ArtCurious

Stories of the Unexpected, Slightly Odd, and Strangely Wonderful in Art History

By: Jennifer Dasal

Narrated by: Jennifer Dasal

Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

A wildly entertaining and surprisingly educational dive into art history as you've never heard it before, from the host of the beloved ArtCurious podcast.

We're all familiar with the works of Claude Monet, thanks in no small part to the ubiquitous reproductions of his water lilies on umbrellas, handbags, scarves, and dorm-room posters. But did you also know that Monet and his cohort were trailblazing rebels whose works were originally deemed unbelievably ugly and vulgar? And while you probably know the tale of Vincent van Gogh's suicide, you may not be aware that there's pretty compelling evidence that the artist didn't die by his own hand but was accidentally killed - or even murdered. Or how about the fact that one of Andy Warhol's most enduring legacies involves Caroline Kennedy's moldy birthday cake and a collection of toenail clippings?

ArtCurious is a colorful look at the world of art history, revealing some of the strangest, funniest, and most fascinating stories behind the world's great artists and masterpieces. Through these and other incredible, weird, and wonderful tales, ArtCurious presents an engaging look at why art history is, and continues to be, a riveting and relevant world to explore.

©2020 Jennifer Dasal (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Lively, accessible, and engaging ... As Dasal observes, ‘art isn’t (always) boring. Sometimes it’s exactly what we need to make our lives more colorful.’ This volume will certainly do that for casual museum-goers, art aficionados, and the just plain curious.” (Booklist)

“A wildly entertaining and surprisingly educational dive into art history as you've never seen it before, from the host of the beloved ArtCurious podcast.” (Shelf Awareness)

“Dasal reveals in this entertaining survey the weird, wacky, and unbelievable backstories of some of the world’s greatest artists and most famous works of art.... Both art aficionados and novices will find something to appreciate in this offbeat and informative outing.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

Smarky

Normally I love all things art but I was disappointed in the authors choice of topics and somewhat prejudiced views of art of which sshe did not care. Others may enjoy her choices but I found them to be superficial.

Very odd but I could not stop listening!

Odd indeed a lot of very curious information. This book kept me interested to the end. Not sure I go along with a lot of her positions or facts and I feel that is unimportant to me her, she definitely has a right to her opinions. Some facts I will triple check on my own the book definitely kept me thinking. One thing I will firmly state, a toilet seat is not a piece of art, it is the biggest joke ever played on the art community and no matter who created it they are still laughing. What a wonderful joke on the over educated! Definitely a re-read for me.

Didn't make me art curious.

For someone who was trying to invite people to enjoy art, the stories dragged with too many tangents.

Only interesting for Art History buffs

I purchased this book after our book club decided to read it. This book should probably have stayed as a podcast. I was lost in many of the chapters as I didn't have the base of an art history course. I did enjoy the chapters on Vincent Van Gogh and Andy Warhol. Practically every other chapter had the author waxing over some minutiae such as playing painted musical notes or ways to increase the value of art.

The Art Gossip

Norman Rockwell was the most surprising part of this book! Felt like I learned much more than anticipated.

I enjoyed it, was entertaining and easy to listen

While I didn't enjoy some of the stories and would have picked others, as well as her tendency to go back and forth between topics within a chapter, I overall enjoyed listening to the book. It was a nice easy listen for my drive to and from work. I will be adding the podcast to my regular roster!

History of Art course was never this fun!

every chapter chock full of ideas to run to your local museum to see what they have…I am on my way!

Perfect for Podcast Enjoyers!

The author definitely reads (and writes) like an entertainer, and if you love art history, this book covers some niche points in time that are worth learning about.

There’s some true crime, some ✨the more you know✨ moments, some stories around female artist, and even some spooky stories to share with your art friends. The variety is great if you’re looking for something new but don’t know what specifically you’d like to learn about in art history!

Nobody says 19 8 or 15 7 when you really mean 1908 or 1507. It's distracting.

sorry her improper use of aught dates is distracting. it's common to say Nineteen O Eight. not nineteen eight. when read this way the date is flat wrong. 19 8 is literally 198. not 1908. this is the 21st century. zero has been used as a placeholder for thousands of years at this point. now all of a sudden this author wants to make up new ways to count.

ArtFun

This is how to take art history and make it interesting to everyone. We've got conspiracy theories, murder, fraud, gender, and much more. A fun read that isn't all fluff.