Get the Picture: A Mind-Bending Journey among the Inspired Artists and Obsessive Art Fiends Who Taught Me How to See Audiobook

Quotes

• In Get the Picture — curious but not naïve, gossipy but generous, critical but admiring, hilarious but profound — Bosker probes the human thirst for art, examines the addictive high it gives, and rescues the unfashionable idea of beauty, of the pleasure of creation, from the theorists and the marketeers. This book is sheer pleasure: the best book I've ever read about contemporary art.

  — Benjamin Moser, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Sontag, and The Upside-Down World: Meetings with the Dutch Masters

• In this funny, whip-smart, gorgeously written book, Bianca Bosker crashes, gonzo-style, that most gate-kept of worlds - the art world - shining a light on its foibles while investigating and ultimately celebrating the transcendent role of beauty in our lives. Equally edifying for art lovers and novices, Get the Picture will send you into a torrid love affair with shape, texture, and color. I loved every word.

  — Suleika Jaouad, author of Between Two Kingdoms

• In Get the Picture—curious but not naïve, gossipy but generous, critical but admiring, hilarious but profound—Bosker probes the human thirst for art, examines the addictive high it gives, and rescues the unfashionable idea of beauty, of the pleasure of creation, from the theorists and the marketeers. This book is sheer pleasure: the best book I've ever read about contemporary art.

  — Benjamin Moser, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Sontag, and The Upside-Down World: Meetings with the Dutch Masters

• Whether it's working as a guard at the Guggenheim, painting the walls of a Brooklyn gallery just the right shade of white, or working the floor of the swanky Art Basel in Miami Beach, Bianca Bosker takes us on a delightful journey into the rarefied world of art. What could have been an arch and judgmental sendup turns out to be a joyous, empathetic engagement with an unforgettable collection of characters and works of art. I couldn't put Get the Picture down.

  — Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In the Heart of the Sea and Travels with George

• This book freaked me out. Bosker’s accessible, conversational spelunking into the world of contemporary art so powerfully rehydrated the PTSD in me between the little kid artist I once was with the self-consciously constricted thinker I became in art school that at one point I simply had to put it down, shaken. If you’ve ever wondered 'what happened' to art—galleries, critics, collectors—and, of course,  artists—then this book is a very companionable start. It’s also very funny, to say nothing of very vivid. And, confoundingly, very, very difficult to put down.

  — Chris Ware, New Yorker artist/writer, author of Building Stories and Whitney Biennial selectee (2002)

• Whether it's working as a guard at the Guggenheim, painting the walls of a Brooklyn gallery just the right shade of white, or selling art during the swanky Art Basel fair in Miami Beach, Bianca Bosker takes us on a delightful journey into the rarefied world of art. What could have been an arch and judgmental sendup turns out to be a joyous, empathetic engagement with an unforgettable collection of characters and works of art. I couldn't put Get the Picture down.

  — Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In the Heart of the Sea and Travels with George

• Funny, whip-smart, and gorgeously written, Get the Picture will forever transform the way you see. In this engrossing book, Bianca Bosker crashes that most gate-kept of worlds, contemporary art. After embedding herself gonzo-style as a gallery intern, a painter’s assistant, a Guggenheim Museum security guard, and an art dealer, she shines a light on the art world’s foibles while investigating the transcendent role of beauty in our lives. Equally edifying for art lovers and novices, Get the Picture will send you into a torrid love affair with shape, texture, and color. It will illuminate the beauty all around you.

  — Suleika Jaouad, author of Between Two Kingdoms

• Get the Picture is a brilliant adventure through the fraught, frenzied, fanatical world of art and emerging artists. Bosker flings us into the epicenter of creativity and obsession, and with infectious curiosity, illuminates the surprising science, history, and controversies at the core of our relationship with art. This book paints an extraordinary picture that will make your life more beautiful. Put simply, it’s a work of art.

  — Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In the Heart of the Sea and Travels with George

• Funny, whip-smart, and gorgeously written, Get the Picture will forever transform the way you see. In this engrossing book, Bianca Bosker crashes that most gate-kept of worlds, contemporary art. After embedding herself gonzo-style as a gallery intern, a painter’s assistant, a Guggenheim Museum security guard, and an art dealer, she shines a light on the art world’s foibles while investigating the transcendent role of beauty in our lives. Equally edifying for art lovers and novices, Get the Picture will send you into a torrid love affair with shape, texture, and color. I loved every word.

  — Suleika Jaouad, author of Between Two Kingdoms

• Whether it's working as a guard at the Guggenheim, painting the walls of a Brooklyn gallery just the right shade of white, or selling art during the swanky art fairs of Miami Beach, Bianca Bosker takes us on a delightful journey into the rarefied world of art. What could have been an arch sendup turns out to be a joyous, empathetic engagement with an unforgettable collection of characters and artworks. I couldn't put Get the Picture down.

  — Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In the Heart of the Sea and Travels with George

• Get the Picture is a brilliant adventure through the fraught, frenzied, fanatical world of art and emerging artists. Bosker flings us into the epicenter of creativity and obsession, and with infectious curiosity, illuminates the surprising science, history, and controversies at the core of our relationship with art. This book paints an extraordinary picture that will make your life more beautiful. Put simply, it’s a work of art.

  — Kirk Wallace Johnson, author of The Fishermen and the Dragon

• Fascinating for contemporary art lovers and skeptics alike. At the heart of Bianca Bosker’s intelligent book is the author’s burning curiosity, and it’s contagious.

  — Patrick Bringley, author of All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me

• Immersive reporting along the lines of George Plimpton or Barbara Ehrenreich with her own blend of relentless curiosity, bottomless energy, and a gift for clever formulations that recalls Oscar Wilde . . . [Get the Picture] could not be more fun. A delightful book on an inspiring topic by a writer who could make dust sparkle.

  — Kirkus Reviews (starred)

• Get The Picture investigates the questions you’re too chicken to ask: ‘Um, how come this is called art and how come I’m supposed to like it, or is it fakery and what is art anyway?’ Bosker’s answers are fascinating and her writing is so compelling and funny that I am jealous.

  — Patricia Marx, author of You Can Only Yell At Me For One Thing at a Time

• Get the Picture is a brilliant adventure through the fraught, frenzied, fanatical world of art and emerging artists. Bosker flings us into the epicenter of creativity and obsession, and with infectious curiosity, illuminates the surprising science, history, and controversies at the core of our relationship with art. An extraordinary book.

  — Kirk Wallace Johnson, author of The Feather Thief

• How to understand the art world? Bring questions and ideas then insinuate yourself—find ways to belong in the gallery, in the studio, at the fair. Bianca Bosker confesses her ignorance to experts, refuses to look down on schmos, and then gracefully (and often, hilariously) curates her own experience. I would buy a painting from this author, even if she weren’t selling it as research; and I highly recommend this book.

  — Ted Conover, author of Newjack and Cheap Land Colorado

• Immersive reporting along the lines of George Plimpton or Barbara Ehrenreich with her own blend of relentless curiosity, bottomless energy, and a gift for clever formulations that recalls Oscar Wilde . . . [Get the Picture] could not be more fun. A delightful book on an inspiring topic by a writer who could make dust sparkle.

  — Kirkus (starred review)

• [An] energetic jaunt through the elitist and competitive world of contemporary art . . . Combining gossipy detail with philosophical musings, Bosker vividly depicts a pretentious world full of moneyed buyers and cliques while simultaneously giving due to the devoted artists, gallerists, and enthusiasts whose creativity enriches and expands their lives. Connoisseurs and neophytes alike will be charmed and captivated by Bosker’s boundless curiosity and astute powers of observation.

  — Publishers Weekly (starred review)