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Masterpiece
A fast-paced, beautifully written debut novel set in the contemporary art scene. Where can the art of sensation possibly go next?
In an audacious stroke, celebrated British artist Esther Glass puts herself up for sale by auction at Sothebys, as a living masterpiece, to be owned by the highest bidder for a week. For each day of her possession, she will perform as one of seven iconic women, themselves the subjects of great paintings from the Christina of Denmark by Holbein; Olympia by Manet; Madonna of the Pinks by Raphael; Madame de Sengonnes by Ingres; Mrs. Leyland by Whistler; Isabella D’Este by Leonardo da Vinci; and, Judith and Holofernes by Klimt.
Esther’s extraordinary art adventure takes her to major European galleries and the Frick in New York to research her seven selected masterpieces. Once sold, she goes to Manhattan for her week of ownership. There she is forced to confront financial corruption by her dealers, the instability of her relationships with her lovers and, on her return to London, her own intrinsic values as an artist, daughter and woman.
Masterpiece comes at a seminal moment in the art world, when the art of sensation has possibly run its course. It is, itself, a masterpiece of insight, giving us rare access into the workings of the contemporary art scene, and examines the effects of self-obsession, celebrity and greed on the part of its key players.
In an audacious stroke, celebrated British artist Esther Glass puts herself up for sale by auction at Sothebys, as a living masterpiece, to be owned by the highest bidder for a week. For each day of her possession, she will perform as one of seven iconic women, themselves the subjects of great paintings from the Christina of Denmark by Holbein; Olympia by Manet; Madonna of the Pinks by Raphael; Madame de Sengonnes by Ingres; Mrs. Leyland by Whistler; Isabella D’Este by Leonardo da Vinci; and, Judith and Holofernes by Klimt.
Esther’s extraordinary art adventure takes her to major European galleries and the Frick in New York to research her seven selected masterpieces. Once sold, she goes to Manhattan for her week of ownership. There she is forced to confront financial corruption by her dealers, the instability of her relationships with her lovers and, on her return to London, her own intrinsic values as an artist, daughter and woman.
Masterpiece comes at a seminal moment in the art world, when the art of sensation has possibly run its course. It is, itself, a masterpiece of insight, giving us rare access into the workings of the contemporary art scene, and examines the effects of self-obsession, celebrity and greed on the part of its key players.
329 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 16, 2022
Five stars for the idea, two stars for the execution, 1 star for the terrible ending.
English: https://elifthereader.com/books/maste...
Türkçe: https://kitaplikkedisi.com/kitaplar/b...
English: https://elifthereader.com/books/maste...
Türkçe: https://kitaplikkedisi.com/kitaplar/b...
October 28, 2011
Bir sanat galerisinde saatlerini geçirebilen ve tabloları izlemekten büyük keyif alan ben gibi tüm insanların hoşuna gidecek bir kitap "başyapıt". Yazarın bu tabloları ve 8 kadın portresini içeren başyapıtları hem moda açısından, hem karakterleri, hayat hikayeleri hem de kadınlık halleri açısından ele alması çok güzel bir okuma deneyimi sunuyor. Ayrıca sanat dünyasının iç yüzü, pazarlıklar ve sanat eseri satışıyla ilgili bilinmeyenlere bir perde aralanıyor. Çok beğendim.
June 22, 2012
The premise of this book was what drew me in beyond the cover. Being an illustration student, I am really interested in art and fine art especially so the historical elements of this book were a highlight for me, backing up Esther's decisions throughout the story. Although the plot was good, I think that the book was a bit slow for me. With 377 pages, it is an average sized novel but I think that some of the points were not needed and if they had not have been included, there would have been a more interesting mystery surrounded the protagonists past. Despite this being quite a slow read, I was interested from the start and due to the small chapters, I did just keep reading on.
The characters were slightly under-developed but I think that on the whole they were all very individual and in some ways relatable. Esther, the protagonist, has the same traits as most arty-types, being quite an introverted person when it came to her emotions and passionate about her projects, but on the other hand, she is a very head-strong character and in some ways this helps the reader to relate to her a lot more.
The writing in this novel was wonderful and easy to read. As it is told from first person perspective, you get inside the head of Esther Glass and the way it is written reflects this personal approach to story telling. I like that historical details were included in this novel because this added extra dimension and although some facts were embellished, this made you connect more with the masterpieces as Esther does throughout the story.
Overall, I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars because although I enjoyed it, I found it quite slow but interesting all the same. I really like the cover of the book as it reflects the plot perfectly and the inclusion of the paintings on the inside of the particular edition that I bought made it easier for me to visualise the paintings as Esther describes them.
The characters were slightly under-developed but I think that on the whole they were all very individual and in some ways relatable. Esther, the protagonist, has the same traits as most arty-types, being quite an introverted person when it came to her emotions and passionate about her projects, but on the other hand, she is a very head-strong character and in some ways this helps the reader to relate to her a lot more.
The writing in this novel was wonderful and easy to read. As it is told from first person perspective, you get inside the head of Esther Glass and the way it is written reflects this personal approach to story telling. I like that historical details were included in this novel because this added extra dimension and although some facts were embellished, this made you connect more with the masterpieces as Esther does throughout the story.
Overall, I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars because although I enjoyed it, I found it quite slow but interesting all the same. I really like the cover of the book as it reflects the plot perfectly and the inclusion of the paintings on the inside of the particular edition that I bought made it easier for me to visualise the paintings as Esther describes them.
March 2, 2009
The concept of the novel was very intriguing,however the performance was average.The first half of the book reminded me of an art gallery guide; the story was moving slow;then it went a bit faster filling too much of the rest of the book.The novel`s ambition is to set an unusual view point towards art value and art business. However I doubt very much the world of art business is what the author describes. The main character,Esther,is experiencing some kind of a journey towards herself but the ending disappointed as banal and sweetened. Once again,it`s a pity- the idea was great,the performance-not so great.
September 6, 2010
A perfect book for art lovers: a contemporary artist creates a piece of performance art which references pivotal women depicted in art. I enjoyed reading about the art "scene" as well as how the artist chose to portray her chosen female stars of art history. The ending was a bit disappointing but not a deterrent to those who haven't read the book.
May 1, 2014
A nice idea to write a novel in order to express the value of art, woman, artist and society. However I do not believe that it is a "masterpiece" as the title says since the narration can not go beyond one dimension and the characters are not very well delineated and analyzed. Thus, the concept ends rather weak despite having a strong core.
November 4, 2007
the idea for this book was so brilliant, and the themes so intelligent and relevent, but is was completely spoiled by the simplicity of the writing and flatness of the characters.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews