Portraits: John Berger on Artists

(Paperback)

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Description

John Berger, one of the worlds most celebrated storytellers and writers on art, tells a personal history of art from the prehistoric paintings of the Chauvet caves to 21st century conceptual artists. Berger presents entirely new ways of thinking about artists both canonized and obscure, from Rembrandt to Henry Moore, Jackson Pollock to Picasso. Throughout, Berger maintains the essential connection between politics, art and the wider study of culture. The result is an illuminating walk through many centuries of visual culture, from one of the contemporary worlds most incisive critical voices.

Reviews

John Berger's "Portraits" is among the greatest books on art I've ever read. -- Zadie Smith * New York Times *
A volume whose breadth and depth bring it close to a definitive self-portrait of one of Britain's most original thinkers -- Financial Times
Perhaps the greatest living writer on art . reminds us just how insufficient most art commentary is these days . an indispensible guide to understanding art from cave painting to today's experimenters. -- Spectator [Books of the Year]
In this extraordinary new book, John Berger embarks on a process of re-discovery and re-figuring of history through the visual narratives given to us by portraiture. Berger's ability for storytelling is both incisive and intriguing. He is one of the greatest writers of our time. -- Hans Ulrich Obrist, author of 'Ways of Curating'
Berger's art criticism transcends its genre to become a very rare thing-literature * The Nation *
Berger is a writer one demands to know more about ... an intriguing and powerful mind and talent. * New York Times *
Much of his best critical prose appears in [this] chunky volume * Economist *

Author Bio

John Berger is one of the most internationally influential writers of the last fifty years. His many books include Ways of Seeing; the fiction trilogy Into Their Labours; Here Is Where We Meet; the Booker Prizewinning novel G; Hold Everything Dear; the Man Bookerlonglisted From A to X; and A Seventh Man. Tom Overton catalogued John Bergers archive at the British Library and edited Landscapes. He is working on Bergers biography and a book on migration and archives.