How We Look at Art, How We Behave Around Art

Idema, Johan | Paperback / softback | 08-10-2020 | 9789063695903

Is there anything more entertaining, inspiring and instructive than observing art? Yes, it is watching the people interacting with this art. This book may forever change your approach to art as it urges you to always consider both the work and the response. Because ultimately artists create, but we ? the audience ? complete the picture.

‘A Spectator is an Artist Too’ is a visual essay about human behaviour around art: what happens when we are confronted with something immensely beautiful, challenging or puzzling? Art historians only study objects, but how these objects are received is also worthy of our attention.

The book also captures how art museums are changing, as they draw increasingly diverse audiences. The way the museum visitors responds to art is becoming more casual and creative ? but also more swift or even banal. This shift is increased by a whole new breed of Instagram-friendly ‘museums’ worldwide, attracting experience-hungry visitors with immersive exhibitions defined by their Instagrammability.