Art and LaughterThis is the first book to take seriously (though not too seriously) the surprisingly neglected role of humour in art. "Art and Laughter" looks back to comic masters such as Hogarth and Daumier and to Dada, Surrealism and Pop Art, asking what makes us laugh and why. It explores the use of comedy in art from satire and irony to pun, parody and black and bawdy humour. Encouraging laughter in the hallowed space of the gallery, Sheri Klein praises the contemporary artist as 'clown' - often overlooked in favour of the role of artist as 'serious' commentator - and takes us on a tour of the comic work of Red Grooms, Cary Leibowitz, 'The Hairy Who', Richard Prince, Bruce Nauman, Jeff Koons, William Wegman, Vik Muniz and many more. She seeks out those rare smiles in art - from the Mona Lisa onwards - and highlights too the pleasures of the cute, the camp and the downright kitsch. |
Contents
1 Before the Laugh | |
2 Smiling Portraits in Art | |
3 Playing with Words and Images | |
4 The Art of Disguise | |
5 The Big the Small and the Funny | |
6 Humour Sex and Death in Art | |
7 The Desire for and Consumption of Cuteness | |
Performance Art and Laughter | |
Conclusion | |
Notes | |
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Common terms and phrases
absurd accessed 4 July aesthetic amusing Art Guys art history art museum art world artists discussed artworks associated Botero Brian Jungen Bruce Nauman ceramic Chapter Chicago Chicago Imagist Cindy Sherman colour comic contemporary art contemporary artists created Currin cute dark humour David Shrigley Deborah Kass disguise drawings erotic everyday exaggeration exhibition catalogue experience explore figures forms of humour Friedman funny gallery Gladys Nilsson grin Guerrilla Girls humour and art Ibid icons images incongruities installation art irony issues Jeff Koons jokes Jungen juxtaposition Karl Wirsum Kay Rosen Kenny Sharf laughter looking mask materials mock Morreall Muniz Nilsen and Nilsen Noganosh objects Oleszko painter paradox parody and satire Patty Carroll performance art photographs portraits postmodern art postmodern artists puns Red Grooms Sarah Lucas Saul sculptures Semerau sexual social spaces Steinberg techniques theory of humour Tom Otterness Untitled viewer visual humour Warhol women words writes York