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A review by ktc8
An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin
4.0
i was gifted this book by my favorite high school teacher, shout out Anderson, for graduation and i never read it but figured i should finally 7 years later...!
im not sure that steve martin actually wrote it or had a good ghostwriter but it was enjoyable and clever, insightful into the 90s growing art market and into looking at art and life. definitely does nothing New but for a reader who maybe wants to read about the art world in new york as it grew, it's an interesting and accessible read! i think from the get go the basis that this was written by a male character who was simply just Obsessed with our main protag felt really stale and voyeuristic, classic art critic writing about art, or in this case, a woman's life. the objectification was just another reproduction of how women are viewed in art and the field. lacey wasn't anything so spectucularly new - she was everything you expected from a young wealthy woman character in the art field in new york. however, i loved the cultural and contextual tie ins - the gardner theft and 9/11 etc - kept it moving. i loved the inclusion of the art in the book to look at and martin's occasional art critique and analysis through the character's personal experiences. as someone in an adjacent field, i enjoyed learning a bit more about the art world in nyc at the time! the art market does just make me feel skeeved out tho. this didn't help lol. i probably wouldn't have picked it up myself but as a gift from one of my favorite people it was a fun time :)
im not sure that steve martin actually wrote it or had a good ghostwriter but it was enjoyable and clever, insightful into the 90s growing art market and into looking at art and life. definitely does nothing New but for a reader who maybe wants to read about the art world in new york as it grew, it's an interesting and accessible read! i think from the get go the basis that this was written by a male character who was simply just Obsessed with our main protag felt really stale and voyeuristic, classic art critic writing about art, or in this case, a woman's life. the objectification was just another reproduction of how women are viewed in art and the field. lacey wasn't anything so spectucularly new - she was everything you expected from a young wealthy woman character in the art field in new york. however, i loved the cultural and contextual tie ins - the gardner theft and 9/11 etc - kept it moving. i loved the inclusion of the art in the book to look at and martin's occasional art critique and analysis through the character's personal experiences. as someone in an adjacent field, i enjoyed learning a bit more about the art world in nyc at the time! the art market does just make me feel skeeved out tho. this didn't help lol. i probably wouldn't have picked it up myself but as a gift from one of my favorite people it was a fun time :)