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REVIEW BY AGNIESZKA MATEJKO
When acclaimed American journalist Bianca Bosker began to research her latest book, Get the Picture: A Mind-Bending Journey Among the Inspired Artists and Obsessive Art Fiends Who Taught Me How to See, she didn’t know much about art. She didn’t even select the artwork adorning her New York-based home — that task was relegated to her husband. Contemporary shows such as videos of penises ejecting glitter, stacks of appliances, or pairs of underwear dangling from gallery ceilings left her bemused. They seemed like inside jokes for the initiated.
Yet Bosker knew that art was anything but a joke. New York's pristine white galleries loomed over hushed crowds of visitors like ancient temples. Collectors lavished millions on art, and as Bosker later discovered, some rented warehouses to house their treasures. Certain gallerists maxed out their credit cards to show unsaleable installations such as public bathroom stalls. And countless artists sacrificed their lives for art. They couch-surfed, toiled in rat-infested studios, and juggled menial jobs in a heroic effort to create. Only a tiny fraction ever managed to eke out a living from art.
What drives such cult-like devotion? Why does art matter? What message does it convey? Bosker’s mind teemed with such questions, and she set out to answer them. The more she called and emailed the more elusive the New York art scene became. Even emerging artists were afraid to meet her and few gallerists bothered to respond. Some warned her that unwanted exposure could jeopardize her career.
This inexplicable reticence fueled her resolve. Armed with the spirit of Jane Goodall's fearless forays into the jungle, Bosker decided to infiltrate the art scene. After all, with her experience reporting from China, she was no stranger to the fear of journalists. Doggedly chasing answers was her forte. Yet, she was stunned when door after door slammed shut. “I’d had an easier time sniffing out answers in Chengdu than Chelsea,” she writes.
What follows is a captivating memoir, a fast-paced mystery, a laugh-out-loud comedy, and in the poignant final chapters, a tender romance. Spoiler alert: the heroine, Bosker, overcomes obstacles and discovers true love — with art as her beloved.
In her quest, Bosker began to live and breathe art. She secured an apprenticeship with a gallerist who urged her to adopt a more fashionable “resting bitch-face” demeanour; sold nearly $50,000 worth of art during Miami Art Week; co-curated a show in Hong Kong; assisted artist Julie Curtiss and modelled a pose that revealed her crotch; and worked as a security guard in the Guggenheim Museum. She also had her breath quite literally taken away when performance artist and ass influencer Mandy allFIRE sat on her face.
Since its release in February, Bosker’s page-turning book has been making waves. She has received positive reviews from esteemed publications such as The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian, among others. The most pithy appraisal came from Kirkus Reviews. “A delightful book on an inspiring topic by a writer who could make dust sparkle,” wrote the editors of the New York City-based magazine.
Bosker’s wit dazzles, but her hands-on quest coupled with careful scholarship, is also awe-inspiring: the bibliography alone takes up one chapter. Such breadth outshines Tom Wolfe’s 1975 classic book on art criticism, The Painted Word. His polemic was passionate but cerebral. Bosker digs deeper by delving into the psychology of art, art history and criticism, and by embracing all facets of art practice. She even begins to paint.
Her deep dive into the world of art yields magical results. Bosker begins to see the world through the eyes of an artist. One ordinary day, while strolling along a familiar street, a drab wall transforms into a tapestry of shades reminiscent of Monet’s Rouen Cathedral series. She later finds herself captivated by the beauty of frozen food in a grocery aisle. It’s as if she’d received a fresh set of eyes. The world around her changes.
This book may not send every reader scurrying out to buy paintbrushes or alter everyone’s ability to see, but it illuminates the mystical power of art. Bosker’s grandest question is answered: despite the pitiful machinations of New York arts elites, art is no scam. Its power, beauty and insight, accompanied by fleeting yet addictive moments of bliss, can and does profoundly change lives. ■
Get the Picture: A Mind-Bending Journey Among the Inspired Artists and Obsessive Art Fiends Who Taught Me How to See, by Bianca Bosker, Penguin Random House, 2023
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