either like him or you don't. There's no ambivalent middle ground with someone like Warhol. His admirers consider him the most important artist since Picasso. But to his critics, he is the cynical magus of a movement that debased high art by reducing it into commodity. However you see him, Andy Warhol's controversial life, and art, is here to stay.

In //Pop: The Genius of Andy Warhol//, Tony Scherman and David Dalton gives you a major reassessment of Warhol's life, work and influence. This book "disentangles" the myths of the man as an artist--fraught with contradictions--from the man he truly was, and offers a vivid, entertaining, and provocative look at his personal and artistic evolution. This is a detailed, insightful chronicle of his rise, as well as a critical examination of his most important works. Drawing on fresh sources, including extensive interviews and insights with those who knew him best, //Pop// offers the most dynamic, comprehensive study of an artist who, in one way or the other, made us see the world differently.

Reviewed by Dominique James

2010-02-08 | SacramentoBookReview.com (Sacramento, CA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Tony Scherman "POP" Valerie's gun

"If in Act I you have a pistol hanging on the wall, then it must fire in the last act."

The authors write, "When she left the Chelsea, Solanas had asked Mrs. Wilson if she could keep her laundry at her apartment. `She showed up with a bulky-looking flowered cloth bag and put it under the bed. One morning Valerie arrived at my mother's door, 208 West 23rd Street,' said Wilson, `saying she had come for her laundry'" (Page 421). No one ever said "bulky-looking," that is an editor making an event explicit but truly false. This passage sounds like a rewrite by someone who uses another journalist's notes, without getting confirmation from people who were interviewed. The point of the anecdote has been blunted by not understanding the deception about a gun. Valerie Solanas often visited May Wilson, and as often asked to 'borrow' $5 or $10. She asked to keep her laundry under the bed, but she arrived with non-bulky flower-print cloth bag which she said was her laundry, and shoved it under the bed. The bag contained no laundry, but one pistol. To get laughs, May Wilson would pull the bag out, then press the cloth to outline the gun - in a studio-apartment where children often played (see "twin baby daughters," page 134). She would say, "This is Valerie's laundry!" Thus a "feminist," Valerie, deceived a friendly older woman who even fed her. On June 3,1968, Valerie retrieved her gun. While exploitation of a generous woman is added to attempted murders, add "exploitation" to this book. If a book is untrustworthy on one page, then...

2010-01-15 (NY) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 2

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Portrait of A Fabulous American Hero
With Pop Art entering its dotage, here come the book that delivers its fascinating youth and adolescence. Authors Scherman and Dalton, who clearly have earned themselves a Pulitzer if there is any justice in this world, form a genius tag team. Dalton, the insider, the eye witness, delivers the juicy gossip. Scherman, the talented journalist, delivers one of the great portraits of the American art world. The book focuses on the 1960s, the decade when the Pop artists of New York City completed the work of the Abstract Expressionists in the previous decade and knocked Europe off its pedestal to claim the center of the art universe.

Of course, at its center is the Dada of it all, Mr. Andy Warhola. We get a brief background of Andy's sickly childhood in Pittsburgh, where he escaped from a world of crowded immigrant flats and skin ailments by immersing himself in his mother's Hollywood fanzines. We follow him in his late teens to Carnegie Tech where he is both thought a fraud and a genius. There Andy discovers his penchant for shock with paintings that explore nose-picking and cross-dressing.

After graduation, Andy moves to New York and his fierce climb to the top begins. Warhol's ambition is shameless. He courts critics, dealers, Jasper Johns and anyone else that can move his career forward in the slightest. But he has the talent to match. His early work has him painting blow-ups of comic strips at least a year before the emergence of Roy Lichtenstein. Warhol, in the eyes of the authors, succeeds not because he hitches his wagon to the Pop tidal wave as much as he is the historical and personal embodiment of its ethos. The real achievement of this book, however, is that by the end the high priest of camp emerges as a hero as worthy as anything the Greeks had in their art.

2009-11-21 | Helpful Votes: 6 | Rating: 5

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Pop
This is a very informative and well-researched book with a lot of interesting and verified takes on a very complex Guy we will never really know.

2009-11-21 (Florida) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Best book on Pop Art and Andy Warhol I've read!
This book is fabulous. It's the first book that really answered for me the question "What is Pop Art?" I had often inquired of others and researched Pop Art, but was often confused, until reading this book. The detail and evolution of Andy Warhol's life and art is vividly depicted. He's a fascinating character -- an extremely ambitious, hard-working man, masked beneath a nonchalant and detached outward persona.

Andy often contradicted himself: describing Pop Art as only depicting "the boringness of life" and elsewhere declaring Pop Art "as portraying the beauty of the ordinary". But Warhol's genius emerged early on when he was merely illustrating shoe ads for I. Miller Shoes. His unusual flair was apparent and some artists actually collected these images to study.

If you appreciate Pop Art and the era, and Andy Warhol -- get this book. Kudos to the authors -- you did a great job!

2009-10-28 | Forest Walker (Montclair, NJ) | Helpful Votes: 6 | Rating: 5

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The Andy Warhol Diaries

Description

Now in trade paperback, the sensational national bestseller that turns the spotlight on one of the most influential and controversial figures of our time.

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Customer Reviews

Overated, Boring, and Self Indulgent
This book is entirely overated. Warhol's prose is horrible considering the creative mind he posseses. I bought it used (thank God) and was bored to tears reading about taxi rides and what so-and-so was wearing. It was like reading a dreadfully boring gay man's blog. A bio on this character would be much more enlightening and a much less waste of time.

2010-01-23 (Seattle, WA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 1

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Wore out my original copy
Bought this book years ago in hardcover. Since I'm an Andy Warhol freak, I have worn the book out reading it so many times. Shipping was very fair and it got here quick so I was very grateful.

Since I lived very close to NYC at the times this book was written, I remember most of the people he writes about as well as the places and yes, met him several times. My mother called him a freak, she did not understand his very simple outlook on life. His observations of life and people are very keen.

If you like his art, reading from his view will give you a new look!

2009-09-22 (middletown, NY usa) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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warhol diaries
Upon receiving this book, I am amazed at how warhol chronicled his life. many run ins with celebrities and the fact that he kept a record of all his small finances were surprising.

Very interesting read and very informative of the life and times of the 1960's

thank you warhol for all the great art.

2008-10-28 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Feels like a brick!!!
That's an interesting book because it offers you a real close idea about who Andy Warhol was and how he went about his daily routine. You gotta have patience because it can get boring at times. Too much unnecessary information ( like how much he paid for the taxi on his way home ) some would say, but then again, if you are a fan of Warhol and his way of thinking, many parts of the book will just make you laugh!It's 800 pages long!

2008-10-24 (Juiz de Fora - MG - Brazil) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 3

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Best Toilet Book Ever
Not a book to read cover to cover, but for dipping into while sitting on the can (for example), it's great. Portrait of New York scene is fascinating, especially as you watch AIDS creep into the picture. You also get a sense of what Andy Warhol was like as a person who had to deal with all of the daily things that everyone has to deal with.

In a weird way, Andy Warhol was the Samuel Pepys of New York.

2008-05-23 | Reader (Chicago) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 5

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Andy Warhol (Icons of America)

Product Details

• Prepare: NEW
• Notes: Stamp New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• ISBN13: 9780300135558

Description

(20091022)

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Customer Reviews

Thought Provoking
I like the accessibility of Danto's book. Without losing his reader, Danto explains the art movements before and after Warhol, giving the reader the ability to focus on how Warhol became the icon he is today. The reader is not left behind in highbrow art definitions or in-depth analysis. You begin to think about what is art and how that definition changes as the culture changes. You can focus on the Marilyn paintings, the Brillo Boxes or the Campbell Soup Cans and begin to understand how Warhol changed how we understand what is art. The book even made me think about what Warhol might have done with the Internet. Danto's basic premise is refuted by Louis Menand in the Jan 11 2010 issue of The New Yorker. Read the book, read the article and then read Warhol's Diaries. A good book always makes you want more. Danto keeps the dialogue going on in your head long after you have finished the book.

2010-01-15 | art words (San Francisco, CA USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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interesting and informative
I've been really interested in Warhol since seeing an exhibit of his material at the Milwaukee Art Museum and decided to read this book. I found it really interesting. Danto brings up the questions of what art is and who can make it repeatedly, giving one much to think about. He shows how in a time when art was divorced from the experience of everyday Americans, Warhol and the other pop artists made art that featured images that everyone recognized, but in new ways. As an introduction to the life and work of Andy Warhol, I thought this was a good read.

2010-01-12 (Wisconsin) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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What Happened to Danto?
What has happened to Arthur C. Danto? Once Danto was amongst the greatest living aestheticians, as well as an eminent art critic for "The Nation". One could always assume that his writings would be interesting and often provocative. After this volume one can not rely on the assumption.

The book is part of a series of short books from the Yale University Press, aimed at exploring American culture by exploring the lives of particular individuals. Danto quickly claims that this is not a biography of Warhol but rather a "study of what makes Warhol so fascinating as an artist from a philosophical point of view." However he then chronicles Warhol's life with generous references to other Warhol biographers. Along the way he asserts that Warhol forced philosophers to redefine art, but goes on to say that he will not discuss this since he has written elsewhere of it.

There is no doubt that Andy Warhol was an important cultural icon, perhaps as much from self-marketing as from the content and form of his work. Danto identified the importance of his work at an early time. He asked and asks a useful question. Why is a Brillo box created in a factory and displayed in a supermarket not art, while a Brillo box created in an atelier and displayed in a gallery is art? The clear inference, made express elsewhere in Danto's writings, is that intentionality is somehow essential to art. Danto asserts that this was one of Warhol's breakthroughs, and unconvincingly dismisses DuChamp's ready-mades as not really making the point.

The fact of the matter is that this is old ground for Danto, having been expressed more clearly and with greater detail in earlier works. I suppose that for generations that never heard of Warhol and that may be interested into a quick peek into his life and work, without too much effort (the essay is less than 150 pages of easily-grasped language and generously-sized type) the volume may be of interest. The few illustrations in the book are in black and white and of rather poor quality, but perhaps that is all that is necessary to illustrate Warhol's work. Perhaps his work is better to read about then to actually see.

Those who have believed that Danto was an important guide through the philosophy of art may begin to wonder if the guide will return to providing new insights.

2009-12-14 (New York, NY USA) | Helpful Votes: 5 | Rating: 3

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Philosophy of Arthur Danto
Like all philosophers' ponderings, this book is more about Arthur Danto than it is about Andy Warhol.

2009-11-21 (Florida) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 3

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If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend

Description

She knows all about art, but does she know what she likes?

Jane Laine used to know a lot about art. But that was before she started managing a prominent gallery, and long before she met "it" artist Ian Rhys-Fitzsimmons. Jane can't seem to put a finger on what exactly is so "it" about his work. In fact, as far as she can tell, he's a big fraud and his fifteen minutes of fame should be over by now. Which could be kind of a problem-since Jane is the one who has to accompany him on a five-month international art fair tour.

To get through it all, Jane figures she'll be a good sport and keep her critiques to herself. Until, traveling with this alleged genius from London to Rome and beyond, she starts to understand the connection between art and love-and the fact that in both, perspective is everything.

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Customer Reviews

Enjoyable but why not Harlequin?
I really enjoyed this book and the snapshots of the contemporary art world. But published by Penguin? Really, this seemed solidly in the straight romance category to me. Would noteven credit it as chick lit. Not a bodice ripper but "oh, if I can just find the love of my life" all the same. Pace's City Dog OTOH glowed with gentle wisdom and the heroine of that book cared about things other than finding Mr. Right. I had hoped for more of the same with this book and was disappointed. Pleasant but no "lit" to be had.

2009-09-24 (Richmond, VA USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 3

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"Plane" Jane Discovers Life and Art
"If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend" is a fun, lighthearted story of a young woman finding her own identity with the help of her friends and strength that she finds within herself. "Plane Jane", as she calls herself, is easily identifiable in most every young woman. She is single, has relationship issues, resents her boss, dislikes a co-worker, is bored with her mundane life and is having difficulty finding meaning in her chosen career. These real life issues are so very common among young women that the character of Jane is easy to identify with, even if the reader has moved passed this phase of their life; it can bring back so many individual memories from the readers past.

This novel is centered on the theme of art. However, the reader does not need to know anything about art to enjoy this heartwarming story. This Novel is not a true romance story; it is more in the category of "chick-lit." However, I would imagine many men would also enjoy Jane's quirky nature and her experiences in the art world.

I found that this was a very quickly paced novel as Jane and the famous artist Ian traveled around the globe promoting Ian's artwork. I was eager to read of their adventures together and the mishaps along the way. I was very please by Jane's character development throughout this story. She began as a very week and uncertain individual who needed to rely on others. In the end, she was transformed into a strong woman who knew exactly what she wanted out of life and carrier and was able to vocalize her feelings and solve her own problems.

One major theme presented in this novel is to always think positive of situations that may seem negative or not fit into our plans. You may find unexpected growth in yourself by remaining positive and finding the "good" in all situations.

2007-12-10 | zard92 (Rochester, NY) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 5

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Great, easy read!
I throughly enjoyed this book! I loved the ending, it was really, really well done. :-) The only wish I had was that it would have shared a little more of that first kiss. Actually,I wanted to give it 4 and a half stars. So I am now in the process of buying her others books. Enjoy!

2007-08-23 (Richland, PA United States) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 4

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nearly perfect traditional romance
If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend is as close to a perfect example of contemporary romance as it's possible to be: a happily-ever-after fairy tale set in the modern world. Ian Rhys-Fitzsimmons is the Prince Charming, hailed as the most important young sculptor of the day. Jane Laine is the Cinderella or Snow White--working for an unappreciative boss, taking second place to her "stepsisters"--her mother's pampered miniature schnauzers.


The Good:
Jane is someone it's easy to relate to. She can take care of herself, has a decent career, but worries about the security of her job. She has friends and a quirky family--and whose family isn't a bit quirky in a certain light?--and a huge crush on Owen Wilson, for which who can blame her?
Ian starts out larger-than-life, but as the book progresses and Jane gets to know him better, he becomes more and more real. There's a very sweet moment when he tells Jane that despite all his current fame and success, in school, he too was the one not chosen, and that suddenly brings his character into vivid focus.

The Bad:
There's not a whole lot of depth to this story. Not that there's supposed to be, mind you, but if you're looking for a book to really sink your teeth into, this is not it.

The Verdict:
All in all, If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend is a warm, feel-good story that you won't want to put down, and that you'll want to savor on a day when you really need a pick-me-up.

2007-03-25 | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 4

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Pace has a remarkable power to bestow happiness on her readers.
I had been looking for a book like this for quite some time. I loved it! It is light, funny and smart. I enjoyed traveling the world with Jane Laine and identifying with her character and her mental miniature versions of herself as she searched for true love. I highly recommend it and look forward to her next books.

2006-06-08 (Phoenix, AZ United States) | Helpful Votes: 3 | Rating: 5

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