Russell Tovey + Robert Diament - talk ART
August 2021
Everything you wanted to know about contemporary art but were afraid to ask
I started reading this book during Mental Health Week, just after the government proposed more funding cuts to arts education. I am incensed, why these cuts? It is beyond me since the Creative Industries are one of the biggest revenues generating industries in this country. Oh, and in case anyone in government missed the memo, the arts are crucial for mental health as well as physical recovery; I’d be very happy to send one of the many, many reports and studies on this. Enough! Talk Art!
I state in the intro that the books on this page have been suggested by art advisors and collectors I have interviewed so I feel I need to come clean as this one has not been recommended to me (yet). However, in my personal bid to make the art world less opaque and more accessible, I commend anyone trying to do the same. Russell and Robert have made enormous strides to break down barriers, through their podcast and through this book. As an aside, I was particularly drawn to the cover (who said you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover?).
Do not be put off by the endorsements and the mention of the authors’ contacts such as Sir Elton John, Sir Paul Smith, Grayson Perry, and Tracey Emin. These might make it feel like the book is not for you, but it really is an easy read and gives useful insights into, and personal experience of, various aspects of the art world. Granted, it is very much written from a personal perspective, a glimpse into the authors’ interests and collecting patterns, but at the same time it is very much a book of its time. It addresses the missing voices, the underrepresented communities amongst the artists, and for anyone starting a collection now it will be relevant to read up on these if you are not familiar with them yet. Rachel Spence wrote in the FT earlier this year “There is a strong argument to be made that there is a place for contemporary artists who do not wish to make work about social justice, historic accountability or environmental menace.” But it seems that 2021 is not the year and this applies to collecting patterns too. Many collectors I am working with are looking to give their collection a focus, are trying to put their values into their collections and make the works speak for what they are about.
What I enjoyed most about the book? The welcome word by the authors, in fact it had me in tears, perhaps this was because I was reading it during Mental Health Week? In any case, I couldn’t agree more when they say: “We believe that art is for everyone and that it can positively influence your world.” In various articles I have written about how art opened up a different world to me. Art teaches me something every day, a glimpse into a struggle, the effects of environmental hazards on communities around the world, history and cultures of places I haven’t been, etc., and I can only dream of a time when art is freely accessible and without barriers to everyone.
This book is available as an audio book and the podcasts can be found here.