How conceptual artists do it

Lives of the Artists: Portraits of Ten Artists Whose Work and Lifestyles Embody the Future of Contemporary Art by Calvin Tomkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I know art is a state of mind, but I still have a hard time understanding conceptual art, which is supposed to be all about this mind of the artist. Tomkins helps. He shows how conceptual artists take an idea and run with it, haphazardly, skillfully, lucratively -- confidently calling their escapades art. They are artists. They make art.
Painting -- been done, done, done...sculpture from stone -- so yesterday! But hey, I've got an idea! Float a dead shark in formaldehyde ... stick a circle of dead butterflies onto the wall ... consider ways to channel the elusive element of light .... take a series of selfies, wearing a different get-up in each ... and best of all, SELL it for big money. That manipulation of the market becomes art too.
I liked this well-written introduction to new art that is old enough to have made it.


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