33 Artists in 3 Acts

by Sarah Thornton

This compelling narrative goes behind the scenes with the world’s most important living artists to humanize and demystify contemporary art. The best-selling author of Seven Days in the Art World now tells the story of the artists themselves―how they move through the world, command credibility, and create iconic works. 33 Artists in 3 Acts offers unprecedented access to a dazzling range of artists, from international superstars to unheralded art teachers. Sarah Thornton's beautifully paced, fly-on-the-wall narratives include visits with Ai Weiwei before and after his imprisonment and Jeff Koons as he woos new customers in London, Frankfurt, and Abu Dhabi. Thornton meets Yayoi Kusama in her studio around the corner from the Tokyo asylum that she calls home. She snoops in Cindy Sherman’s closet, hears about Andrea Fraser’s psychotherapist, and spends quality time with Laurie Simmons, Carroll Dunham, and their daughters Lena and Grace. Through these intimate scenes, 33 Artists in 3 Acts  explores what it means to be a real artist in the real world. Divided into three cinematic "acts"―politics, kinship, and craft―it investigates artists' psyches, personas, politics, and social networks. Witnessing their crises and triumphs, Thornton turns a wry, analytical eye on their different answers to the question "What is an artist?" 33 Artists in 3 Acts reveals the habits and attributes of successful artists, offering insight into the way these driven and inventive people play their game. In a time when more and more artists oversee the production of their work, rather than make it themselves, Thornton shows how an artist’s radical vision and personal confidence can create audiences for their work, and examines the elevated role that artists occupy as essential figures in our culture. 44 illustrations, 3 maps

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Art History, Biography, Audiobook, Beach Reads, Politics

448 pages, Paperback

First published October 2, 2014

About the author

Sarah Thornton was the chief writer on contemporary art for The Economist. She holds a BA in art history and a PhD in sociology.

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I slogged through this book, feeling like a miner looking for promising veins of gold. Occasionally I saw real gold but mostly saw the glitter of fool's gold. One has to remember that Thornton was working for The Economist when you get exhausted by all the financial details.
I think any book about art should be required to reproduce copious amounts of the artist's images. If one, like me, is living in the hinterland with limited access to contemporary art, photos would be both instructive and welcomed.

[Akin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some years ago, Lynn Barber wrote a particularly spiteful review of Dr Thornton's previous book, Seven Days in the Art World, for The Telegraph. Thornton described her interview process as collaborative: Barber suggested that this was just a fancy description for copy approval. Unsurprisingly, Thornton sued, and won.

The review was needlessly unpleasant, I think. Reading Thornton's new book though – and I'm treading very carefully here – I sort of see where Barber was coming from, even if I disagree with her ultimate destination.

33 in 3 is an exploration of the essence of the creative impulse, drawn from three perspectives – Politics, Kinship and Craft, the three 'acts'. Each act is diverse, but returns repeatedly to a select group. Koons and Wei Wei are the heart of politics, the extended Dunham family Kindship, Damien Hirst and Andrea Fraser craft.

Part of the problem, from my perspective, is that Thornton at times feels a bit too cosy with her principals. It's partly a matter of the pretty generous access she is granted. (She is, and I hadn't realised this, the chief contemporary art writer for the un-by-lined The Economist). But it is also the fact that she never really uses her leverage to her advantage. She is rightly skeptical of Koons (who happens to be the most expensive living artist - make of that what you will), much chummier with Wei Wei. But both seem to have little to say about the social context of their work, sheltering instead behind their quite considerable personas. It's almost as if they say they *are* political because they have a stage to be political upon. Which is arrant nonsense, obviously. And it feels that Thornton does recognise it, but doesn't try hard enough to penetrate it.

It might be that my reservations about 33/3 are as much to do with me as with the book. Sorry, I'll rephrase that. My reservations about 33/3 are all about me, but may nonetheless be broadly correct. Koons and Wei Wei both leave me cold; the diverse creative input of the Dunham family don't excite very much with me. Some of the supporting cast in the first two acts – Maurizio Cattlan in Kinship, for instance, are interesting but underdeveloped. Others, particularly those who work outside the canon, Thornton seems to accept unconditionally. (That said, there is an interesting refrain that runs through the book, concerning the subjective and objective value of "outsider" art; it might very well be that I am choosing to identify with what I like in Throton's idiosyncratic sketches, and ignoring what I don't.)

Craft is the most engaging of the three acts. It, I think, cuts to the heart of Thornton's principal preoccupation: what makes an artist? But also, this act is framed by the most notorious artist of the last quarter century (Damien Hirst) and the most consistently engaging (Andrea Fraser). Again, it is a matter of personal perspectives, but I think that Thornton succeeds here much more than before in drawing the artist out of their carapace, exposing themselves and their subjective intent. (Consciously so with Fraser; perhaps not with Hirst.)

Perhaps it isn't the book itself, but how its intentions have been framed. 33/3 is an interesting book, and could have been a fascinating book with a slightly different outlook.

[Maksym Karpovets · Rating 4 out of 5]

Це прекрасна збірка коротких есеїв про основних сучасних художників. Авторка в деталях відтворює особистість митців, звертаючи увагу на різні дрібниці й нюанси, немовби наближаючи нас до мотивів, причин створення ключових робіт Демієна Гьорста, Джеффа Кунса та інших. Торнтон будує свою книжку на трьох частинах: Політика, Спорідненість та Ремесло. Відразу можна здогадатись, що у Політиці буде китайський художник Ай Вейвей із його прямою критикою уряду та усіх можливих інституцій влади. Також можна прикинути, що Гьорст буде у Ремеслі із його незвичним, так би мовити, підходом до матеріалу. Митці повторюються, адже одного твору недостатньо для формування портрету. Торнтон, немов той детектив, збирає образ митця чи мисткині (яких, до речі, не так і мало в книжці) з різних елементів, формуючи чи то колаж, чи то забутий фотопортрет (або "ретроспективну хронологію", як вона влучно описала творчість Гьорста) - усе дуже живо виринає у свідомості.

Книжку можна читати без особливого порядку, хоча між есеями є ледь помітний, але важливий зв’язок, який допомагає збагнути контекст сучасного мистецтва і світу. Підхід Торнтон дуже виправданий. Строката, часто хаотична логіка сучасного мистецтва не може бути схоплена лінійним підходом, тому есеїстична манера, навіть під строгим наглядом трьох блоків, видається цілком доречною і цікавою. Водночас не варто читати книжку відразу, за один вечір чи ранок, адже можна легко перевтомитись. Важливо щовечора відкривати якесь ім'я, неспішно поринати у пригоду завдяки різним теоріям, інтерпретаціям та припущенням, влучним метафорам, живим враженням. До речі, останнє теж важливе тут, адже Торнтон не боїться пропускати крізь кожну главу свій власний досвід спілкування чи оглядання творів сучасного мистецтва або й самих їх авторів, немов переконуючи читача в істинності (чи то пак глибокій суб'єктивності) своїх переживань. Напевно, чи не основна фукнція мистецтва - навчити нас переживати, відчувати смак чи гіркоту життя, відчувати себе живим і справжнім, що доволі добре виходить у Торнтон протягом трьох актів.

[Maryna Ponomaryova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ця книга далась мені важко, продиралась крізь неї півроку. У мене було враження, що я запрошена на тусовку, в якій мало що тямлю і мало кого знаю. Але якщо вже бачу знайоме обличчя, то розмова виходить цікавою. А коли мені нав’язливо шепочуть про митців які мене страшенно не цікавлять (*гхм Данем і сім’я гхм*), або про якихось чуваків, які прийшли на паті пограти в бір-понг золотими яйцями фаберже, то було відчуття бентеги і зради. Разом з тим, важко говорити про мистецтво, яке цікавитиме саме тебе, а ця книга палітра всього, що може відбуватися, і інтерпретацій «що таке митець» тут так багато, як і має бути. Немає однозначних відповідей, тому якщо читатимете підготуйтесь до хаосу і розмаїття.

[Evgen Novakovskyi]

до цієї книги в мене було два запити: дізнатись більше про сучасних митців, прізвища яких я вже колись чув, та відкрити для себе нові імена. обидві задачі успішно виконано. книжка розбирає мистецтво у трьох аспектах: політичному (навіщо їх творчість світу і як вони з цим живуть), синергетичному (як вони співіснують з іншими митцями і наскільки легко їм це вдається) та безпосередньо ремісничому (як відбувається сам процес творення, та що вони про це думають).

мені подобається монтаж книги, він зроблений в кращих традиціях документалок. здається, цей трюк називається juxtaposition: спочатку нам змальовують портрет аполітичного Кунса, що з обличчям ефективного менеджера ходить по своїй хайтековій студії та контролює роботу асистентів, а потім одразу дають главу про увʼязнення Ай Вейвея і деяких з його помічників саме за політичну позицію. прийом може здатися трохи маніпулятивним, але тільки якщо вам пʼять, або якщо ви звикли робити висновки по перших пʼяти сторінках. оскільки це книжка про сучасне мистецтво, авторка не нехтує принципами жанру: спочатку чіпляє вашу увагу таким собі епатажем, а коли ви вже опинились на гачку — продовжує спокійно вести свій наратив. насправді ж контент доволі безпристрасний, ніякої тобі демонізації та однобокого висвітлення. попри невеликий обсяг, авторці справді вдалося змалювати відносно обʼємні портрети митців, відкинувши все зайве. лайк.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic book. I don't follow contemporary fine art, and was partly in the "emperor's clothes" camp until now, but 33 Artists in 3 Acts did a great job of walking me through this world and introducing me to a lot of inspiring new artists (and a few that lived up to my old bias of them as con artists). My favorites were the chapters on Gabriel Orozco (I love his piece "Horses Run Endlessly," a chess board where the only pieces are knights), Tammy Rae Carland (whose name I recognized from her shout out on Le Tigre's "Hot Topic"), Jennifer Dalton, and Zeng Fanzhi, to name a few. I also admired Andrea Fraser's Occupy-friendly integrity and her calling out the art world for being fueled by the 1% ("what has been good for the art world has been disastrous for the rest of the world").

Another interesting side note is that the author started profiling Laurie Simmons and Carroll Dunham right around the time their daughter, Lena Dunham, was making her film Tiny Furniture. As a result, the book has an inside look at Lena's own rise to fame, and she and her sister Grace eventually get covered in their own chapters.

Lastly, here are some of the passages I noted while reading:

"I've always liked the term... 'outsider artist'; it brings home the fact that the artists who have received the endorsement of art-world professionals are basically 'insider artists.'" - Martha Rosler

"I don't know what art does for the people who look at it, but it saves the people who make it." - Maurizio Cattelan

"You need strategies to overcome resistance and negativity. You enter troughs where you don't feel motivated. These are battles." - Carroll Dunham

"We also like the artist-as-farmer metaphor. We get up early, work hard all day, and grow our stuff." - Laurie Simmons

"Any work that is really great hovers between terrific and terrible. When a critic hits you, sometimes it's for something that you've already gone over in your own mind a hundred times." - Laurie Simmons

"Why would anyone think that new art should resemble what art already looks like?" - Carroll Dunham

"Students often want to hate everything and just dismiss things. When I give college talks, I tell them: 'you have to fall in love with art or learn to love it.' The respect and affection for others' work should run deep." - Rashid Johnson

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as 7 Days in the Art World, but it was good none the less.

Took me way longer than expected, even though, some chapters are just there to fill in the blank spaces in between spaces of time.

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

It pains me to admit defeat here but ffs I just can't pretend anymore that I want to continue reading this book. I have read Thornton's previous book, 7 Days in the Art World, and found it enjoyable, though shallow.

This one has been a slog. And I think the biggest thing that bothers me here is that there's no glaring problem but instead countless little flaws and mediocrity that all add up to not worth it. It is also telling that I have finally put this book aside just before the "scene" on Francis Alys, a particular favorite of mine being one of the first contemporary artists I fell in love with in college.

This book has value and some interesting insights, but the focus felt off and the ideas felt like Swiss cheese (most notable for their missed opportunities to dive deeper).

Thank you, next.

[Marichka Blindiuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

47 компліментів і 5 провокацій. 52 інтерв’ю з митцями від Демієна Гьорста до Марини Абрамович, які стають цікавішими до кінця, куди ви не дочитаєте, бо прісно

[Max · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although there are a good number of fantastic artists discussed here, the book happens to be weighted towards those I find least interesting: far too many chapters spent on Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst and Lena Dunham's entire family (sister Grace, father Carroll, and mother Laurie Simmons).

What's more, the insight that Thornton seems to see in many of the quotes often fails to seem particularly brilliant. You end up spending far more time learning about artists' mannerisms and commercial processes than you do actually understanding their approach to and philosophy of art. Many a chapter ends on a quote from an interview, giving me the impression we are meant to mull them over and marvel, but examples include: "[Art] is supposed to ask questions", "Relationships need to be mutually inspiring to last", "We're alchemists who want to turn common metals into gold". Not the sort of thing I find particularly inspiring.

I think there are three potential reasons for the book's failure:

First, you're probably going to learn the most about an artist from their art than from their attempts to explain it - and many artists understandably want to resist given any explanation precise enough that they risk being pigeon-holed.

Second, Thornton's incessant question, asked 33 times over, of what an artist is, isn't "simple but profound" as the blurb claims. It's the sort of question that elicits generalities and clichés and often fails to tap into who the particular artist she is interviewing is.

Which leads to the third issue: so much of the content falls flat because it is so stripped of context. For all the detail that clutters the chapters, they often lack precisely the cues that allow them to be interpreted meaningfully. The background to them is vague: a commercial, vaguely liberal background in which both full frontal nudity and the modest culture of Qatar elicit curious raised eyebrows and smirks.


Somehow, even the most thoughtful artists tackling the most serious subjects are too often described in ways that feel completely trivial.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've realized recently that nonfiction is my beach reads - I can read nonfiction without paying manic attention to structure, sentences, and all that other nonsense that makes short stories straight up homework. On the one hand, this was an excellent breezy read, because I learned a lot, I looked up even more, and I underlined plenty. But! This is also so insular and self-contained that it's kind of distressing. I appreciate Sarah Thornton's reportage, but there were more than a few instances where this read like celebrity gossip, which made me discredit the book but also made the reading relatively easy (ironic, when you realize it's a book about high-concept, difficult to understand art).

[Weronika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having read 7 Days in the Art World, a tabloid-like yet informative book about the focal points around which the art market is revolving, I bought 33 Artists in 3 Acts not expecting much in terms of style or form, but clearly hoping to learn something. Unfortunately, the book reveals nothing, which is particularly upsetting if you think how much access the author had had as The Economist art critic (she no longer holds the job). She sets out to discuss the meaning of being an artist with artists, but though she may be proficient in the workings of the art market, art itself is clearly not her thing. Neither is intelligent conversation, nor intelligent writing, for that matter. 400 pages of empty gossip. In this context, the "Bibliography" at the end made me laugh.

[Leiki Fae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book more in the beginning when I felt privileged to be eavesdropping on conversations I would never hear from worlds I will never visit. Toward the end it just started to feel like so much gossip about people I don't know and it got tedious. However, I learned some things and I learned about some artists that I would like to look into more on my own.

CW: Lena Dunham

[Emannuel K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

O livro consiste numa coleção de vinhetas que reúnem uma série de artistas (embora não 33) em torno de questões que a autora considera serem centrais para entender a produção artística contemporânea. Cada um dos três atos está centrado em uma dicotomia. O primeiro, sobre política, entre Jeff Koons e Ai Weiwei; o segundo, sobre as relações entre artistas se divide em Maurizio Cattelan e a família Dunham; o último, sobre técnica, entre Damien Hirst e Andrea Fraser. As escolhas, visivelmente, dependem principalmente do gosto pessoal da autora (tanto que, em cada um dos atos, sempre existe um "lado bom" e um "lado mau"). Mais do que isso, a obra não se preocupa com as obras, mas sim com as personalidades dos artistas. É um tema interessante, e a autora não finge que está interessada em outra coisa, mas não sei se esse tipo de hagiografia é necessária, já que os artistas já são tão mitificados quanto são. É um ótimo livro, no entanto, se você quer conhecer algumas das figuras centrais no mundo da arte contemporânea.

[Freca - Narrazioni da Divano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Qual è l'essenza dell'arte? Quale il suo scopo e ruolo? Sono domande che gli artisti si sono posti da quando l'espressione artistica è nata, con risposte differenti in base a luogo ed epoca. Ed è proprio a queste domande che l'autrice cerca di dare risposta tramite i ritratti di 33 artisti contemporanei. Ad oggi dove l'arte è spesso ridotta ma non semplificata al concetto e trascende l'abilità artigianale queste domande sono forse ancora più attuali e meritevoli di risposte, molteplici e contraddittorie ma che potrebbero indicarci quale sia lo spirito del nostro tempo.

[Richard Lanet · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me a bit too frantic with too many artists to really enjoy. Also returns to a few selective Major artists.

[Fran(c)k · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thornton follows the careers of some current art celebrities she considers relevant. The artists are present in an antithetical style, where some big selling well-known names (Jeff Koons, Maurizio Cattelan, Damien Hirst) are contrasted with more critical/political artists, "outsider" artists, or lesser known yet important artist's artists like Andrea Fraser, or Yayoi Kusama. The book is well written, although Thornton regularly tends to use a somewhat juicy tabloid style to present the artists or the situation of her interviews.
So is it any good? I'm genuinly torn on this one. The book actually poses some significant questions on what is going on in the art-world and what it means to be an artist nowadays. The conversations with the artists often are insightful and interesting. However, the answers to her self-inflicted questions, in particular the answers she gives herself, are somewhat disappointing. Despite the way the different artistic strategies and worldviews are presented in a somewhat conflicting way, I could not help the impression that I'm reading just a collection of unrelated newspaper feuilletons. This way the answer to the questions "what is an artist", "what is art (and what not)" becomes somewhat tautological, like "art is what is recognized as art", or to put it polemically: "good art is successful/pricey art" and vice versa.

[Holly Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of the art books that I have read have been fairly dryly written, despite the subject matter. Sarah Thornton’s book is anything but. As suggested by the title it’s structured like a play with each scene featuring an artist. Some artists get more than one scene and sometimes scenes are shared by multiple artists. These scenes are conversations between author and artist and they give a wonderful glimpse into the minds of those working in contemporary art. If you’re looking for an introduction to the current art world this might be a good place to start. If you are a lover of contemporary art then you will also appreciate the insights in this. There are artists that you have probably heard of like Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons, but there are also smaller artists who do not make a living from their practices. My only disappointment was that there wasn’t more in here on some of the artists that I found most interesting. For instance Yayoi Kusama only has one chapter, as does Marina Abramovic and Lena Dunham. But overall this was a great non-fiction read.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finally finished this heaping pile. It's about as riveting as reading a book about accountants clawing their way to the top of a firm. If you are an artist with an already jaded view of the art world, don't bother with this book. No need to further the spiral. This book is about money and power, not art. Only one or two redeeming interviews in this entire book. "33 inside traders in the guise of circus performers/magicians“ could also be the title. I suggest reading a tonic to reestablish an appreciation for art and/or people after this. Nothing was gained from reading this.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really looking forward to reading this book and will write a review as soon as I have completed it.

[cantread26 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am currently very curious about the art world so this was a great survey of global contemporary artists and also of a variety opinions on what being an artist ~~ means ~~ also super well written I think. Here are my pulls.

A bit hard to follow because of the number of different artist mentioned though.

"The artist is an enemy of... ah... general sensibilities" - Ai Wei Wei

"Everyone personal history is a creatively edited story"

"Art that goes forward can take a long time to be understood, whereas art that moves sideways--that is just elaborating-- can be very commercial" - Kutlug Ataman

"You can take photographs or you can make photographs" - Tammy Rae Carland

"It's important not to confuse art with craft"

maximal aesthetic

"these categories--'art' and 'propaganda'-- are ephemeral and have different definitions depending on their era or place" -- Martha Rosler ... to students: "Just convince me."

"The Internet lets me travel. Technology is beautiful in the most impossible conditions. Technology allows freedom." - Ai WeiWei

"Relationships need to be mutually insuring to last" - Dragset of Elmgreen & Dragset

posit identity as a network of other people's perceptions

"You need someone to say, 'You are not a genius; this is shit." - Maurizio Cattelan

Until Duchamp, artists were not obsessed with ideas. It was about who could do the best version.

"An artist is the one who misses planes!" - Massimiliano Gioni

"Humans make images to hold onto what they live and what they are about to lose" - Massimiliano Gioni

"What fucks me up is infinite possibilities" - Damien Hirst

"If the critics don't like something, just make more" - Warhol

"Your image is something you wear. It is not something that your are" - Hirst

institutional critique - Andrea Fraser

Indeed, it is such a cliche of transgression that the artist jokes that she is not really naked because she is in quotation marks - on Fraser

"Sometimes am easy gesture can be conceptually strong" - Christiab Marclay, The Clock

"You can be original in what you steal and how you display your bounty" - Christian Marclay

"If you start believing in your greatness, it is the death of your creativity" - Marina Abramovic

"ideas that are chunky" - Grayson Perry, The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman with commercial pottery vase thing

"We shouldn't be nostalgic about our analogue skills because new skills are coming along all the time" - Grayson Perry

"the psychopath has a lot in common with 'the entrepreneurial male'" - Cady Noland

paintings have the splendor of "an elephant rather than a nice lady". - Beatriz Milhazes

Brazil is the only country in the world where the most expensive living artist is female. !!!!!!

"I'm not unique. I'm just a particular instance of the possible." - Fraser

[Alexey · Rating 4 out of 5]

«Я не верю в искусство. Я верю в художника» – цитатой Дюшана Сара Торнтон открывает серию проникновенных наблюдений за известными и успешными художниками. Это именно наблюдения, хотя автор пытается выдать 33 эпизода с различными современными художниками (Маурицио Каттелан, Дэмьен Херст, Ай Вейвей, Синди Шерман, Джефф Кунс и многие другие) за интервью. От глаза Торнтон не уходит ни обстановка домов художников, ни поведение, ни то, что говорят о них другие коллеги.

Успех современного художника не заключается в технических талантах, утверждает автор. Когда искусством может быть абсолютно все, как завещал покойный Дюшан, мир искусство становится особой социальной экосистемой. Ключевой фактор в ней, приходит к выводу Торнтон, – это способность убедить остальных в том, что художник достоин приглашения на Венецианскую биеннале, семизначных ценников на свои работы, попадания в крупнейшие музеи и т.д.. Книга, разумеется, не написана в стиле «как стать успешным в совриске», но показывает, насколько разнообразны пути и методы интеллектуального и художественного совершенства у выбранных автором представителей.

Книга показывает и всю экосистему совр.иска – с финансистами, которые используют произведения искусства в качестве финансовых инструментов, с художниками-«индустриалистами», которые содержат целый штат ассистентов (у Херста их 150, а у Кунса в партнерах целый металлолитейный заводик на Западе Германии), художниками-«борцами» (Ай Вейвей, Кутлуг Атаман), с арт-дилерами (Гагосян, Бонами), которые показаны очень комплиментарно – их художественный вкус валидирован их положением.

Особенную роль автор уделяет художникам-«активистам», т.е. тем, кто двигает социальную повестку: Атаман, Вейвей (антиавторитарный артивизм), Тэмми Рей Карланд, Марта Рослер, Лори Симмонз (фемартивизм), Рашид Джонсон (критика структурного расизма), Франсис Алис, Маурицио Каттелан (критика традиционалистского мировоззрения) и многие другие. Интересна их стратегия – известность художника прямо пропорциональна силе сигнала. Таким образом, получение популярности, а потом использование популярности для активистского сообщения, становится методом, где все средства хороши: и скандалы, и аукционы, и даже аресты.

Книга плотно упакована инсайдерскими шутками, провокациями и достаточно критическим взглядом на художественный мир. У Торнтон есть свои любимчики – описаны, кажется, все члены семьи Данэм. Массовый читатель знаком только, наверное, с Линой Данэм, режиссеркой и актрисой в «Girls». Но и Лори Симмонз (мать), и Кэролл Данэм (отец) – занимают значимое место в повествовании. Каттелан – звезда, а Кунс, и, особенно, Херст – скорее антигерои.

Книгу определенно стоит читать для повышения уровня насмотренности и «въезжания» в глобальный мир современного искусства.

[Roberta Westwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting stuff!

This was quite a good book, providing insights as to both the art world, and 33 artists. Many of the artists were new to me.

This audiobook is seriously missing a PDF accompaniment with, as a minimum, the table of contents, so that one can easily google the names to see examples of their work. Alternatively, if the chapters were named, rather than just an ambiguous “Chapter 7”, one could actually follow along.

Here is what I was able to put together for myself, and I am sharing it for the benefit of all listeners.


33 Artists in 3 Acts
by Sarah Thornton

Audiobook Chapters — put together by me

Act I: Politics
Jeff Koons – creator of the Guggenheim Bilbao puppy (interesting story)
Ai Weiwei – dissident artist, not afraid of a fight
Gabriel Orozco – loves bicycles and ping-pong tables * (reappears in Act III: Craft)
Eugenio Dittborn – mailed his art around the world
Lu Qing – massive scrolls
Zeng Fanzhi – big mask faces
Wangechi Mutu – collage meets sci-fi
Kutluğ Ataman – films about identity and outsiders
Tammy Rae Carland – feminist photos, zines, indie vibe
Martha Rosler – video and photomontage pioneer

Act II: Kinship
Elmgreen & Dragset – prankster duo, pools and pavilions
Maurizio Cattelan – yes, the duct-taped banana guy
Laurie Simmons – dolls, domestic scenes, Lena’s mom (below) ^
Carroll Dunham – wild, cartoonish paintings
Francis Alÿs – poetic city stunts, pushing ice blocks
Cindy Sherman – the master of disguise
Jennifer Dalton – charts and lists about the art world
William Powhida – sharp satire, draws the art market as villains
Francesco Bonami – curator with attitude
Grace Dunham – writer/performer, part of the family mix ^
Lena Dunham – filmmaker, HBO fame, art-world roots ^
Rashid Johnson – plants, shea butter, Afrofuturism touches
Massimiliano Gioni – Venice Biennale guy

Act III: Craft
Damien Hirst – the story behind the £50K shark (weird!)
Andrea Fraser – museum performances, biting critique
Jack Bankowsky – critic, art-world insider
Christian Marclay – famous for The Clock
Marina Abramović – sat for hours, people cried
Grayson Perry – pots, frocks, Turner Prize
Yayoi Kusama – famous for her “polka dot” installations (love her work!)
Cady Noland – few works but huge buzz
Gabriel Orozco – second appearance, more experiments *
Beatriz Milhazes – colorful Brazilian patterns
Isaac Julien – lush films on race and desire


Here are the full details of the audiobook I listened to (from my Audible library):

33 Artists in 3 Acts
WRITTEN BY Sarah Thornton
NARRATED BY Tavia Gilbert
RELEASE DATE 2014-11-18
FORMAT Unabridged Audiobook
LENGTH 11 hrs and 16 mins
PUBLISHER Tantor Audio

[Elisa Pomarico · Rating 3 out of 5]

Questo libro si presenta come un saggio sull’arte contemporanea, ma strutturato in una forma ibrida, a metà strada tra il reportage giornalistico e il diario di bordo di una viaggiatrice tra studi e gallerie. Thornton propone un’indagine su trentatré artisti viventi suddivisi in tre “atti”, ciascuno legato a una tematica: politica, parentela, mestiere. Un’idea narrativa interessante, almeno sulla carta.

Nel concreto, però, il libro mi ha lasciata più volte con la sensazione di essere rimasta sulla superficie, come se avessi guardato il mondo dell’arte da un oblò. Ogni artista viene sfiorato, inquadrato attraverso una scena, un dialogo, un dettaglio suggestivo, ma raramente approfondito. Alcuni scorci riescono ad avere un certo impatto emotivo (ad esempio, nella prima parte spiccano Weiwei, Mutu, Dittborn e Ataman), ma in altri casi si resta con l’impressione di un profilo appena abbozzato. Anche la scelta di non corredare il testo con immagini a colori (nella mia edizione) rende l’esperienza a tratti frustrante, considerando che si parla d’arte visiva.

Ho trovato interessante il confronto implicito tra artisti così diversi tra loro per approccio, poetica e relazione con il potere o con il mercato; alcune citazioni, alcune frasi o riflessioni dei singoli sono rimaste a ronzarmi nella testa. Tuttavia, da lettrice in cerca di chiavi di lettura e profondità, non mi è bastato. Il testo si rivela utile per un primo contatto con certe figure, ma difficilmente riesce a far sentire il battito vivo delle loro opere. Rimane, più che una riflessione, un collage ben confezionato.

Una lettura che arricchisce a sprazzi, ma che non riesce a sostenere fino in fondo il peso del tema che si propone di trattare.

[Anastasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the bite-sized chapters, this book was not a quick read. Some parts were interesting and others a slog. I was glad to be done with this book!

I enjoyed the insights into artists’ studios and homes, their thought processes. The book helped see the personalities behind famous works and how different artists deal differently with similar problems.

I did not enjoy certain choices by the author. For example the inclusion of the whole Dunham family instead of some other artists that were left out. It felt like nepotism or easy filler. They didn’t add much to the content or context.
I didn’t like the author’s insistence on mentioning what expensive brands people were wearing. And I didn’t like the journalistic urge to twist people’s words, to try and scoop meaning out of throwaway sentences into something artificially deep.

At times the book becomes strangely voyeuristic and almost gossipy, especially when reporting from events and openings, where Thornton describes the social dynamics in the room (which VIPs are present and who’s talking to whom). At the end there’s a feeling of enmity toward Hirst, which is crossing the line between describing events and getting personal.

The line is also crossed when the author is choosing to have a dig at some artists — what they said, what they wouldn’t say, what they look like — and not others. It’s weird that she accepts certain interviewees at face value with no critique and others don’t get off so easy. Confusing.

[Freda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really interesting book to spend a couple of hours with. But it was all a bit same-y and I didn't manage to take as much from it about the world of contemporary art as I was hoping. I think if you already have some idea about contemporary art, there are no revelations here, and I found the author's repeated question of 'what is an artist?' lacking in bite.

There is surely plenty to be revealed about contemporary art, and how its forms are incentivised by capital... but instead we had a lot of explanations that come from the artists themselves, which don't really explain how they make money or why their work takes the form it does - unless childhood anecdotes will satisfy you. And while the author was sceptical about Jeff Koon's childhood anecdotes (the chapters with Ai Wei Wei and Koons were very good), the other artists were let off.

Reading this book, you'd have no idea of the wealth of global art collectors or the seedier side of the art world. I guess I wanted a more cynical and eyebrow-raising peer into what really drives contemporary art. Admittedly that would be a different book, which meetings with artists was never going to deliver.

A good book, but not one I'd press on anyone.

[Luisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has been quite insightful on various levels. It widened my knowledge on contemporary artists and how they work, what they think of their art and how the art world reacts to it. I have come to know many important art works, such as Ai Wei Wei's Sunflower Seeds or Damien Hirsts formaldehyde containers. These have not just been added to the repertoire - or mental archive - but have also been portrayed in their context and effects. Thornton has done a good job on simply reflecting the selected artists through the interviews and through her experiences. Added to the other book of hers 'Seven Days in the Art World' the structure of art making on it's own, the art world - including museums, art critique and the market - and the connection of both has been made a bit more comprehensible. All in all: I enjoy her way of writing, her insert of subjective impressions and also her sarcastic commentary in different situations.

[Sofia Fresia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uno dei libri migliori che abbia mai letto sul mondo dell’arte contemporanea. Non è certamente perfetto, perché manca un po’ di coesione - e se non si conoscono almeno in parte i meccanismi che regolano il mercato dell’arte e i suoi protagonisti principali non credo lo si possa apprezzare appieno. Mi è piaciuto molto il taglio quasi giornalistico che l’autrice ha dato al testo: ogni artista ha una o più “scene” che accostate tra loro mettono in evidenza divergenze e affinità tra gli artisti stessi senza bisogno di ulteriori parole. Ogni sezione presenta dei protagonisti principali, che ritornano più volte, e dei personaggi secondari che in qualche modo si trovano in posizioni affini o discordi riguardo il tema portante di ciascun atto (Politica, Famiglia e Tecnica). Finalmente un saggio di arte contemporanea che si fa capire ed è coinvolgente nel riuscire a dare molte informazioni utili sugli artisti, la loro opera e il loro modo di intendere l’arte.

[Laura Degenhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging account of contemporary art world celebrities, including insightful interviews and anecdotes about the art world. I found myself unable to put this book down, and liked the author's 3-part division of the text, with artists revisited under different headings. Sarah Thornton manages ably to maintain a journalist's incisive inquiry whilst giving the impression of being an insider who has, to some extent, the trust of her artist and curator subjects. I particularly enjoyed her ability to 'blag' her way in to situations where she, as a reporter, was unwelcome. Her voice is honest, and I like her sense of humour. I'd recommend this book, with its extensive index and bibliography, to anyone interested in the international contemporary art 'scene'.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

33 Artists in 3 Acts is a fascinating look at contemporary high profile international artists (and a dealer or two). Through interviews (which amazingly avoid most artspeak), Sarah Thornton is able to capture both the individual expressions of what it means to be an artist and the nature of the contemporary art world (particularly in its relationship to money and fame). Her juxtaposition of distinctly different artists (different particularly in general attitude, self-importance and relationship to producing and promoting art), as well as of artists' impressions and interpretations of one another, makes for an insightful and, sometimes, humorous read.