"America's nerviest journalist" ("Newsweek") trains his satirical eye on Modern Art in this "masterpiece" ("The Washington Post")
Wolfe's style has never been more dazzling, his wit never more keen. He addresses the scope of Modern Art, from its founding days as Abstract Expressionism through its transformations to Pop, Op, Minimal, and Conceptual. This is Tom Wolfe "at his most clever, amusing, and irreverent" ("San Francisco Chronicle").
Tom Wolfe is the author of a dozen books, among them such contemporary classics as "The Bonfire of the Vanities, The Right Stuff, "and "I Am Charlotte Simmons." He lives in New York City. In 1975, Tom Wolfe wrote a book skewering the contemporary art world. Here, in this re-issued edition, the satirical brilliance of that work is restored. With biting wit, Wolfe merrily lampooned all that he saw pervading the art world--the pretension, lofty theorizing, social climbing, and soaring wealth, which he considered detriments to the society and the industry of art. The social criticism in "The Painted Word "still resonates today.
"If you have ever stared uncomprehendingly at an abstract painting that admired critics have said you ought to dig, take heart. Tom Wolfe . . . is on your side. "The Painted Word" may enrage you. It may confirm your darkest suspicions about Modern Art. In any case, it will amuse you."--"New York Sunday News
""Tom Wolfe is a journalist who always manages to combine an encyclopedic store of inside knowledge with the obstinate detachment of a visitor from Mars, not to mention a brilliant style and incisive wit."--"San Francsico Chronicle
"""The Painted Word" may well be Tom Wolfe's most successful piece of social criticism to date."--"The New York Times
"""The Painted Word" is a masterpiece. No one in the art world . . . could fail to recognize its essential truth. I read it four times, each of them with mounting envy for Wolfe's eye, ear, and surgical skill.""--The Washington Post
""His eye and ear for detailed observations are incomparable; and observation is to the satirist what bullets are to a gun."--"The Boston Sunday Globe"
Industry Reviews
"If you have ever stared uncomprehendingly at an abstract painting that admired critics have said you ought to dig, take heart. Tom Wolfe . . . is on your side. The Painted Word may enrage you. It may confirm your darkest suspicions about Modern Art. In any case, it will amuse you." --New York Sunday News
"Tom Wolfe is a journalist who always manages to combine an encyclopedic store of inside knowledge with the obstinate detachment of a visitor from Mars, not to mention a brilliant style and incisive wit." --San Francsico Chronicle
"The Painted Word may well be Tom Wolfe's most successful piece of social criticism to date." --The New York Times
"The Painted Word is a masterpiece. No one in the art world . . . could fail to recognize its essential truth. I read it four times, each of them with mounting envy for Wolfe's eye, ear, and surgical skill." --The Washington Post
"His eye and ear for detailed observations are incomparable; and observation is to the satirist what bullets are to a gun." --The Boston Sunday Globe If you have ever stared uncomprehendingly at an abstract painting that admired critics have said you ought to dig, take heart. Tom Wolfe . . . is on your side. The Painted Word may enrage you. It may confirm your darkest suspicions about Modern Art. In any case, it will amuse you. New York Sunday News
Tom Wolfe is a journalist who always manages to combine an encyclopedic store of inside knowledge with the obstinate detachment of a visitor from Mars, not to mention a brilliant style and incisive wit. San Francsico Chronicle
The Painted Word may well be Tom Wolfe's most successful piece of social criticism to date. The New York Times
The Painted Word is a masterpiece. No one in the art world . . . could fail to recognize its essential truth. I read it four times, each of them with mounting envy for Wolfe's eye, ear, and surgical skill. The Washington Post
His eye and ear for detailed observations are incomparable; and observation is to the satirist what bullets are to a gun. The Boston Sunday Globe
" If you have ever stared uncomprehendingly at an abstract painting that admired critics have said you ought to dig, take heart. Tom Wolfe . . . is on your side. "The Painted Word" may enrage you. It may confirm your darkest suspicions about Modern Art. In any case, it will amuse you. "New York Sunday News"
Tom Wolfe is a journalist who always manages to combine an encyclopedic store of inside knowledge with the obstinate detachment of a visitor from Mars, not to mention a brilliant style and incisive wit. "San Francsico Chronicle"
"The Painted Word" may well be Tom Wolfe's most successful piece of social criticism to date. "The New York Times"
"The Painted Word" is a masterpiece. No one in the art world . . . could fail to recognize its essential truth. I read it four times, each of them with mounting envy for Wolfe's eye, ear, and surgical skill. "The Washington Post"
His eye and ear for detailed observations are incomparable; and observation is to the satirist what bullets are to a gun. "The Boston Sunday Globe"" "If you have ever stared uncomprehendingly at an abstract painting that admired critics have said you ought to dig, take heart. Tom Wolfe . . . is on your side. "The Painted Word" may enrage you. It may confirm your darkest suspicions about Modern Art. In any case, it will amuse you."--"New York Sunday News
""Tom Wolfe is a journalist who always manages to combine an encyclopedic store of inside knowledge with the obstinate detachment of a visitor from Mars, not to mention a brilliant style and incisive wit."--"San Francsico Chronicle
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""The Painted Word" may well be Tom Wolfe's most successful piece of social criticism to date."--"The New York Times"
""The Painted Word" is a masterpiece. No one in the art world . . . could fail to recognize its essential truth. I read it four times, each of them with mounting envy for Wolfe's eye, ear, and surgical skill.""--The Washington Post"
"His eye and ear for detailed observations are incomparable; and observation is to the satirist what bullets are to a gun."--"The Boston Sunday Globe" "If you have ever stared uncomprehendingly at an abstract painting that admired critics have said you ought to dig, take heart. Tom Wolfe . . . is on your side. "The Painted Word" may enrage you. It may confirm your darkest suspicions about Modern Art. In any case, it will amuse you."--"New York Sunday News
""Tom Wolfe is a journalist who always manages to combine an encyclopedic store of inside knowledge with the obstinate detachment of a visitor from Mars, not to mention a brilliant style and incisive wit."--"San Francsico Chronicle
"
""The Painted Word" may well be Tom Wolfe's most successful piece of social criticism to date."--"The New York Times"""The Painted Word" is a masterpiece. No one in the art world . . . could fail to recognize its essential truth. I read it four times, each of them with mounting envy for Wolfe's eye, ear, and surgical skill.""--The Washington Post"
"His eye and ear for detailed observations are incomparable; and observation is to the satirist what bullets are to a gun."--"The Boston Sunday Globe" "His eye and ear for detailed observation are incomparable; and observation is to the satirist what bullets are to a gun".-- The Boston Sunday Globe
