The Art Fair

Last updated
The Art Fair
Author David Lipsky
Country United States
Language English
Publisher Doubleday
Publication date
 June 1, 1996
Media type Print (hardback & paperback)
Pages 270 pp (first edition, hc)
ISBN 0-385-426100 (first)
OCLC 33244171
813/.54 21
LC Class PS3562.I627 A89 1996
Preceded byThree Thousand Dollars
Followed by Absolutely American

The Art Fair is a 1996 novel by American author David Lipsky. It revolves around the New York City Art world, and a painter and her son making their way through that world.

David Lipsky is an American author. His works have been New York Times bestsellers, New York Times Notable Books, Time and NPR Best Books of the Year, and have been included in The Best American Magazine Writing and The Best American Short Stories collections.

Art world

The art world comprises everyone involved in producing, commissioning, presenting, preserving, promoting, chronicling, criticizing, and selling fine art.

Contents

Story

The Art Fair tells the story of Richard and Joan Freely—a New York artist and her precocious son. Considered to be autobiographical by some critics, [1] [2] the novel narrates stories of "painters, critics and gallery dealers." [3] The book's genesis is Lipsky's collection of stories Three Thousand Dollars, which The Los Angeles Times wrote contains "astonishing insights into the machinations of the New York art world." [4]

Reception

The novel was warmly received by critics. The New York Times called the book "riveting," [5] The New Yorker described it "a darkly comic love story," [6] People noted, "Lipsky's portrayal of the art world is unblinking, his portrayal of the ties between parent and child deeply affecting"; [7] the critic Francine Prose in Newsday called the book's "Darwinian" milieu a "testament to Lipsky's skill" [8] and critic James Atlas wrote "the novel perfectly captures artists and dealers, the tiny gestures of cruelty that confirm or withhold status." [9] In Newsweek, writer David Gates called it, "A knowing art scene roman a clef, a wry comedy of manners, a delicately handled mother-son love story", [10] and The Los Angeles Times wrote the novel "expertly explores the deep, inexplicable bond between mother and son. It also is rich in the luminous joys and dark pains that color every family." [11] The trade publication Library Journal summarized, "The praise has poured as thick as impasto." [12]

<i>The New Yorker</i> Magazine on politics, social issues, art, humor, and culture, based in New York City

The New Yorker is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It is published by Condé Nast. Started as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is now published 47 times annually, with five of these issues covering two-week spans.

Francine Prose American writer

Francine Prose is an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and critic. She is a Visiting Professor of Literature at Bard College, and was formerly president of PEN American Center.

<i>Newsday</i> American daily newspaper

Newsday is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. As of 2009, its weekday circulation of 377,500 was the 11th-highest in the United States, and the highest among suburban newspapers. In 2012, Newsday expanded to include Rockland and Westchester county news on its website. As of January 2014, Newsday's total average circulation was 437,000 on weekdays, 434,000 on Saturdays and 495,000 on Sundays.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Prose, Francine, "In Art, Reputation Is Everything," Newsday, May 19, 1996
  2. ↑ Atlas, James, "The Art Fair", Vogue, June 1996.
  3. ↑ Calvin Reid, "Publishers Briefly," Publishers Weekly , 3 June 1996.
  4. ↑ Kendall, Elaine (December 22, 1989). "BOOK REVIEW : Marking the Potholes, Pitfalls". The Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2015-09-03.
  5. ↑ Eckhoff, Sally, "The Art Fair," The New York Times Book Review, June 9, 1996.
  6. ↑ "The Art Fair," The New Yorker, June 24, 1996
  7. ↑ Kaufman, Joanne, "The Art Fair," People, July 29, 1996
  8. ↑ Prose, Francine, "In Art, Reputation Is Everything," Newsday, May 19, 1996
  9. ↑ Atlas, James, "The Art Fair", Vogue, June 1996.
  10. ↑ Gates, David, "First Time," Newsweek, June 2, 1996.
  11. ↑ [Morago, Greg, "'The Art Fair' by David Lipsky," The Los Angeles Times, August 28, 1996.]
  12. ↑ Library Journal, "The Art Fair," October 1, 1996.
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