What do you think?
Rate this book
"Art"
How would you feel about your best friend if she suddenly did something so colossally stupid, it made you doubt the very basis of the friendship? It happens in Yasmina Reza's monster international hit, Art. When an art lover buys what is in essence a pure white painting for a horse-choking sum, his best friend goes ballistic. Yet a third friend gets squeezed in the middle. Questions about the meaning of strange modern art and strange modern friendships--and how they're sometimes not all that different--fly thick in the limelight.
121 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
74 people are currently reading
4839 people want to read
About the author
Yasmina Reza
60 books601 followersYasmina Reza began work as an actress, appearing in several new plays as well as in plays by Molière and Marivaux. In 1987 she wrote Conversations after a Burial, which won the Molière Award for Best Author. Following this, she translated Kafka's Metamorphosis for Roman Polanski and was nominated for a Molière Award for Best Translation. Her second play, Winter Crossing, won the 1990 Molière for Best Fringe Production, and her next play The Unexpected Man, enjoyed successful productions in England, France, Scandinavia, Germany and New York. In 1995, Art premiered in Paris and went on to win the Molière Award for Best Author. Since then it has been produced world-wide and translated into 20 languages. The London production received the 1996-97 Olivier Award and Evening Standard Award. Screenwriting credits include See You Tomorrow, starring Jeanne Moreau and directed by Didier Martiny. In September 1997, her first novel, Hammerklavier, was published.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 795 reviews
June 18, 2017
Friendship and Honesty
Think of your oldest, closest friends: the shared experiences and interests that your friendship is rooted in, and the unspoken understanding, support, and private jokes that nurture it. These friends are the background of your life, but the foreground, too: peaks of joy, troughs of sorrow, advice, companionship, affectionate joshing, heated debates...
Now take a step back and search for the little elephants in the room of your friendship. The trivial things that irritate, but which you ignore without the need to forgive. Not the casual things you can - and do - tease them about (they’re part of your bond), but the darker things that would undermine a weaker friendship. What would happen if those thoughts were exposed?
Are strong relationships based on honesty, or are white lies of omission necessary too?
The little boy who declared the emperor was naked had nothing to lose; with our most intimate friends, everything is at stake. As TS Eliot wrote, “Unreal friendship may turn to real. But real friendship, once ended, cannot be mended.”
That is the plot of Art. The context, and the bone of contention, is one character’s huge investment in a minimalist modern painting, and how that affects the longstanding, three-way friendship of Serge, Yvan and Marc.
It is a painting with a white background and a few white diagonal lines. I was reminded of this Miro, of three white panels, each with a single (black) wiggly line - none of which touch the edge. It took two or three years of sketches for him to get it just right:
One character is the arguably pretentious buyer, one is brazenly honest (calling the picture “shit”), and the other is the peacemaker who runs the risk of seeming two-faced. As Mark (with a K) asks in his excellent review (HERE), which character are you? Me? I’m Yvan.
Comedy… or Tragedy?
The original London production won a Laurence Olivier award for comedy, but in her acceptance speech, Reza joked that she thought she’d written a tragedy.
It is both.
So What is Art?
I’ve discused that question in my review of Why Your Five Year Old Could Not Have Done That, HERE. For me, it’s about intention (to provoke a reaction) and relationship (the audience who react).
Seeking Meaning and Purpose
“Under the white clouds, snow is falling. You can’t see the white clouds, or the snow. Or the cold, or the white glow of the earth.”
I’m reminded of almost the opposite: an old Rowan Atkinson sketch in which Sir Marcus Browning, M.P, refers to “the blind man, in the dark room, looking for a black cat… that isn't there.” That sketch also includes the memorable near-tongue-twister, “Purpose is what we’re striving for. We must have purpose. We mustn’t be purposeless. We mustn’t exhibit purposenessless. We must be purposelessnessless.”
Seeking purpose can open us to ridicule, but it’s better than the tragedy of having nothing to aspire to.
Image sources
Three children walking off together:
http://comps.canstockphoto.com/can-st...
Four wise monkeys (hear, see, speak, and do no evil):
https://redhawk500.files.wordpress.co...
Jean Miro’s Painting of a white background for the cell of a recluse:
http://www.creationspot.com/wp-conten...
June 2, 2021
Interesting, quick sharp and witty! I really enjoyed this play and wouldn't hesitate to see this performed on stage.
November 5, 2016
This only takes about an hour or so to read, and it is great fun. There are only three characters, Marc, Serge, and Yvan, and they spend the entire time bickering like an old married couple. To the characters, every word has a multitude of subtexts, hides a variety of insults and slights, expresses sarcasm and innuendo, real or imagined. Yes, it is possible to use the play as a prompt to think about modern art, and decide for yourself whether you side with Marc and think it is "shit", or with Serge who likes it, or with Yvan who doesent really have an opinion at all. But it's not about art, I don't think. It is about three friends who, over 15 years, have learnt to dislike some of the character traits of the others that they see as shortcomings, and who finally bring their differences out into the open in an explosive encounter.
Amusingly, halfway through the play, I was asking myself who I am most like. I think the answer is I am a blend between Marc and Serge. I can tell you this is not a flattering insight... As a bit of fun, for those of you who have read it (or seen it performed), you may ask yourself what "Art"-character are you most like? But be warned, whatever the answer, it wont be a pleasant insight, unless the answer is "none".
Amusingly, halfway through the play, I was asking myself who I am most like. I think the answer is I am a blend between Marc and Serge. I can tell you this is not a flattering insight... As a bit of fun, for those of you who have read it (or seen it performed), you may ask yourself what "Art"-character are you most like? But be warned, whatever the answer, it wont be a pleasant insight, unless the answer is "none".
January 25, 2025
خوانش صوتی/ این شد یه نمایشنامهی خفن.
کلا یاسمینا رضا مهارتش تو بحث و گفتگو نویسی بنظیره.
هم برای اجرا هم برای گوش کردن هم برای خوندن جذابه و منظور و محتوا هم متفاوت و بینظیر بود(من از معنا مفهومهای مستقیم با یه قلم دلچسب خیلی بیشتر از مفهومهای پنهان و اکسپرسیونیسمی و بکتوار خوشم میاد) چرا که تاحالا من درموردش جایی نخونده بودم و خیلی دوست داشتم بخونم: هنر مدرن.
یچیزی مثل همون موز چسبیدهای که چندوقت پیش با قیمت وحشتناک فروش رفت.
(در نسخهی انگلیسی اسم نماینشامه 'Art' به این صورت نوشته شده که apostrophe ها به منظور همون دو انگشت بالا پایین کردن خودمونه که "الکی مثلا" خودمون رو میرسونه-امیدوارم منظورمو رسونده باشم😭😂)
موضوع داستان:
سرج یه روز از این تابلوهای خیلی گرون میخره، (بیست هزار دلار اگر اشتباه نکنم) که کل تابلو سفید خالیه.
دوست چندین ساله ی قدیمیش مارک که-مثل خود من- آدم کلاسیکیه به هیچ عنوان معنا و مفهوم این کار سرج رو نمیفهمه و شروع به تمسخر میکنه و کم کم دوستیشون شکرآب میشه سر همین تابلو.
این وسط اون یکی دوستشون ایوان هم نقش یه آدم ضعیف و حساس رو که تحت تاثیر تروماهاشه رو بازی میکنه و کل نمایش یه درگیری جذاب بین این سه نفره.
کاش بره رو صحنههای تهران یه روز.
«سرج: مارک! یادبگیر که آدمهارو برای خودشون دوست داشته باشی.
مارک: یعنی چی برای خودشون؟
سرج: یعنی برای اون چیزی که هستن!
مارک: اما مگر اونها چی هستن؟ چی هستن بجز امیدی که من بهشون میدم؟ من همیشه دنبال یک نفر، یک دوست گشتم که قبل از من ساخته شده باشه. اما تاحالا که شانسی که نداشتم و همیشه خودم مجبور شدم شما هارو بسازم.»
کلا یاسمینا رضا مهارتش تو بحث و گفتگو نویسی بنظیره.
هم برای اجرا هم برای گوش کردن هم برای خوندن جذابه و منظور و محتوا هم متفاوت و بینظیر بود(من از معنا مفهومهای مستقیم با یه قلم دلچسب خیلی بیشتر از مفهومهای پنهان و اکسپرسیونیسمی و بکتوار خوشم میاد) چرا که تاحالا من درموردش جایی نخونده بودم و خیلی دوست داشتم بخونم: هنر مدرن.
یچیزی مثل همون موز چسبیدهای که چندوقت پیش با قیمت وحشتناک فروش رفت.
(در نسخهی انگلیسی اسم نماینشامه 'Art' به این صورت نوشته شده که apostrophe ها به منظور همون دو انگشت بالا پایین کردن خودمونه که "الکی مثلا" خودمون رو میرسونه-امیدوارم منظورمو رسونده باشم😭😂)
موضوع داستان:
سرج یه روز از این تابلوهای خیلی گرون میخره، (بیست هزار دلار اگر اشتباه نکنم) که کل تابلو سفید خالیه.
دوست چندین ساله ی قدیمیش مارک که-مثل خود من- آدم کلاسیکیه به هیچ عنوان معنا و مفهوم این کار سرج رو نمیفهمه و شروع به تمسخر میکنه و کم کم دوستیشون شکرآب میشه سر همین تابلو.
این وسط اون یکی دوستشون ایوان هم نقش یه آدم ضعیف و حساس رو که تحت تاثیر تروماهاشه رو بازی میکنه و کل نمایش یه درگیری جذاب بین این سه نفره.
کاش بره رو صحنههای تهران یه روز.
«سرج: مارک! یادبگیر که آدمهارو برای خودشون دوست داشته باشی.
مارک: یعنی چی برای خودشون؟
سرج: یعنی برای اون چیزی که هستن!
مارک: اما مگر اونها چی هستن؟ چی هستن بجز امیدی که من بهشون میدم؟ من همیشه دنبال یک نفر، یک دوست گشتم که قبل از من ساخته شده باشه. اما تاحالا که شانسی که نداشتم و همیشه خودم مجبور شدم شما هارو بسازم.»
November 8, 2024
اولین تجربه یاسیمنا رضا خوندن موفقیتآمیز بود.
هر چیزی که از یه نمایشنامه انتظار داشتم داشت و بدا به حال من که اینقدر دیر سراغش رفتم.
هر چیزی که از یه نمایشنامه انتظار داشتم داشت و بدا به حال من که اینقدر دیر سراغش رفتم.
July 20, 2025
If I'm who I am because I'm who I am and you are who you are because you are who you are, then I'm who I am and you're who you are. If on the other hand, I am who I am because you're who you are, and if you're who you are because I'm who I am, then I am not who I am and you're not who you are....
'Art' ~~~ Yasmina Reza, Translated By Christopher Hampton
Somehow, 'Art' escaped my reading list for all these years. I remember when it came out and the wonderful things I’d heard about it, but I never made to Serge’s apartment. But reading it now, so many years after it appeared made me appreciate it all the more. My perspective has changed over the years. Now, I understand all three men, and I can relate to each one of them. I saw parts of each of them in myself. I understood.
'Art' raises a whole series of unresolved questions about modern art. Serge buys an apparently pure white canvas by a fashionable artist for 200,000 francs. His old chum, Marc, think it’s a piece of hud. Yves, their common friend, tries to reconcile their views and only succeeds in antagonizing both of them.
Reza clearly asks whether aesthetics is now inextricably confused with market value: when we read that a painting has been sold for countless millions in the auction room, do we somehow rate it more highly? Reza also explores the connection between taste and friendship. Is it possible to enjoy a real relationship with someone whose views on art, books, or theatre for that matter, are radically different from our own? If you embrace modernism, and I’m a traditionalist – as happens with Serge and Marc – is there any real foundation for friendship?
'Art' raises one of drama’s eternal questions: how much truth and honesty human beings can stand. The play starts with Marc bluntly spitting out his views: it ends with Serge telling a necessary lie in order to preserve their relationship. Reza is examining whether private relationships and public affairs depend upon a certain skillful hypocrisy. Reza’s point is that we only continue to function as social beings by playing the accepted rules of the game.
'Art' ~~~ Yasmina Reza, Translated By Christopher Hampton
Somehow, 'Art' escaped my reading list for all these years. I remember when it came out and the wonderful things I’d heard about it, but I never made to Serge’s apartment. But reading it now, so many years after it appeared made me appreciate it all the more. My perspective has changed over the years. Now, I understand all three men, and I can relate to each one of them. I saw parts of each of them in myself. I understood.
'Art' raises a whole series of unresolved questions about modern art. Serge buys an apparently pure white canvas by a fashionable artist for 200,000 francs. His old chum, Marc, think it’s a piece of hud. Yves, their common friend, tries to reconcile their views and only succeeds in antagonizing both of them.
Reza clearly asks whether aesthetics is now inextricably confused with market value: when we read that a painting has been sold for countless millions in the auction room, do we somehow rate it more highly? Reza also explores the connection between taste and friendship. Is it possible to enjoy a real relationship with someone whose views on art, books, or theatre for that matter, are radically different from our own? If you embrace modernism, and I’m a traditionalist – as happens with Serge and Marc – is there any real foundation for friendship?
'Art' raises one of drama’s eternal questions: how much truth and honesty human beings can stand. The play starts with Marc bluntly spitting out his views: it ends with Serge telling a necessary lie in order to preserve their relationship. Reza is examining whether private relationships and public affairs depend upon a certain skillful hypocrisy. Reza’s point is that we only continue to function as social beings by playing the accepted rules of the game.
May 8, 2019
Oh, Yasmina, my darling child, I definitely need to read more books from you. Art isn't nearly as good as Le Dieu du Carnage but much better than Trois Versions de la Vie. However, all three plays have their premise in common: showcasing the nasty side of humanity by letting personalities clash and chaos reign.
Yasmina Reza is really the queen of creating realistic scenarios that escalade quickly, the tension that unloads every time her characters quarrel is perceptible; it's easy to get sucked into the situation and reflect on your own life and friendships.
Set in Paris, the story revolves around three friends—Serge, Marc and Yvan—who find their previously solid 15-year friendship on shaky ground when Serge buys an expensive painting. The canvas is white, with a few white lines. While Serge is proud of his 200,000 franc acquisition, fully expecting the approval of his friends, Marc scornfully describes it as "a piece of white shit"; but is it the painting that offends him, or the uncharacteristic independence of thought that the purchase reveals in Serge?
For the insecure Yvan, burdened by the problems of his impending doom (aka his wedding) where he is stuck in an insoluble problem and his dissatisfaction at his job as a stationery salesman, their friendship is his sanctuary, but his attempts at peace-making backfire. Eager to please he laughs about the painting with Marc but tells Serge he likes it. Pulled into the disagreement, his vacillations fuel the blazing row.
Lines are drawn and they square off over the canvas, using it as an excuse to relentlessly batter one another over various failures. As their arguments become less theoretical and more personal, they border on destroying their friendship.
Art seems to be Reza's most realistic portrayal of human relationships. I'm not ashamed to admit that I found myself and my relationships to some of my friends in that piece. Friendships are hard, man, especially ones between three people where it's always hard to keep a good and healthy balance. Some of those dialogues could have actually sprung directly from conversations that I had with my own friends (albeit in a different context, of course), especially the silent communication between two while a third is left out, or the shift in attitude and conduct in relation to which friend one is speaking to.
Nonetheless, Art isn't as brilliant as Le Dieu du Carnage as it's written a lot more clumsily. You can really tell that Reza envisioned it as a stage production (and it'll probably be more effective as that), especially the mini-monologues that intersperse the play are distracting and seem unnatural in the written text. As usual, Reza blesses us with moments of scathing satire but overall there were far and few between and so it's just not as funny as Carnage. Additionally, I found the ending to be quite predictable, albeit it was a good one. ;)
Yasmina Reza is really the queen of creating realistic scenarios that escalade quickly, the tension that unloads every time her characters quarrel is perceptible; it's easy to get sucked into the situation and reflect on your own life and friendships.
Set in Paris, the story revolves around three friends—Serge, Marc and Yvan—who find their previously solid 15-year friendship on shaky ground when Serge buys an expensive painting. The canvas is white, with a few white lines. While Serge is proud of his 200,000 franc acquisition, fully expecting the approval of his friends, Marc scornfully describes it as "a piece of white shit"; but is it the painting that offends him, or the uncharacteristic independence of thought that the purchase reveals in Serge?
For the insecure Yvan, burdened by the problems of his impending doom (aka his wedding) where he is stuck in an insoluble problem and his dissatisfaction at his job as a stationery salesman, their friendship is his sanctuary, but his attempts at peace-making backfire. Eager to please he laughs about the painting with Marc but tells Serge he likes it. Pulled into the disagreement, his vacillations fuel the blazing row.
Lines are drawn and they square off over the canvas, using it as an excuse to relentlessly batter one another over various failures. As their arguments become less theoretical and more personal, they border on destroying their friendship.
Art seems to be Reza's most realistic portrayal of human relationships. I'm not ashamed to admit that I found myself and my relationships to some of my friends in that piece. Friendships are hard, man, especially ones between three people where it's always hard to keep a good and healthy balance. Some of those dialogues could have actually sprung directly from conversations that I had with my own friends (albeit in a different context, of course), especially the silent communication between two while a third is left out, or the shift in attitude and conduct in relation to which friend one is speaking to.
Nonetheless, Art isn't as brilliant as Le Dieu du Carnage as it's written a lot more clumsily. You can really tell that Reza envisioned it as a stage production (and it'll probably be more effective as that), especially the mini-monologues that intersperse the play are distracting and seem unnatural in the written text. As usual, Reza blesses us with moments of scathing satire but overall there were far and few between and so it's just not as funny as Carnage. Additionally, I found the ending to be quite predictable, albeit it was a good one. ;)
July 18, 2020
I suspect I’ll be a bit weird for a few weeks. This time of year, I do tend to slip off the rails, but anytime my age is about to end in a zero I become more circumspect than normal, factor in a global health crisis and sometimes I find myself more grounded than I imagined possible. I picked up this play for a sidelong glance at the Trollope project of what it means to be alive right about now. These Julian Barnes sort of dialogues always reinforce what it is I don’t like about “socializing” as it were. My life appears compact, not dense like the Bard’s lunatics and lovers but I just lack the stamina for ruminating on carbon credits or Lars Von Trier anymore. This strange play concerns three longtime friends. One of them pays a considerable amount for a painting of myriad white stripes on a white background. The notions of fashion, class and expertise are handled and then dropped like Kant and his predecessors. I remained uncomfortable throughout my reading, which is likely the point. I can think of worse ways to spend a humid afternoon.
July 13, 2009
Many of the negative reviews here seem to have come from people who have never seen the play performed. I don't know how I'd have reacted to the script if I'd read it before seeing the play in performance but I bought the text the first time I saw it with the original London cast of Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay and Ken Stott. It was truly one of the greatest evenings I've spent in the theatre. I saw the play twice more with fresh casts each time and whilst the third casting wasn't quite up to the standard set by the first, all performances were enjoyable and each brought out slightly different things from the play.
It is such a thrill to see something that engages the audience and requires it to actually think rather than just wash over it. I loved the play's dual issues: the nature of art and the dynamics of friendship.
I feel so sorry for those who have failed to appreciate this play and all I can suggest is that they go see a good production with a great cast.
It is such a thrill to see something that engages the audience and requires it to actually think rather than just wash over it. I loved the play's dual issues: the nature of art and the dynamics of friendship.
I feel so sorry for those who have failed to appreciate this play and all I can suggest is that they go see a good production with a great cast.
July 27, 2013
I love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love this play, have since I first saw. Every time I see a white painting, I laughed. This audio version is wonderful and will have people looking at you as you burst into laughter.
Truth about friendships and art. This audio includes talks with translator and actors. Brillant!
Truth about friendships and art. This audio includes talks with translator and actors. Brillant!
November 16, 2015
I only read this, then I saw a bit of a French production on Youtube and realised it was a comedy, aha!!
I don't really get the art of the theatre much. Some people say masterpiece, I say upper class people bickering by repeating each other.
This candle says you have a negative world view- A negative world view?- A negative world view!- That candle doesn't say I have a negative world view omg who cares. (made this bit up obvs)
But perhaps that's just one more level the play works on XD
I don't really get the art of the theatre much. Some people say masterpiece, I say upper class people bickering by repeating each other.
This candle says you have a negative world view- A negative world view?- A negative world view!- That candle doesn't say I have a negative world view omg who cares. (made this bit up obvs)
But perhaps that's just one more level the play works on XD
February 21, 2017
روابط بین آدمها چقدر میتونه پیچیده باشه! یه رابطه دوستی که سالها دوام داشته در عرض یک روز ممکنه به هم بریزه، جرقهاش میتونه هر چیزی باشه؛ اینجا یه تابلو نقاشی بود. اونوقته که طرفین بحث حقایقی رو برای هم رو میکنند که در شرایط عادی امکان نداشت ازش حرف بزنند، بعد متوجه میشن که بیشتر مواقع داشتن به هم دروغ میگفتن یا دستکم حرف دلشون رو نمیزدن!
عجیب موجودیه این آدمیزاد!
عجیب موجودیه این آدمیزاد!
January 21, 2024
Me gustaría mucho poder ver esta obra representada, porque me parece que una lectura algo distraída deja de lado muchos matices que el trabajo de los actores podría sacar a relucir. En cualquier caso, es bastante divertida.
November 27, 2019
How would YOU feel if your best friend bought a painting of total white for $200,000? This play brings out the deep feelings among three friends which this purchase precipitated. The play is both comic and profound at the same time...and it's a translation from the French as well!
November 16, 2018
Tiene momentos muy divertidos.
October 16, 2016
Amusing play that on the surface is about whether a painting which is completely white can be considered art but underneath is about the friendship between 3 men. This play is best when viewed (as I was lucky enough to do several years ago); some of the humor may not come through in the print edition. In this full cast recording of a live performance of the play, there were some places when the audience laughs but the reason is not clear to the listener.
October 24, 2015
نمره ی واقعی: دو و نیم
برای من آدم ها مهم تر و جذاب تر بودند تا اون جدال بر سر کلاسیسیسم و مدرنیسم؛ به نظرم برای نویسنده هم همینطور بوده
June 24, 2017
..... when I gush over Kandinsky and my mom says "Its just blobs and color patches and squiggly lines...."
March 21, 2025
جالب بود و دلم میخواد در آینده ازین نویسنده بیشتر بخونم.
December 23, 2023
“ᴍɪʀᴀ ǫᴜᴇ ʟʟᴇɢᴀʀ ᴀ ᴇsᴛᴏs ᴇxᴛʀᴇᴍᴏs... ᴇsᴛᴇ ᴄᴀᴛᴀᴄʟɪsᴍᴏ ᴘᴏʀ ᴜɴ ᴘᴀɴᴇʟ ʙʟᴀɴᴄᴏ…”
No soy mucho de leer teatro pero me recomendaron mucho este texto de Yasmina Reza. Y tenían razón. Se lee en apenas una hora y deja mucho poso. Parece una simple comedia, tanto por su temática como por muchas de las intervenciones de los tres personajes que la representan, pero de fondo quedan muchos matices acerca de la amistad y las relaciones humanas.
Tres amigos de toda la vida se ven de pronto enfrentados por sus percepciones acerca de lo que es el arte encarnado en esta ocasión en una pintura totalmente blanca (con matices, eso sí, como los que sobrevuelan el texto en todo momento). Las reacciones de los tres a la compra de la obra van desde el orgullo al enojo o incluso la misma indiferencia, creando un collage de sentimientos e interpretaciones que van más allá de lo que es la crítica artística, que se trasladan a la vida y la forma de entenderla.
“ʜᴀs ᴅɪᴄʜᴏ ᴍᴏᴅᴇʀɴísɪᴍᴏ, ᴄᴏᴍᴏ sɪ ᴍᴏᴅᴇʀɴᴏ ғᴜᴇʀᴀ ᴇʟ ɴᴏɴ ᴘʟᴜs ᴜʟᴛʀᴀ ᴅᴇʟ ʜᴀʟᴀɢᴏ. ᴄᴏᴍᴏ sɪ, ʜᴀʙʟᴀɴᴅᴏ ᴅᴇ ᴀʟɢᴏ, ɴᴏ sᴇ ᴘᴜᴅɪᴇʀᴀ ʟʟᴇɢᴀʀ ᴀ ᴍás, ʟᴏ ᴍáxɪᴍᴏ, ʟᴏ ᴍás ᴀʟᴛᴏ: ᴍᴏᴅᴇʀɴᴏ.”
Imagino que verla en el escenario mejora superlativamente la experiencia, leída pierde un poco la esencia. No obstante, planea todo el rato la ironía y un sentido del humor muy ácido. He llegado a reírme a carcajadas en ocasiones con algún comentario.
“sɪ ʏᴏ sᴏʏ ʏᴏ ᴘᴏʀǫᴜᴇ sᴏʏ ʏᴏ, ʏ ᴛú ᴇʀᴇs ᴛú ᴘᴏʀǫᴜᴇ ᴇʀᴇs ᴛú, ʏᴏ sᴏʏ ʏᴏ ʏ ᴛú ᴇʀᴇs ᴛú. sɪ, ᴘᴏʀ ᴇʟ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀʀɪᴏ, ʏᴏ sᴏʏ ʏᴏ ᴘᴏʀǫᴜᴇ ᴛú ᴇʀᴇs ᴛú, ʏ ᴛú ᴇʀᴇs ᴛú ᴘᴏʀǫᴜᴇ ʏᴏ sᴏʏ ʏᴏ, ᴇɴᴛᴏɴᴄᴇs ɴɪ ʏᴏ sᴏʏ ʏᴏ ɴɪ ᴛú ᴇʀᴇs ᴛú…”
Si tenéis un rato descansado haceros con ella y leérosla, sobre todo si os gusta el teatro y sois quien de imaginarla puesta en escena. Os gustará. Yo desde luego ya tengo en mente leer más obras de esta mujer. Me ha sorprendido gratamente.
No soy mucho de leer teatro pero me recomendaron mucho este texto de Yasmina Reza. Y tenían razón. Se lee en apenas una hora y deja mucho poso. Parece una simple comedia, tanto por su temática como por muchas de las intervenciones de los tres personajes que la representan, pero de fondo quedan muchos matices acerca de la amistad y las relaciones humanas.
Tres amigos de toda la vida se ven de pronto enfrentados por sus percepciones acerca de lo que es el arte encarnado en esta ocasión en una pintura totalmente blanca (con matices, eso sí, como los que sobrevuelan el texto en todo momento). Las reacciones de los tres a la compra de la obra van desde el orgullo al enojo o incluso la misma indiferencia, creando un collage de sentimientos e interpretaciones que van más allá de lo que es la crítica artística, que se trasladan a la vida y la forma de entenderla.
“ʜᴀs ᴅɪᴄʜᴏ ᴍᴏᴅᴇʀɴísɪᴍᴏ, ᴄᴏᴍᴏ sɪ ᴍᴏᴅᴇʀɴᴏ ғᴜᴇʀᴀ ᴇʟ ɴᴏɴ ᴘʟᴜs ᴜʟᴛʀᴀ ᴅᴇʟ ʜᴀʟᴀɢᴏ. ᴄᴏᴍᴏ sɪ, ʜᴀʙʟᴀɴᴅᴏ ᴅᴇ ᴀʟɢᴏ, ɴᴏ sᴇ ᴘᴜᴅɪᴇʀᴀ ʟʟᴇɢᴀʀ ᴀ ᴍás, ʟᴏ ᴍáxɪᴍᴏ, ʟᴏ ᴍás ᴀʟᴛᴏ: ᴍᴏᴅᴇʀɴᴏ.”
Imagino que verla en el escenario mejora superlativamente la experiencia, leída pierde un poco la esencia. No obstante, planea todo el rato la ironía y un sentido del humor muy ácido. He llegado a reírme a carcajadas en ocasiones con algún comentario.
“sɪ ʏᴏ sᴏʏ ʏᴏ ᴘᴏʀǫᴜᴇ sᴏʏ ʏᴏ, ʏ ᴛú ᴇʀᴇs ᴛú ᴘᴏʀǫᴜᴇ ᴇʀᴇs ᴛú, ʏᴏ sᴏʏ ʏᴏ ʏ ᴛú ᴇʀᴇs ᴛú. sɪ, ᴘᴏʀ ᴇʟ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀʀɪᴏ, ʏᴏ sᴏʏ ʏᴏ ᴘᴏʀǫᴜᴇ ᴛú ᴇʀᴇs ᴛú, ʏ ᴛú ᴇʀᴇs ᴛú ᴘᴏʀǫᴜᴇ ʏᴏ sᴏʏ ʏᴏ, ᴇɴᴛᴏɴᴄᴇs ɴɪ ʏᴏ sᴏʏ ʏᴏ ɴɪ ᴛú ᴇʀᴇs ᴛú…”
Si tenéis un rato descansado haceros con ella y leérosla, sobre todo si os gusta el teatro y sois quien de imaginarla puesta en escena. Os gustará. Yo desde luego ya tengo en mente leer más obras de esta mujer. Me ha sorprendido gratamente.
April 14, 2022
I borrowed this from Libby, an audio production of Art (play by Yasmina Reza).
I finished listening to it and listened to it all over again – I found the premise of this very funny.
In a nutshell: the story is about a friendship between 3 friends being tested when one friend buys a very, very expensive work of art.
Now, this doesn’t sound that funny.
But what if the work of art has a white background with white lines :o
(This audio production also had interviews with the translator, Christopher Hampton, and two members of the cast. Christopher Hampton talked about the tricky business of translating when there are cultural differences about art – I found this interview to be really interesting but I wished the producers had updated this for digital listeners and placed it at the end of the recording rather than the middle.)
I finished listening to it and listened to it all over again – I found the premise of this very funny.
In a nutshell: the story is about a friendship between 3 friends being tested when one friend buys a very, very expensive work of art.
Now, this doesn’t sound that funny.
But what if the work of art has a white background with white lines :o
(This audio production also had interviews with the translator, Christopher Hampton, and two members of the cast. Christopher Hampton talked about the tricky business of translating when there are cultural differences about art – I found this interview to be really interesting but I wished the producers had updated this for digital listeners and placed it at the end of the recording rather than the middle.)
August 25, 2019
Sharp. Complex. What seems to be an issue relating to the direction that modern art is taking runs deeper in the tangled dependencies of toxic friendships. The ending was a little too neat, though. Marc's admissions close to the end of the play don't end up having a significant impact upon his friendship with Serge, when I would imagine that realising that a friendship was built around power and control rather than commonality and sincerity would be fairly problematic. But perhaps Reza is showing only a temporary reconciliation, just as the marker that is used to deface Serge's painting can be erased with white spirit and stain remover.
August 12, 2025
به یاد تابستون پارسال و کلاس های کنکور عملی خوندمش
بالاخره اومدم سراغ یاسمینا رضا
این نمایشنامه رو دوست داشتم احتمالا در آینده زیاد ازش میخونم.
بالاخره اومدم سراغ یاسمینا رضا
این نمایشنامه رو دوست داشتم احتمالا در آینده زیاد ازش میخونم.
March 27, 2022
روایت جذابی بود. تا حدودی و از جهت ساختاری شبیه کارهای دیگهی نویسنده. در عین حال که نمیتونم بگم به تعریف هنر و درگیریش با هنر مدرن محدود بود. بهنظرم هنر و هنر مدرن بیش از هرچیز بهونهای بود برای ورود به زندگی کاراکترها و چالشهایی که در روابطشون تجربه میکنن.
و البته (طبق معمول) ترجمه باز هم از خجالت متن دراومده بود. من ترجمهی علیرضا کوشک جلالی رو خوندم که با کلی سلام و صلوات و معرفی استاد شروع شدهبود. سوال اول اینکه چرا متن فرانسوی رو باید از آلمانی ترجمه کرد؟ و سوال دوم اینکه کارگردان بودن چه الزامی برای مترجم بودن ایجاد میکنه؟ واقعا خانوادهی عزیزان رو گروگان گرفتن و مجبورشون کردن ترجمه کنن؟ اونهم در حالی که املای کلمات سادهای (مثل گذاشتن) رو بلد نیستن؟(سواد اولیه و در حد دوم ابتدایی هم که پیشنیاز کارگردانی نیست قطعا) و سوال مهمتر اینکه در کل اون نشر و حتی فیدیبو یک نفر نیست که املای دوم ابتدایی رو بدون غلط بتونه بنویسه و روی زحمت استاد ماله بکشه؟ وارد بحث «فارسی» بودن و جملات فارسی هم نمیشیم که اصلا انتظار بیجاست.
و البته (طبق معمول) ترجمه باز هم از خجالت متن دراومده بود. من ترجمهی علیرضا کوشک جلالی رو خوندم که با کلی سلام و صلوات و معرفی استاد شروع شدهبود. سوال اول اینکه چرا متن فرانسوی رو باید از آلمانی ترجمه کرد؟ و سوال دوم اینکه کارگردان بودن چه الزامی برای مترجم بودن ایجاد میکنه؟ واقعا خانوادهی عزیزان رو گروگان گرفتن و مجبورشون کردن ترجمه کنن؟ اونهم در حالی که املای کلمات سادهای (مثل گذاشتن) رو بلد نیستن؟(سواد اولیه و در حد دوم ابتدایی هم که پیشنیاز کارگردانی نیست قطعا) و سوال مهمتر اینکه در کل اون نشر و حتی فیدیبو یک نفر نیست که املای دوم ابتدایی رو بدون غلط بتونه بنویسه و روی زحمت استاد ماله بکشه؟ وارد بحث «فارسی» بودن و جملات فارسی هم نمیشیم که اصلا انتظار بیجاست.
June 5, 2021
Llegué a este libro por casualidad y me hizo mucha gracia saber de qué trata, porque un par de días antes de comenzar a leerlo me topé en redes sociales con la noticia de un artista europeo que vendió una escultura invisible en 15.000 euros. En estricto rigor, no es lo mismo una escultura inmaterial que un lienzo de tela blanco con líneas transversales blancas, pero tienen algo en común: ambas provocan un debate en torno a qué es arte, qué no, quién lo decide y bajo qué criterio. Es este el conflicto que da inicio a la hilarante discusión de tres amigos, luego de que uno de ellos adquiere una particular obra a un costo elevado, quienes pronto descubren sus diferentes puntos de vista en torno al arte, y también de la vida.
Me gustó mucho.
Me gustó mucho.
March 6, 2021
Niente da fare, credo di amare alla follia questa scrittrice.
Le forme di quest’opera teatrale non si discostano poi molto da quelle di Il dio del massacro, ma la ripetizione non ha reso la lettura meno entusiasmante - anche perché argomenti e psicologia dei personaggi cambiano.
Un atroce e perverso litigio tra tre amici, in cui l’ipocrisia dei personaggi viene messa a nudo. Intelligente (non necessariamente in maniera gradevole) e incredibilmente divertente.
N.B. Mai litigare con Yasmina Reza.
Le forme di quest’opera teatrale non si discostano poi molto da quelle di Il dio del massacro, ma la ripetizione non ha reso la lettura meno entusiasmante - anche perché argomenti e psicologia dei personaggi cambiano.
Un atroce e perverso litigio tra tre amici, in cui l’ipocrisia dei personaggi viene messa a nudo. Intelligente (non necessariamente in maniera gradevole) e incredibilmente divertente.
N.B. Mai litigare con Yasmina Reza.
September 15, 2018
No pensé nunca al sacar este libro al azar de la biblioteca que me iba a gustar tanto.
Es una obra divertida, que da en el clavo mismo cuando escudriña la amistad. Me vi riéndome a carcajadas en plena madrugada. Sin embargo, el final no es para la risa, es oscuro e inteligente.
Es uno de los mejores libros que he leído el 2018, sin dudas.
Para qué tener enemigos cuando tienes amigos
Aunque Iván es un muchacho tolerante, y eso en materia de relaciones humanas es el peor de los defectos.
Es curioso que no percibas lo esencial de esta historia. Te quedas con la apariencia. No le ves la gravedad que contiene.
¡¿Pero qué quiere decir si le hace feliz?! ¡¿Qué clase de filosofía es esa del si le hace feliz?!
Siempre ha sido una rata, pero una rata con la que uno se podía reír. Mira, en el fondo, lo que más me duele es que con él ya no se puede reír.
Claro. No se puede detestar lo invisible, no se detesta lo que no existe.
Iván: Sabes, Marcos, deberías desconfiar de tu suficiencia. Te estás volviendo agrio y antipático. Marcos: Estupendo. Cada día me place más ser desagradable.
Soy demasiado visceral, estoy demasiado nervioso, veo las cosas en primer grado… Me falta sabiduría, si prefieres.
Dices el artista como una…, como una entidad intocable. El artista… una especie de divinidad…
Si yo soy yo porque soy yo, y tú eres tú porque eres tú, yo soy yo y tú eres tú. Si, por el contrario, yo soy yo porque tú eres tú, y tú eres tú porque yo soy yo, entonces ni yo soy yo ni tú eres tú…
Porque he descubierto una cosa, no se puede pagar con cheque. Freud dijo que hay que sentir cómo se te va el dinero de las manos.
Marcos: No deberíamos jamás dejar a los amigos sin vigilancia- Hay que vigilar siempre a los amigos. Si no, se nos escapan… Mira al pobre Iván, que nos encantaba con su actitud despreocupada y al que hemos dejado que se volviera miedoso, papelero… Pronto marido…, un muchacho que aportaba una singularidad que ahora se esfuerza por borrar. Sergio: ¡Qué nos aportaba! ¿Te das cuenta de lo que estás diciendo? ¡Todo es siempre en función tuya! Aprende a querer a las personas por ellas mismas, Marcos.
Busco desesperadamente un amigo que me preexista. Hasta ahora no he tenido suerte. He tenido que moldearlos… Pero ves, tampoco funciona.
Ya no soporto ningún discurso racional, todo lo que ha hecho que el mundo sea el mundo, todo lo que ha sido bello y grande en este mundo, no ha nacido nunca de un discurso racional.
Es una obra divertida, que da en el clavo mismo cuando escudriña la amistad. Me vi riéndome a carcajadas en plena madrugada. Sin embargo, el final no es para la risa, es oscuro e inteligente.
Es uno de los mejores libros que he leído el 2018, sin dudas.
Para qué tener enemigos cuando tienes amigos
Aunque Iván es un muchacho tolerante, y eso en materia de relaciones humanas es el peor de los defectos.
Es curioso que no percibas lo esencial de esta historia. Te quedas con la apariencia. No le ves la gravedad que contiene.
¡¿Pero qué quiere decir si le hace feliz?! ¡¿Qué clase de filosofía es esa del si le hace feliz?!
Siempre ha sido una rata, pero una rata con la que uno se podía reír. Mira, en el fondo, lo que más me duele es que con él ya no se puede reír.
Claro. No se puede detestar lo invisible, no se detesta lo que no existe.
Iván: Sabes, Marcos, deberías desconfiar de tu suficiencia. Te estás volviendo agrio y antipático. Marcos: Estupendo. Cada día me place más ser desagradable.
Soy demasiado visceral, estoy demasiado nervioso, veo las cosas en primer grado… Me falta sabiduría, si prefieres.
Dices el artista como una…, como una entidad intocable. El artista… una especie de divinidad…
Si yo soy yo porque soy yo, y tú eres tú porque eres tú, yo soy yo y tú eres tú. Si, por el contrario, yo soy yo porque tú eres tú, y tú eres tú porque yo soy yo, entonces ni yo soy yo ni tú eres tú…
Porque he descubierto una cosa, no se puede pagar con cheque. Freud dijo que hay que sentir cómo se te va el dinero de las manos.
Marcos: No deberíamos jamás dejar a los amigos sin vigilancia- Hay que vigilar siempre a los amigos. Si no, se nos escapan… Mira al pobre Iván, que nos encantaba con su actitud despreocupada y al que hemos dejado que se volviera miedoso, papelero… Pronto marido…, un muchacho que aportaba una singularidad que ahora se esfuerza por borrar. Sergio: ¡Qué nos aportaba! ¿Te das cuenta de lo que estás diciendo? ¡Todo es siempre en función tuya! Aprende a querer a las personas por ellas mismas, Marcos.
Busco desesperadamente un amigo que me preexista. Hasta ahora no he tenido suerte. He tenido que moldearlos… Pero ves, tampoco funciona.
Ya no soporto ningún discurso racional, todo lo que ha hecho que el mundo sea el mundo, todo lo que ha sido bello y grande en este mundo, no ha nacido nunca de un discurso racional.
February 17, 2016
"Art" is a play that is about many things; however I don't believe that it is about art and artists. Rather those are the devices that playwright Yasmina Reza uses to develop her themes in this text. "Art" is a work about the subjective nature of human relationships, friendship in particular.
This three character play is a quick read, and a work that I think needs to be revisited a few times before one can really sink their teeth into it. The power of this play is to be found in the myriad of ways that we recognize ourselves and some of our relationships in its characters. When one looks at long friendships we see that there are so many implied understandings that those relationships consist of, and most strain in long term relationships happens when one, or more, of those standings are violated. In the case of this play fault lines in the friendship between Marc and Serge (the combatants of the play's main conflict) are made larger when Serge buys a painting that destroys the idea of him that Marc has projected as his image of Serge for so long. What long term friendship has not been destroyed, or ultimately strengthened, by such an encounter?
The text has some wonderfully funny moments, especially in the character of Yvan who is a little neurotic and overwhelmed by the intellectual capacities of Serge and Marc. I also think Yvan is the character that we come to understand the most, although he seems secondary to the other two.
I would see the play professionally done, and then read it a month or so later. I think one can get a lot out of the experience in approaching it in this way. "Art" has a lot to give, but it does not give it up easily. It is not difficult to "miss the forest for the trees" with this text.
The play asks us if we are authentic people, or just the projections our friends want us to be. It is a good question and the great strength of "Art" is that it probes this question in an interesting manner.
This three character play is a quick read, and a work that I think needs to be revisited a few times before one can really sink their teeth into it. The power of this play is to be found in the myriad of ways that we recognize ourselves and some of our relationships in its characters. When one looks at long friendships we see that there are so many implied understandings that those relationships consist of, and most strain in long term relationships happens when one, or more, of those standings are violated. In the case of this play fault lines in the friendship between Marc and Serge (the combatants of the play's main conflict) are made larger when Serge buys a painting that destroys the idea of him that Marc has projected as his image of Serge for so long. What long term friendship has not been destroyed, or ultimately strengthened, by such an encounter?
The text has some wonderfully funny moments, especially in the character of Yvan who is a little neurotic and overwhelmed by the intellectual capacities of Serge and Marc. I also think Yvan is the character that we come to understand the most, although he seems secondary to the other two.
I would see the play professionally done, and then read it a month or so later. I think one can get a lot out of the experience in approaching it in this way. "Art" has a lot to give, but it does not give it up easily. It is not difficult to "miss the forest for the trees" with this text.
The play asks us if we are authentic people, or just the projections our friends want us to be. It is a good question and the great strength of "Art" is that it probes this question in an interesting manner.
August 18, 2025
4.5 me ha encantado. Lo tenía muy pendiente desde hace años, desde que me lo recomendaron una y otra vez en la carrera (de teatro). Y ahora solo quiero leer más como esto. No sé si existe más como esto, espero que sí.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 795 reviews