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pattydsf's review against another edition
4.0
“If we stand in front of a work of art twice, at least one party – the viewer or the subject - will be somewhat transformed on the second occasion. Works of art mutate through time, albeit slowly, as they are cleaned or ‘conserved’, or as their constituent materials age.
…We, the viewers, however, are even more fluctuating.”
It has been more than a month since I read this book. A friend found it through serendipity and something I said to her made her recommend this fascinating book. I am so glad she recommended this to me. I would have never found it on my own.
This is a conversation that takes place between the former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and a renowned art critic. They visit a number of art museums and talk about specific pieces that they view. I know that this description does not do justice to the book.
Maybe this will provide more clarity to how I feel about this conversation and the book: I am still thinking about what transpires between these two men. I think my view of art and museums has been changed forever. I went to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts last week and the art I viewed looked different to me.
De Montebello (the curator) is extremely knowledgeable about art and about how museums have changed over the years. It never occurred to me to think about the relationship between museums and people’s view of art. Not only the relationship, but how that connection has changed over time. You may not agree with de Montebello about what is good art, but you won’t be sorry that you heard his opinion.
If you have any interest in art, I highly recommend this book to you. The conversations are amazing, the art pictured is beautiful and what you might learn about art, museums and people may help you see all three differently.
…We, the viewers, however, are even more fluctuating.”
It has been more than a month since I read this book. A friend found it through serendipity and something I said to her made her recommend this fascinating book. I am so glad she recommended this to me. I would have never found it on my own.
This is a conversation that takes place between the former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and a renowned art critic. They visit a number of art museums and talk about specific pieces that they view. I know that this description does not do justice to the book.
Maybe this will provide more clarity to how I feel about this conversation and the book: I am still thinking about what transpires between these two men. I think my view of art and museums has been changed forever. I went to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts last week and the art I viewed looked different to me.
De Montebello (the curator) is extremely knowledgeable about art and about how museums have changed over the years. It never occurred to me to think about the relationship between museums and people’s view of art. Not only the relationship, but how that connection has changed over time. You may not agree with de Montebello about what is good art, but you won’t be sorry that you heard his opinion.
If you have any interest in art, I highly recommend this book to you. The conversations are amazing, the art pictured is beautiful and what you might learn about art, museums and people may help you see all three differently.
katcic's review against another edition
5.0
Sublime art conversations in some of the most important galleries of Europe. Beautiful photographs. Wonderful book.
caroparr's review against another edition
4.0
How would you like to walk through great museums such as the Louvre, the Uffizi, the Mauritshuis and the Prado with two erudite and opinionated guides? Written as a dialogue between the two, along with some narrative by Gaynor, this illuminating discussion of how to look at art captured me from the first page.
missyp's review against another edition
4.0
One of my most favorite pastimes is to walk through a museum with a friend, discussing the art, sharing our insights and impressions. Now, imagine that your friend is Philippe de Montebello, legendary art historian and director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art for more than three decades. In Rendez-Vous with Art, Philippe de Montebello and art critic Martin Gayford walk through galleries, churches, and sites around the world, discussing art, museums, and collecting. While Montebello is an able administrator, shrewd negotiator, skillful fund raiser, and learned historian, he is at heart a lover of art. And this is what makes Rendez-Vous with Art such a delightfully accessible book; it celebrates the act of looking and learning. I must admit that I didn't finish the book ... for a good reason. As I browsed through it, I read some chapters fully and skimmed others. Ultimately, I returned the book to the library, planning to buy a copy for my own collection. I want to go museum-hopping with Mr. Montebello and Mr. Gayford again, this time while taking notes in the margins and looking up images online.
pattydsf's review
4.0
“If we stand in front of a work of art twice, at least one party – the viewer or the subject - will be somewhat transformed on the second occasion. Works of art mutate through time, albeit slowly, as they are cleaned or ‘conserved’, or as their constituent materials age.
…We, the viewers, however, are even more fluctuating.”
It has been more than a month since I read this book. A friend found it through serendipity and something I said to her made her recommend this fascinating book. I am so glad she recommended this to me. I would have never found it on my own.
This is a conversation that takes place between the former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and a renowned art critic. They visit a number of art museums and talk about specific pieces that they view. I know that this description does not do justice to the book.
Maybe this will provide more clarity to how I feel about this conversation and the book: I am still thinking about what transpires between these two men. I think my view of art and museums has been changed forever. I went to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts last week and the art I viewed looked different to me.
De Montebello (the curator) is extremely knowledgeable about art and about how museums have changed over the years. It never occurred to me to think about the relationship between museums and people’s view of art. Not only the relationship, but how that connection has changed over time. You may not agree with de Montebello about what is good art, but you won’t be sorry that you heard his opinion.
If you have any interest in art, I highly recommend this book to you. The conversations are amazing, the art pictured is beautiful and what you might learn about art, museums and people may help you see all three differently.
…We, the viewers, however, are even more fluctuating.”
It has been more than a month since I read this book. A friend found it through serendipity and something I said to her made her recommend this fascinating book. I am so glad she recommended this to me. I would have never found it on my own.
This is a conversation that takes place between the former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and a renowned art critic. They visit a number of art museums and talk about specific pieces that they view. I know that this description does not do justice to the book.
Maybe this will provide more clarity to how I feel about this conversation and the book: I am still thinking about what transpires between these two men. I think my view of art and museums has been changed forever. I went to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts last week and the art I viewed looked different to me.
De Montebello (the curator) is extremely knowledgeable about art and about how museums have changed over the years. It never occurred to me to think about the relationship between museums and people’s view of art. Not only the relationship, but how that connection has changed over time. You may not agree with de Montebello about what is good art, but you won’t be sorry that you heard his opinion.
If you have any interest in art, I highly recommend this book to you. The conversations are amazing, the art pictured is beautiful and what you might learn about art, museums and people may help you see all three differently.
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