Synopses & Reviews
Cultural writing. Art. Philosophy. "If you are stumped by contemporary art, have wondered why contemporary artists do the things they do, make the things they make, and think the way they think, this book is for you. Tom Marioni has created a book that is easy to read, fun, and engaging. In describing his own art and thinking process, Marioni - with his dry, quiet sense of humor - demystifies contemporary art without being academic or taken: the Picassoian road, which focuses on the painterly tradition, and the Duchampian road, which encompasses a more catholic view of what can be a fit subject for art inquiry. Marioni shows why the Duchampian road offers more riches for many artists, including himself. By incorporating the social and leisure aspects of real life into his art, and by rejecting the dominant cultural work ethic, Tom Marioni amalgamates art and life to create a sophisticated and unique philosophy"--Chris Burden.
Synopsis
-I would encourage everyone to get to know the work of Tom Marioni. There are many discoveries and delights there. I keep finding new things. It won't make you a better person but will make you happy to be the one you are.- --Sol LeWitt
Tom Marioni's 1970 exhibition, The Art of Drinking Beer with Friends is the Highest Form of Art, was a forerunner of a type of contemporary Relational Aesthetics practices that involve eating, drinking and other social activities. In this memoir, Marioni demystifies and defines Conceptual art and answers the question, -What is art for?- Thomas McEvilley, in the introduction, enlarges the historic context, comparing early Conceptual art activities in New York to the work of California artists like Marioni and John Baldessari, who embraced directness and humor and overleapt New York to find an audience in Europe. Of Marioni's writing, McEvilley says, -A fact is stated after a fact, and the meaning of putting them together comes through with a direct clarity like seeing.-