Get the Picture: A Mind-Bending Journey among the Inspired Artists and Obsessive Art Fiends Who Taught Me How to See
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- Create Date：2024-02-11 14:23:39
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Bianca Bosker
- ISBN：B0C5V63K3L
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Summary
The New York Times bestselling author of Cork Dork takes readers on another fascinating， hilarious， and revelatory journey—this time burrowing deep inside the impassioned， secretive world of art and artists
An award-winning journalist obsessed with obsession， Bianca Bosker’s existence was upended when she wandered into the art world—and couldn’t look away。 Intrigued by artists who hyperventilate around their favorite colors and art fiends who max out credit cards to show hunks of metal they think can change the world， Bosker grew fixated on understanding why art matters and how she—or any of us—could engage with it more deeply。
In Get the Picture ， Bosker throws herself into the nerve center of art and the people who live for gallerists， collectors， curators， and， of course， artists themselves—the kind who work multiple jobs to afford their studios while scrabbling to get eyes on their art。 As she stretches canvases until her fingers blister， talks her way into A-list parties full of billionaire collectors， has her face sat on by a nearly-naked performance artist， and forces herself to stare at a single sculpture for hours on end while working as a museum security guard， she discovers not only the inner workings of the art-canonization machine but also a more expansive way of living。
Probing everything from cave paintings to Instagram， and from the science of sight to the importance of beauty as it examines art’s role in our culture， our economy， and our hearts， Get the Picture is a rollicking adventure that will change the way you see forever。
An award-winning journalist obsessed with obsession， Bianca Bosker’s existence was upended when she wandered into the art world—and couldn’t look away。 Intrigued by artists who hyperventilate around their favorite colors and art fiends who max out credit cards to show hunks of metal they think can change the world， Bosker grew fixated on understanding why art matters and how she—or any of us—could engage with it more deeply。
In Get the Picture ， Bosker throws herself into the nerve center of art and the people who live for gallerists， collectors， curators， and， of course， artists themselves—the kind who work multiple jobs to afford their studios while scrabbling to get eyes on their art。 As she stretches canvases until her fingers blister， talks her way into A-list parties full of billionaire collectors， has her face sat on by a nearly-naked performance artist， and forces herself to stare at a single sculpture for hours on end while working as a museum security guard， she discovers not only the inner workings of the art-canonization machine but also a more expansive way of living。
Probing everything from cave paintings to Instagram， and from the science of sight to the importance of beauty as it examines art’s role in our culture， our economy， and our hearts， Get the Picture is a rollicking adventure that will change the way you see forever。
Reviews
Art lover
，
Wow！ Put simply， this is a gripping page-turner that makes a bee line into the art and heart of what makes the contemporary art world rock 'n' roll。 Wow！ At once mesmerizing， hilarious， profound， and empowering， the author， Bianca Bosker， grabs you by the optic nerve， the brainstem， and soul-strings you never knew existed， and takes you on a no pigment-， no pixel-， no passion-， no peculiarity-barred joyride into the wheelhouse of visual epiphany。 Fasten your synapses because along the way， as th Wow！ Put simply， this is a gripping page-turner that makes a bee line into the art and heart of what makes the contemporary art world rock 'n' roll。 Wow！ At once mesmerizing， hilarious， profound， and empowering， the author， Bianca Bosker， grabs you by the optic nerve， the brainstem， and soul-strings you never knew existed， and takes you on a no pigment-， no pixel-， no passion-， no peculiarity-barred joyride into the wheelhouse of visual epiphany。 Fasten your synapses because along the way， as this dark comedy unfolds in the vibrant， wacky， obsession-fueled inner sanctum of the art world， she exposes the previously unreported—and until now—untouchable machinations and mean streaks that frequently make our intersection with art and its purveyors a fraught， unpredictable exercise。 Bosker may be the Cindy Sherman of immersive， chameleonic journalism—some have compared her to Tom Wolfe—but in this singular journey into the why， what， and how of art， it’s her reader， most of all， that she permanently transforms and empowers to engage art in a rapturous way。 Couldn’t ask for more。 。。。more
Katherine B
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I wish this book were twice as long！ Listened to it in one day and seriously considering a reread。 I discovered Bianca Bosker via an old podcast， discussing her previous book， which I also loved。 To my luck， I learned Get the Picture was coming out soon。 If you love art， NYC， and want a candid behind the scenes look， this book is for you！
Karen Carlson
，
Maybe this book will help me get less stupid about art！h/t NPR article https://www。npr。org/2024/02/07/122756。。。 Maybe this book will help me get less stupid about art！h/t NPR article https://www。npr。org/2024/02/07/122756。。。 。。。more
Jessica
，
I've been having a hard time writing this review。 Did I learn about the art world and it's idiosyncrasies？ Did I learn to appreciate contemporary art？ Do I feel confident I understand the fuss and culture of the art world？ I honestly don't know。 I read and loved Bosker's first book on the world of wine and sommeliers and I think I was hoping too much for a repeat of being hand held through what seems to be an opaque world and at the end understanding （generally） what's going on in what seems lik I've been having a hard time writing this review。 Did I learn about the art world and it's idiosyncrasies？ Did I learn to appreciate contemporary art？ Do I feel confident I understand the fuss and culture of the art world？ I honestly don't know。 I read and loved Bosker's first book on the world of wine and sommeliers and I think I was hoping too much for a repeat of being hand held through what seems to be an opaque world and at the end understanding （generally） what's going on in what seems like an elite world。 But with the art world there seems to be opaque-ness for the sake of being opaque that requires you to just buy into the culture without any objective explanation。 I felt just as outsider and confused at the end of the book as I did when I started with an additional layer of annoyance than I started with。 I'm sure this is partly because Art is not objective - unlike wine or music there isn't really a set of guidelines or things to practice to understand it better， art is more of an every moving target of culture， elitism， and money that seem to make it's world go round。 I think this is also because there is "The Art World" which is very different than just people who enjoy or create art。 To gain admission to "The Art World"， no amount of investigating or training can gain you entry if you just want to passingly understand it。 And I think I just have a hard time respecting "a world" that wants you to feel othered and excluded more than it wants to share it's joy。 I don't think that any of this is Bosker's fault， this is a very well written and researched book。 I think maybe I am just not someone who is going to "get it"。 I think between the art episode of Ruins Everything and my basic understanding of cult psychology/language I have just a hard time buying into the art world's pitch - especially contemporary art。 And reading this book， to me， felt a bit too much like a pitch for a religion I actively didn't want to join so it was hard for me to get through。 So in the end the book is fine。 It's not the guide I wanted， but it was fascinating nonetheless （and frustrating）。 。。。more
Ula Tardigrade
，
I think it takes a considerable amount of courage to admit， as the author does in the introduction， that “a lot of the [contemporary] art I saw was barely recognizable as art"。 And yet it is a very common sentiment。 I myself stopped trying to "understand" what I saw in galleries and museums - I just decided that I liked some of it and was left indifferent to the rest。 But Bianka Bosker does not give up so easily。 With a level of obsession worthy of a medieval knight-errant， she sets out to explo I think it takes a considerable amount of courage to admit， as the author does in the introduction， that “a lot of the [contemporary] art I saw was barely recognizable as art"。 And yet it is a very common sentiment。 I myself stopped trying to "understand" what I saw in galleries and museums - I just decided that I liked some of it and was left indifferent to the rest。 But Bianka Bosker does not give up so easily。 With a level of obsession worthy of a medieval knight-errant， she sets out to explore the art world and comes back with a most strange tale to tell。It is hilarious， but also very insightful and informative。 I loved her writing， her uncanny ability to capture things in perfect phrases。 The book is full of keen observations （“I’d noticed that art devotees spoke like they were trapped in dictionaries and being forced to chew their way out"） and deep dives into the history of art and the human connection to it。 In all its intensity， it was a slow read for me， I had to take breaks - but each time I returned to it， I was immediately captivated。Thanks to the publisher， Penguin Group Viking， and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book。 。。。more
Caroline
，
It's a poorly written book that focuses primarily on （for the most part） the author's immediate contemporaneous peer group， so whatever thesis the author is trying to present， she's only saying it about that specific， slender slice of a massively large global Art market。 As far as her poorly formed observations regarding Art world wages， Art world wages are low because Art world jobs are desirable for reasons **besides money**。 They allow one to work around cultured people， on cultured topics， a It's a poorly written book that focuses primarily on （for the most part） the author's immediate contemporaneous peer group， so whatever thesis the author is trying to present， she's only saying it about that specific， slender slice of a massively large global Art market。 As far as her poorly formed observations regarding Art world wages， Art world wages are low because Art world jobs are desirable for reasons **besides money**。 They allow one to work around cultured people， on cultured topics， and gain access to a sphere of activity that is relatively hard to penetrate。 That stimulates the demand for such jobs， and it makes those jobs expensive。 Not to the employers， but to the employees。 Workers are willing to trade their labor for less and less cash precisely because these jobs take place in the Art world。 The worker is trading Art world labor for money， and Art world labor isn't worth very much because a lot of people are willing to supply it。 You want to give me an apple for my orange？ Well， this other person is willing to give me an apple for half of my orange。 Can you do any better than that？ The answer is that you can， if you come from a family that already has some oranges。 This explains the existence of the internship， which requires family capital accumulated over a long time， i。e。 - 'I'll let you look at my orange in exchange for ten of your apples， if my oranges are so interesting to you'。 Also， this - and not racism per se - explains why minority representation in the arts is so low。 Even if you don't think or don't want to think of culture as a luxury， it is at least a less urgent matter than economic survival - "My family isn't loaded with apples and I'm not sure that a look at that orange is going to result in my having my own orange one day。 I don't think I'll risk it。" But that choice is up to you。 I would add that to the extent people feel inclined to comment upon the Art world and its economic relationship to capitalism and related phenomena， to either learn how these things work or do the rest of us a mercy and zip it。 Economics is a deep topic but the core concepts are within easy intellectual reach。 If you can't explain how the price for labor is determined in the Art world （or the rest of the world， for that matter） then you have no business complaining about or trying to send up 'neoliberalism' in the Art world， as does this author。 。。。more
Carolyn Walsh
，
Journalist Bianca Bosker immersed herself in the NY art scene， dedicating herself to appreciating and understanding it and conveying how we can engage more deeply with Contemporary Art。 She concludes with a feeling of enlightenment。 Contemporary Art began in the late 1960s to early 1970s and continues today。 Today's Art is culturally diverse and technologically advanced。 Often experimental， it may use photography， video， or computer-generated images to challenge traditional art values。 It can in Journalist Bianca Bosker immersed herself in the NY art scene， dedicating herself to appreciating and understanding it and conveying how we can engage more deeply with Contemporary Art。 She concludes with a feeling of enlightenment。 Contemporary Art began in the late 1960s to early 1970s and continues today。 Today's Art is culturally diverse and technologically advanced。 Often experimental， it may use photography， video， or computer-generated images to challenge traditional art values。 It can include non-figurative painting， theatre （performance art）， street/graffiti art， and sculpture。 The sculptor often uses recycled or discarded objects （trash） in his creations。 She mentions an artist who was dismayed that a bag of garbage he planned to display as Art was thrown out as trash。 It is an art form that has few rules or boundaries。 Bosker inserted herself into the world of galleries， curators， museums， critics， collectors， and artists。 It was a mostly closed， secretive， eccentric， and snobbish social circle that was difficult to join， and journalists were distrusted。 Individuals with no art training were regarded with contempt as Schmos。 Bosker began working as an assistant to a small gallery owner who told her how to dress and present herself。 He complained that her presence made him appear 'uncool。' Later， she was an assistant to a female painter。 She attended gallery openings， participated in selling Art， and became a security guard in a museum。 She was introduced to Concept art， where the idea or concept was considered more important than the finished product。 For example， a tower of three kitchen appliances was Art because it represented what a government provided to immigrants in the artist's youth。 However， the general public was left puzzled without this knowledge。 This was a slow read for me。 It was fascinating and led me to pause often and Google artists and their works in colour。 I began the book bewildered by what is called Art in the present world of contemporary Art and its artists， and it ended equally baffled。 I studied art history， but before modern Art transitioned into contemporary Art， This may have started in the late 1960s or early 1970s when Marcel Duchamp displayed a urinal tipped sideways。 People decided it must be a work of Art as it was in a museum。 This trend now designated that anything could be considered an artwork if that was how it was promoted。 I have almost no access to art galleries now， but when I did see Contemporary artworks， all I could think was， "Why？" Each time a member of the art world revealed a profound truth to Bosker， later， another member told her a contradictory truth on the same subject。 In what alternate reality could two opposite truths exist？ Apparently， in the world of Art。 Bosker learned to view and discuss Art dispassionately without any show of emotion。 Not until she worked with an exuberant painter and accompanied a pair of enthusiastic collectors did she begin to relax and enjoy the experience。 Many she met were antagonistic towards Art that the public considered beautiful and accessible and not aimed at producing shock value。 Some works might be regarded as obscene if not labelled Art and if displayed outside art venues。 She attended a session of Performance Art where a scantily clad woman with a big behind sat on Bosker's face。 The performer sold videos and the woman's used underwear online。 Bosker met with her over coffee and debated whether her act could be considered Art or exhibitionism。 Later， Bosker planned to sponsor her performance， but COVID broke out。 She felt lost when museums， galleries， and her contacts in the art world were cancelled。 She writes about her research into what constitutes beauty and the types of paint， brushes， metals， and other materials used by today's artists。 In conclusion， she has learned a deeper meaning of Art and ways to view and enjoy it better。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this informative and thought-provoking book。 It is due to be published on February 6th。 。。。more
Jax
，
Contemporary art is a stumper to most people and for good reason。 At any given exhibition， one might see a giant cage with wires individually wrapped in faux fur or a crushed oil barrel， two of many examples I saw at Art Basel Miami。 At a gallery opening， journalist Bianca Bosker describes a plasticky black seagull dangling near the floor。 It does help if the viewers have context or a willingness to create their own。 Bosker says concept is the fundamental issue that determines what is and isn’t Contemporary art is a stumper to most people and for good reason。 At any given exhibition， one might see a giant cage with wires individually wrapped in faux fur or a crushed oil barrel， two of many examples I saw at Art Basel Miami。 At a gallery opening， journalist Bianca Bosker describes a plasticky black seagull dangling near the floor。 It does help if the viewers have context or a willingness to create their own。 Bosker says concept is the fundamental issue that determines what is and isn’t art。 It can also be a cudgel。 Jack Barrett of 315 Gallery （now Jack Barrett Gallery） is the first gallerist daring enough to give journalist Bosker a peek into the contemporary art machine。 Writers are pariahs in that business， and few would let her in。 She said Barrett was down to earth one minute and critical the next， picking on her clothing choices， jewelry， and makeup。 As a gallery owner， he is one of the components of context， and he said her very presence lowered his coolness。 Apparently， The Aesthetic Self is an unsound Jenga tower， and journalists instinctively know which block to pull。 In defense of context， consider Puryear’s Big Phrygian。 It might look like a red cedar cone that resembles a drooping garden gnome’s hat。 With context， we know it is based on the “red cap of liberty” headgear worn by ancient Rome’s emancipated slaves。 And for that reason， it is a powerful visual。 Puryear’s example is a good one for putting in the effort to gain visual literacy， but what about the performance art discussed in this book？ While I can’t or won’t explain what one man considers art， I will say this: if he performed it in any public venue other than a gallery opening， law enforcement would be called， and X/Twitter would burst into a raging fire of anger。 Then there’s the “butt influencer” whose followers make it clear that their interest in her backside is not of aesthetic origin。 Some were hesitant about whether the woman’s act constitutes art， but Bosker glommed onto her because she made her wrestle with ideas about life。 So does seeing the aftermath of a fatal automobile accident， but that’s not art。 Bosker’s argument is lazy。With all these headwinds， why bother with contemporary art or art at all？ Because rigorous science suggests that engaging in art is central to our identity。 Indeed， our predecessors were creating art before they invented the more utilitarian wheel。 Humans seem to have a deep connection to the act of creating or viewing visual interpretations of our struggles， values， wants， needs， hopes and aspirations。 The staying power of art is its ability to transcend physical cravings and speak to that part of us that is， as Ernest Becker says， up in the stars， beyond the bounds of our heart-pumping， breath-gasping bodies。 Our bodies are with us; the stars are not。 An artist’s gift is to give them to us。Many thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Viking and NetGalley for providing this eARC。 。。。more
Tony
，
Loved loved loved this book！ I was worried about what type of book this would be when I started "Get the Picture" by Bianca Bosker， the usual thoughts of， is this going to read like furniture instructions， or a text book？ But， I think within the first few paragraphs I knew I had nothing to worry about。 In fact， I laughed aloud on more than one occasion。 Boskers style and voice felt like my kind of humor， and just simply made it a more relatable read。 "Get the Picture" isn't all comedic， don't th Loved loved loved this book！ I was worried about what type of book this would be when I started "Get the Picture" by Bianca Bosker， the usual thoughts of， is this going to read like furniture instructions， or a text book？ But， I think within the first few paragraphs I knew I had nothing to worry about。 In fact， I laughed aloud on more than one occasion。 Boskers style and voice felt like my kind of humor， and just simply made it a more relatable read。 "Get the Picture" isn't all comedic， don't think I'm not taking it seriously。 This book was many things to me， first it felt like investigative reporting， an attempt to pull back the cover on the world of art， artists， art galleries， gallerists， art shows， the market， museums， and its collectors。 The taste makers。 Then， it felt philosophical as to what makes art， well， art。 Why do we like it？ What is the science of it all？ Is there a science behind it at all？ Finally， it felt like a wonderful guide， not just on how to view， well， art of course， but your surroundings and the world around you as well。 How to be open and expose yourself to it all。 How to look at things。 The most surprising， for me， was the amount of names I was familiar with。 Surprising to me because I didn't think I followed that corner of the world that closely？ I guess things seep in。 Did I mention how much I loved this and what a joy it was to read？ Do I want everyone to read it？ You betchya。 Not just my artistic friends。 This felt like it was more than just about the art world。 It could be used as a guide to immersing oneself， getting outside of your comfort zone and learning about any number of topics。 Would I love to meet Bianca and talk？ Yep！ Okay， I'd love to just sit and listen honestly。 I can't wait to add this to my library and for you all to sink your teeth into it。 。。。more
Catherine Newell
，
First off， thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC （e-ARC？ virtual ARC？ digital ARC？ whatever）。This was such a fun book -- one I totally couldn't put down。 I would expect nothing less from the author of Cork Dork。 I have to say: I'm not even particularly into art -- I just wanted to follow Bianca Bosker down whatever rabbit hole she was throwing herself into， and I was not disappointed。 This books rides the perfect balance between pleasantly educational and laugh-out-loud funny。 That's a rare artistic First off， thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC （e-ARC？ virtual ARC？ digital ARC？ whatever）。This was such a fun book -- one I totally couldn't put down。 I would expect nothing less from the author of Cork Dork。 I have to say: I'm not even particularly into art -- I just wanted to follow Bianca Bosker down whatever rabbit hole she was throwing herself into， and I was not disappointed。 This books rides the perfect balance between pleasantly educational and laugh-out-loud funny。 That's a rare artistic feat， if I do say so as an uneducated "Schmo" （<-- reference to the book; read it and you'll understand）。That said， I learned a lot about the world of modern art， including and especially the art carnivale that takes place right in my own [metaphorical] back yard: Art Basel Miami。 Even though Bosker makes it sound amazingly entertaining， I think I'll continue my annual tradition of not going。 But whatever your opinion on art， pretense， galleries， struggling artists， performance art （especially ass art）， collectors， or beauty， this is a fantastic book。 。。。more
Michael
，
I received this book via Goodreads giveaway。I enjoyed reading this; if you have even a miniscule spark of interest in art this book will enlarge your perception。
Lauren Mechling
，
Bianca Bosker should change her name to Bianca Bonkers。 The lengths she goes to in order infiltrate secret underworlds， and the artfulness with which she relates her observations and findings， is truly extraordinary。 She is is a living legend， and this book's depiction of a world rife with manipulative and image-obsessed showmen （and women！） made me so happy that my dealings in the art world are limited to admiring works from （what is comparatively） afar。 Bianca Bosker should change her name to Bianca Bonkers。 The lengths she goes to in order infiltrate secret underworlds， and the artfulness with which she relates her observations and findings， is truly extraordinary。 She is is a living legend， and this book's depiction of a world rife with manipulative and image-obsessed showmen （and women！） made me so happy that my dealings in the art world are limited to admiring works from （what is comparatively） afar。 。。。more
Alisha Fernandez Miranda
，
What a wonderful book！ As a huge fan of Cork Dork， I have been waiting for Bosker’s next deep dive and this did not disappoint。 She provides the most fascinating behind the scenes view of the art world that is compelling， delightful and has you alongside her for every step of her deepening obsession。 I can’t stop talking about it to all my friends and family。 A must read for art newbies and aficionados alike。 ❣️
Dr G
，