bottoms

by Edward Lucie-Smith

Bottoms gives you a perspective on art that you may never have appreciated. Showing the fundamental aspects of well-known images, this cheeky book challenges you to identify the full picture behind the detail. Beautiful bottoms from the full spectrum of world art are shown in luscious close-up, uncluttered by text.

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

John Edward McKenzie Lucie-Smith, known as Edward Lucie-Smith, was an English writer, poet, art critic, curator and broadcaster.

Lucie-Smith was born in Kingston, Jamaica, moving to the United Kingdom in 1946. He was educated at The King's School, Canterbury, and, after a little time in Paris, he read History at Merton College, Oxford from 1951 to 1954.

After serving in the Royal Air Force as an Education Officer and working as a copywriter, he became a full-time writer (as well as anthologist and photographer). He succeeded Philip Hobsbaum in organising The Group, a London-centred poets' group.

At the beginning of the 1980s he conducted several series of interviews, Conversations with Artists, for BBC Radio 3. He is also a regular contributor to The London Magazine, in which he writes art reviews. A prolific writer, he has written more than one hundred books in total on a variety of subjects, chiefly art history as well as biographies and poetry.

In addition he has curated a number of art exhibitions, including three Peter Moores projects at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool; the New British Painting (1988–90) and two retrospectives at the New Orleans Museum of Art. He was a curator of the Bermondsey Project Space.

Edward Lucie-Smith died in July 2026, at the age of 93.

Information about Lucie-Smith's death from Wikipedia

Reviews

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

When I got a bad case of the giggles while picking this up I thought I was just being a dirty old lady with the mentality of a 12-year old. However, it turns out this book is about exactly what I thought it was going to be about. Bottoms is an art book that cuts out the middle man and focuses on the TRUE subject matter that is worthy of appreciation in pieces of art . . .



Obviously I had to buy it . . .



NO! For science. Duh.

Anywho, when I got home my husband was all like: "nice - glad you took the kids with you to buy your pornography." And I was like . . .



"IT WAS FOR CHARITY!"

Because you can totally say that when you purchase your porn art at a thrift store who donates all of their money to children in need.

[Sarai Lillie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject matter was interesting, however, some of the terminology used by the author left much to be desired in terms of, not only aesthetic appeal, but in appropriate usage. Comments such as "has spent too much time at the gym" and "in dire need of exercise" were not only inappropriate for the subject at hand, but were completely useless in describing or appreciating the art.

I was disappointed that the subjects of sexuality and the nude in art were turned into somewhat of a cheap joke... A "thrill" instead of what was hinted at in the introduction of a study of sexuality as it was meant by the original artists.

[Dan Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughtfully sniggering, as requested.