Book reviews on visual arts books and books related to Utah’s art community.
Italian author Antonio Tabucchi died Sunday of cancer. Little was made of his passing in the states, though most European papers noted his achievements, and in the English-speaking world the BBC remarked on his career (Tabucchi has been a contender for the Man Booker International Prize). It’s a […]
A review of Donna Poulton’s biography of pioneer artist Reuben Kirkham, recently published by Cedar Fort press.
Ann Poore reviews Tony Smiths book about . . . Tony Smith.
The latest installment in our review of novels set in the art world, Shawn Rossiter reviews a novel by Argentine author Cesar Aira.
We return to our series of reviews of novels set in the art world with Shawn Rossiter’s review of Ernesto Sabato’s existential classic The Tunnel.
We haven’t had time to put together our next review of art world-related novels (Jean Echenoz’s I’m Gone is on deck – look for it next week), but when we were at Salt Lake’s Main Library we noticed something interesting: on the second floor a display case advertises […]
In our continuing series of book reviews of novels featuring art and artists, Shawn Rossiter reviews W.G. Sebald’s The Emigrants.
Iain Pears’ series of Art History mysteries involving characters Jonathan Argyll and Flavia di Stefano is reviewed.
A review of Jennifer Adams’ new book Y is for Yorick.
“You have to be careful. This one will write it all down.” The question we asked ourselves was simple. What kind of writing wins Utah’s literary awards? In this month’s edition, we took a look at 2009 Utah Book Award for Poetry winner Lance Larsen, whose focus […]
Do people still curl up on the sofa to read the paper on Sunday morning? We imagine that the numbers are dwindling so quickly that the phrase will soon be as anachronistic and incomprehensible to our younger readers as “putting on a record.” On the other hand, with […]
If you’re still looking for gift ideas you might check out Radio West’s Best Music of 2010 and Holiday Book Show programs. And if you haven’t read the entire December 2010 edition of 15 Bytes we’ll remind you that there are some art-related book suggestions on pages 5 […]
Seven Days in the Art World by Ann Poore Sarah Thornton’s Seven Days in the Art World is an insider’s view (and a reality check) for aspiring artists and a whirlwind tour of just what the title says for the rest of us. It’s a terrific read and deserving of […]
At the end of Shopgirl, a first novel published to cautious praise in 2000 and made into a well-received movie in 2005, Mirabelle Butterfield, a struggling artist supporting herself in a dead-end retail job, makes a vocational leap upwards to selling art in a gallery. A decade later, […]
Behind the cover of Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Gallerists But Were Afraid To Ask you won’t find the tell-all the title suggests. There are no salacious anecdotes from the big-name gallerists that have attained rockstar status in today’s international art world. For the most part the 51 […]
Becoming Pablo O’Higgins is a study of character that questions identity, integrity, authenticity and ultimately loyalty. This newly released biography by Susan Vogel, published to accompany the exhibit of O’Higgins’ work now at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, gives us a compelling portrayal of Paul Higgins, a young […]
On a recent trip I picked up two books about the contemporary art world, Everything You Wanted to Know About Gallerists But Were Afraid to Ask, an interview format book dealing with fifty-one gallerists from all over the world that seemed a light enough read to flip through […]
Reviewed by Steve Holladay It has been a year since Denis Dutton published The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, and Human Evolution, and since that time the book has continued to receive attention, both by art specialists and the public at large. In Art Instinct Dutton, a professor […]
The Forger’s Spell by Edward Dolnick The Man Who Made Vermeers by Jonathen Lopez Art forgers have frustrated and fascinated the art world for years. The critics whose reputations can be ruined by false attributions, and the collectors who find themselves holding a painting worth less than […]
