Customer Reviews

Christian Boltanski

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have extensively researched Christian Boltanski and would highly recommend this wonderful book. It reads like an exhibition. Five stars *****

This is one of the best monographs I've read. Often I get books an an aritst I like, and can't get through the awful text, I end up just looking at the pictures. The text in this book adds so much to my understanding of the work, by detailing the progression of his ideas through the years, and clearly describing the installations. The writing is very clear, I found myself reading it as if it were a novel.

I saw his exhibit in Paris a few years ago and I was intrigued about this artist.This book will give more explanation on his work and why he does it. Some of the writing can be too academic and hard to understand. There's an interview with Boltanski which I loved. He's very opinionated and an interesting artist. There's not much info on him on the internet so I'm really glad that was made.

A good book on an excellent artist. Why, then, only 8 / 10 ? Because the authors/contributors do not deal in-deep with certain AMBIGUITIES in Boltanski's life and art. Everybody always focusses on the quote >official< unquote biography and bibliography of Boltanski (e.g. in Lessons of Darkness). But CB himself is constantly re-arranging and reconstituting these 'facts'. Critics and curators, though, always seem to take the information for granted.

I think that CB plays a game with us, and that (t)his game is a very important part of his oeuvre. As such it should be properly documented and studied.

Han Geers