Review | Talk Art: Russell Tovey and Robert Diament attempt to make contemporary art more accessible
- A spin-off from the popular podcast of the same name, Talk Art is unashamed to address any question, however naive
- The authors insist that collecting contemporary art need not be an expensive hobby, with a vast variety of art available on a budget of £500 (US$700)
Talk Art – Everything You Wanted to Know About Contemporary Art but Were Afraid to Ask by Russell Tovey and Robert Diament. Ilex Press
Contemporary art, in the view of Russell Tovey and Robert Diament, authors of Talk Art, is seen as a forbidden topic of conversation. The well-illustrated book, a spin-off from the wildly popular podcast of the same name, is subtitled “Everything You Wanted to Know About Contemporary Art but Were Afraid to Ask”.
“Over the years,” they write, “we’ve all been taught to follow the rule: don’t ever consider discussing religion and politics when under the influence of alcohol.”
They have omitted the long-established social fatwa against talking about sex, but then that’s frequently the topic of the art they discuss, and it’s discussing art that is the new taboo.
The issue is not the risk of giving offence, but rather the fear of embarrassment – the dread of being in a gallery with a friend and actually having to say something, and perhaps reveal you have no idea what you’re supposed to think or say.
This nervous reticence may be a peculiarly British characteristic, mentioned in what is overall a peculiarly British book, dealing mostly with British artists and collectors, and London gallery-going, yet universal in its ideas. But even Victorian high priest of art criticism John Ruskin wrote condescendingly that the average person is incapable of knowing what he or she ought to like.
