Object of Beauty

What Our Readers Are Saying

Share your thoughts on this title!

Average customer rating 4.7 (12 comments)

---

`

I loved this book for its intelligence and originality. Steve Martin has been an art collector for years and his knowledge of the subject shines through here. My experience is limited but even so did not feel that I was in over my head as the book traversed the art world in New York from the 90's to 2009. The main character is Lacey Yeager, a beautiful, smart, shrewd businesswoman who steps over anyone to gain success, first at Sotheby's as a nobody, then finally owner of her own galleries. This is one book I think I'll hang on to so I can read it again and again.

`

The YMCA crowd wouldn't be too happy with this Steve Martin book, but I enjoyed it. While his slapstick humor has certainly been put away, his wit is still present, and the story is certainly engaging. It seemed to me that there were some awkward grammatical situations, but they certainly didn't detract from the book.

`

Art hovers between our dreams and reality... that line (paraphrased) has been on my mind all day after finishing this wonderful book last night. Martin captures well the notion that not just art, but also certain people in our lives can serve as a welcome liaison between dream and reality.

`

"An Object of beauty" is at once a love story and a titillating novel about the machinations of the Art World. In Lacey Yaeger, Steve Martin has created a Powerful character whom you don't know whether to admire or chastise. The book serves as an art Primer to those who have no experience in the Art World and a visit into familiar territories to those used to dabbling in fine art.

`

I love Steve Martin's writing and think this book might be his best. The art history and pictures, the charcters and storyline, are all so great. I was entertained and learned something. Steve Martin continues to surprise and amaze me with his talent!

`

Steve Martin's book,"An Object of Beauty" is a brilliant and evocative treatment of the Art world,as seen through the eyes of a first person narrative.Each discussion of specific paintings is preceded by a copy of the picture within the plot of the book,giving the reader the opportunity to look with fresh perspective at some well known paintings,as well as some less familiar to the general public.Steve Martin develops a nearly impossible-to-put-down page turner,replete with the machinations of an Art groupie- turned-gallery owner,clawing her way to the inside circle of Art glitterati,and the entire book is infused with his love for and deep knowledge of the Art world.This novel,written with enthusiasm and exquisite connaissance,is a treasure to be added to one's personal library,bibliophile and casual reader alike. Stupendous!

`

Very enjoyable read. If you liked Shopgirl, you will like this even more. Really delves into the whole NYC art scene. Interesting to read about the goings on "backstage" of art auction houses and galleries.

`

Quick read that swallows the reader into the 90s art world. What "Singles" would have been like if they were all art snobs.

`

Any thing Steve Martin writes is enjoyable. He is witty, cleaver and unique in style.

`

Fiction or non-fiction? (3.25*s) In this illuminating, insider exploration of the NYC art scene, the sometimes narrator, journalist Daniel Chester French - stand-in for author and dedicated art collector Steve Martin - informs leading character Lacey Yeager that he is writing a tell-all novel. Later, he informs Sotheby’s auction house executive Tanya Ross that he may well go the non-fiction route with his book. In actuality, this novel is a faintly disguised documentary on all of the particulars of the NYC art-world: the auction houses, galleries, dealers, artists, collectors, etc. And then there are the subtleties of the various painting genres in terms of history, continents, movements, schools, etc; the significance of uptown versus downtown to insiders; and the intricacies of pricing and bidding. While there is the usual disclaimer of fictional context, many of the locales and individuals do exist. The few fictional characters included are generally no more than mere sketches, fulfilling necessary roles in the art-world landscape. By far the most attention is given to Lacey, a Southern girl with an art history degree, who arrives in NYC around 1993 determined to become a known player in the art-world. It is through her movements, beginning in the basement of Sotheby’s, that the art-world is explored. Not stunningly beautiful, she is a head-turner with an alluring side; her remarkable self-confidence permits her to seize opportunities, more than willing to defy convention, even legalities. Though including a few perfunctory scenes, the author inadequately captures her implicit assumption that her body is for her use to get ahead, any pleasure derived is totally secondary. Despite her centrality in the book, Lacey seems more an example of a type of character who should exist in this context, rather than a fully fleshed out individual. There has to be more to a person than simply ambition The author does capture the risks and fragility of the art-world and the willingness of players to operate in that uncertain environment. There is no certainty in pricing items produced purely for aesthetics, such as paintings – it is what that very narrow market can bear. But the market for an item or all of the work of an artist can change dramatically. And in times of economic downturn, such as those brought on by 9/11 or the Wall St. failures of 2008, big investors tend to cut back on extravagant spending, leaving many holding overpriced art. On the other hand, there is also the psychology of wanting to capture a corner of the market, to create enviable collections. It is fringe players, those without deep pockets, such as Lacey, who invariably find themselves hurt by such market instabilities. The book is actually quite interesting. The author’s knowledge of the NYC art scene, the players, and the inventory of paintings is impressive. There is a bit of a sense of information overload. Unfortunately, compelling characters – finally, even Lacey - and a plot beyond the daily moving of paintings are largely absent from this latest work by the author. Perhaps it should be read as non-fiction.

`

Steve Martin's latest novel is wonderful. The writing is erudite without being condescending or pedantic--no small feat--and it pulls you into New York's art world of the past twenty years by following the exploits of the ambitious Lacey Yeager. But what makes the story work is that it is not told from Lacey's point of view. Rather, a friend of hers, an art writer named Daniel who's been privy to her life for years, takes on her tale combining intimate firsthand knowledge with speculation, detailed accounts with faded memories, conversations with projected motives. Daniel is both a participant in and a spectator of Lacey's tumultuous life as she goes from downtown galleries to Sotheby's and back again. And while recording her story, how she uses her wit and keen business sense, sex and charm, he also illustrates how the art world grew and changed, boomed and crashed. He writes of trends and schools of thought with great knowledge and insight. And lucky for the reader, there are a number of color reproductions included in the text to make the discussion all the more powerful. I enjoyed this book immensely, finding myself completely in that world as I read, and startled back to reality when I had to put it down. An Object of Beauty is a fantastic read that I look forward to picking up again.

`

If Shopgirl was emotionally remote, lacking a warm place to connect to, in An Object of Beauty Martin has found a way to tell the story that gives the human element the same warm intimacy the author evidently feels for art. The title is a pun, of course, and curiously enough in conflating the passion for art with the passion for another person neither is reduced, but both come to life. Readers will come away with a richer understanding of art and may be surprised to feel an unfamiliar sympathy for the marketplace, which turns out to be as essential a part of elevated aesthetic pleasure as the flawed persons who inhabit it.