Reviews of Who Says That’s Art?
Since its publication in November 2014, Who Says That’s Art? A Commonsense View of the Arts has garnered numerous reviews (predominantly favorable) in both the U.S. and abroad. What follows are brief excerpts from them, beginning with the most recent. Links to the full text are provided wherever available.
“Kamhi deconstructs the generally accepted art history of the past hundred years by questioning a host of assumptions underpinning both modern and postmodern art. . . . [and] challenges the reputation of many figures championed by the art world—from Mondrian and Duchamp to Rothko, Segal, Warhol, and Hirst. Further, she debunks 20th-century inventions such as Abstract Art, Conceptual Art, Installation Art, and Performance Art by critiquing their inventors’ stated aims in the light of what is known about human psychology and cognitive processes. . . . Based on cross-cultural evidence, Kamhi argues that [the] fundamental criteria [of art] are not culture-bound but are universal and rooted in human nature. . . . Most relevant for art teachers . . . [s]he urges a return to a traditional understanding of what constitutes fine art (as distinguished from the decorative or applied arts) with an emphasis on art appreciation and the teaching of art history.”
“The contemporary attitude is that anything can be considered art. Kamhi’s extended text correctly insists that this is nonsense. . . . This perceptive study, an ‘indictment of the avant-garde’s spurious inventions,’ is so encompassing that it would be impossible in a brief review even to mention the many interconnected issues and areas the author covers in superb exemplified detail.”
“This is a courageous, well written and important book. Very many in the established artworld will disagree with its conclusions but they are supported by rigorous argument and passionate conviction. All who are interested to find the truth about art should study it and engage with its arguments. . . . [It] is a book which everyone, in Thomas Cranmer’s words, should ‘read, mark, learn and inwardly digest.’ . . . [E]veryone should respond to Kamhi’s clarion call for commonsense and honest judgement on the subject of contemporary art. . . . [and] reject the all-too-common default position of deferring to presumed art experts. And when she writes that the art of our time should not require special expertise to be understood or appreciated, we . . . should all rise to our feet and clap our hands. In Kamhi, we believe we can now welcome the emergence of a prophet who will be honoured not only increasingly widely in her own country of America but also indeed in Britain and all countries in which people are unhappy, dissatisfied and confused by the present artworld’s distorted view of art.”
“[Kamhi] has deep and strongly held views about the nature of art and what should be done to educate others as to the values in creating and responding to art. . . . This is a book that deserves reading even though we may disagree with some of its conclusions.” [Kamhi’s response]
“As an introduction to a number of perennial problems of art, this book is a stimulating first look. Many of the key issues related to responding to art, making art, evaluating art, decoding aesthetic theory and criticism are laid out from a provocative perspective—one that may resonate with viewers who are baffled by ‘contemporary art.’ . . . Some readers, this reader included, may be cheered by Kamhi’s commentary on the politicization of art, and art education. . . . [Despite] my significant reservations about [some of] the positions taken in this book I nevertheless endorse it as a useful addition to any undergraduate or graduate reading list, . . . for it will generate debate and engaged discussion.” [read full review and Kamhi’s response]
“Whatever else one thinks of art critic Michelle Kamhi[‘s] recent book Who Says That’s Art? she’s brave. Her effort to corral art’s baggy borders is gutsy. The book is also well-researched, well-written, but so dense with debatable observations and conclusions that a single review with space limitations can’t begin to take it on.” [see Kamhi’s response]
“Kamhi’s book is a thoughtful and well-informed tour of the principal art movements and celebrated painters and sculptors of the modern era as seen through the eyes of someone who finds nothing persuasive in the underlying premises of modernism. . . . Who Says That’s Art? occupies some of the same debunking gallery space as Tom Wolfe’s The Painted Word, except that Kamhi seems less interested in puncturing pretension than she is in teaching us how to look.”
“Who Says That’s Art? . . . offers anyone who has ever left a contemporary art museum scratching his head or muttering under his breath the chance to release a big, therapeutic sigh of relief. Kamhi first . . . legitimiz[es] this natural aversion to most modern art . . . and then gets to work on methodically proving her point.” [read more—scroll down]
“Michelle Marder Kamhi is a stubborn, brave, and well-informed woman. Most of the art critics the world over have gone silent a long time ago (and keep thoughts on the artistic crap that is being pushed down our throats by the contemporary art establishment to themselves) or have merged with curators, artists, and audiences into a unitary and conformist choir that again and again lauds the artistic junk that we see at ‘biennials,’ with catch-phrases such as ‘innovative,’ ‘cutting edge,’ or ‘breaking new ground.’ Not Marder [Kamhi]. She belongs to a small, rebellious group of independent art critics.” [translated from Slovenian by the reporter (see more—use Google to translate the balance)]
[Who Says That’s Art?] made me, by stages, angry, contrary, furious, [and] dismissive but, most importantly, thoughtful. . . . The book is well written [and] scrupulously researched and attempts to convince the reader that most contemporary art is, in fact, pseudo art. . . .” [read more—scroll down to Author’s response]
“This book, intended for a wide audience, is dynamite thrown at a largely self-satisfied little [art] world. That little world . . . needs shattering . . . ; and this book is needed if change is ever going to occur. . . . [Kamhi] carpet bombs the field of visual art, exploding every half-baked notion that has cropped up in visual art and education since Kandinsky. What she has written so passionately about is well worth reading. . . . [She] has done great work in showing that the collective [art] wizards are just loud and windy, full of sound and fury but signifying nothing.” [read more]
“Not only should you purchase the latest effort of Kamhi, but, in case you don’t own a copy, you should also buy the 2000 book she coauthored with her husband, Louis Torres, titled What Art Is: The Esthetic Theory of Ayn Rand. Both are enlightening and entertaining reads.”
“Kamhi’s scrutiny is unerring. . . . providing non-specialists with a scholarly yet accessible account that not only explains how to distinguish genuine art but also promises to enhance its appreciation.” [read more]
“Forceful and persuasive. . . . An impressive companion for advanced studies in visual arts, accessible enough for general-interest readers.” [read more]
[See also What Readers Say.]
