Customer Reviews

Killer Art; Art That Has Maimed, Killed or Caused General Destruction

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

 

 

A friend gave me this book and I was a little leery of it at first. I mean "Killer Art"? But I really enjoyed it. It's full of quirky stories of things gone wrong. I really likes the sections on Killer Music and Killer Film. The book is beautifully designed and the photos are alternately shocking and gorgeous. I've put it out on my coffee table. What a great conversation piece! Everyone picks it up and it starts some of the weirdest conversations. I definitely recommend this book.

This book is a real treasure for anyone is interested in the darker side of art. The book combines pictures, writing, and also many little informational boxes that elaborate on the certain subject. Some of the art in the book is shocking and graphic, so I wouldn't recommend this for any young art appreciaters. The art in the book is wonderful though. Some of the images are haunting and really stick with you even after you have put the book down. This book explores both art thats subject matter is macbre and also art where the media used to create it was of a human origin. This is a really fantastic art book for those who are looking for an atypical book. The writing is interesting and east to read. This would make a wonderful coffee table book to spark conversations--trust me on this one. I recommend it.

This book is hard to put down and when you do, the images are even harder to put out of your mind. Lynn Powers has put together an intriguing look at art that hurts. The images will stay with you.

The 30 point type instantly let me know that there wasn't much writing going on in this book (it would've made a decent pamplet). Not really any good pictures either. Basically it's just way too fluffy. I'm completely fascinated by the subject but this really only gives you names, dates and locations not much detail and absolutely no analysis. And its choice of storys is really odd. It's a sort of greatest hits that you already know about and obscure stories you don't care about, with everything inbetween left out. Where's Robert Smithson's plane crash or Bas Jan Ader's ill fated attempt to cross the Atlantic in a row boat? As for the serial killer art and motion picture deaths. Those topics properly researched and documented are books on there own, I think they were needed here to make this long enough to be a book. Basically I feel a little ripped off.

In general it was a good book. Nice pictures, good layout. But what was lacking in some places was the depth and the connection to Art as a whole. Some bits stroke me as cheap sensationalism. And she certainly made a mistake by including Dr Kevorkian among the serial killers like Hitler, whatever he may be he is not a serial killer like Hitler.

What can I say... Death, destruction, blood and ART. Pretty cool. This book is full of interesting stories, stuff like some poor woman getting crushed to death by a giant sculpture of an umbrella, or an actor getting stabbed with a prop sword. But the coolest stuff is the performance artists. A guy who makes a US flag out of his own skin (complete with pictures of him getting the skin surgically removed - gross). Pretty cool. I'm gonna get a copy for my girlfriend's mother's birthday. Then she'll KNOW I'm the wrong guy.