Art

by Yasmina Reza

Other authorsChristopher Hampton (Translator)

Paperback, 1996

Status

Available

Call number

842.914

Genres

All Topics

Fiction

Collection

Plays Seen

Publication

Faber and Faber (1996), Paperback, 96 pages

Description

Drama. Fiction. HTML: Tony Award winner for Best Play and Olivier Award winner for Best Comedy. How much would you pay for a painting with nothing on it? Would it be art? Marc's best friend Serge has just bought a very expensive � and very white - painting. To Marc, the painting is a joke, and as battle lines are drawn, old friends use it to settle scores. With friendships hanging in the balance, the question becomes: how much is a painting worth? �A nonstop cross-fire of crackling language (and) serious issues of life and art�sounds like a marriage of Moli�re and Woody Allen,� writes Newsweek. A full-cast production featuring: Bob Balaban, Brian Cox, Jeff Perry.

User reviews

LibraryThing member alexnisnevich

A brilliant and succinct play, both outrageously funny and remarkably moving. The central symbol of the white painting is used to make a statement about the fragility of human relationships, and though the characters' interaction was in some respects exaggerated I could connect with them more than

I could with characters in most novels, especially with Yvan. The dialogue is very fast-paced and witty, and Yvan's monologue at the beginning of the climactic meeting between the three characters one of the best dramatic monologues I've ever read/heard. I highly recommend this (especially to anyone who's ever had the unpleasant experience of being caught in the middle of a pointless fight), and I would love to see this performed on stage.

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LibraryThing member MSarki

Not the best play I have ever read, but certainly better than most. I am a big fan of Yasmina Reza's fiction and her memoir, but not so much this first play I have read by her. I will continue on and read more. I do like her dialogue but "Art" seemed a little forced to me at times.

LibraryThing member Ceilidhann

I think I'll just have to accept that Yasmina Reza isn't for me. Like The God of Carnage, I found "Art" to be an ultimately unsatisfying play. There was a lot of sound and fury that came to a rushed conclusion that resolved little of the chaos that makes up the play. Many of the ideas and conflicts

presented feel half-baked and pointless, although it's easy to imagine them being entertaining when performed with a talented cast, as this play was on Broadway (which I think accounts for its Best Play Tony win, if I fancy being presumptuous, and I do.) The farce feels rather tired and the character interactions like Albee-lite. As always, it's unfair to judge a play solely on its text, and even more so when the text is in translated form, but as it stands, "Art" left me hollow.

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LibraryThing member Devil_llama

An engaging work, in which a man buys a totally white painting. His friends mock his choice, and then they begin to attack each other about every conceivable aspect of their respective personalities. Pop culture psychobabble flies as each man tries to convince his friends that they are the ones in

the wrong. Issues underlying their friendship eventually lead to blows. The author has captured the nature of human identity and the need for approval. We identify ourselves by our possessions and our friends seems to be the underlying message of the play; the author explores how people require other people to approve of their decisions, even when they are convinced their decision is right. Well constructed, easy to read, and definitely a play of its time.

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LibraryThing member leslie.98

Amusing play that on the surface is about whether a painting which is completely white can be considered art but underneath is about the friendship between 3 men. This play is best when viewed (as I was lucky enough to do several years ago); some of the humor may not come through in the print

edition.

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