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Art
Art
Art
Audiobook1 hour

Art

Written by Yasmina Reza

Narrated by Bob Balaban, Brian Cox and Jeff Perry

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

How much would you pay for a painting with nothing on it?

Would it be art?

Marc's best friend Serge has just bought a very expensive - and very white - painting. To Marc, the painting is a joke, and as battle lines are drawn, old friends use it to settle scores.

A Tony Award winner for Best Play and an Olivier Award winner for Best Comedy.

©2009 L.A. Theatre Works; (P)2009 L.A. Theatre Works

LanguageEnglish
Release dateOct 25, 2009
ISBN9781580815840
Art
Author

Yasmina Reza

Yasmina Reza nació en París. Su padre, nacido en Moscú, descendiente de una familia judía expulsa - da de España por la Inquisición y que se refugió en Uzbekistán, y su madre, violinista, de una familia de judíos húngaros, se conocieron en París. Ha recibido los más prestigiosos galardones por sus obras teatrales (como el Molière, el Laurence Olivier, el Theater Houte y el Tony), entre las que destaca Arte, publicada en esta colección. De su obra narrativa hemos editado Una desolación: «Pocas veces existen tantas razones para recomendar una novela como en este caso» (María Bengoa, El Correo); Hammerklavier: «Una colección de relatos –de carácter autobiográfico– hermosamente perturbadores. Un exquisito manjar digno de paladares exigentes» (Lola Beccaria, ABC); En el trineo de Schopenhauer: «Un excelente libro compacto, que se lee de un tirón, y que a pesar de su divertida crítica sobre el empeño de ofrecer un sentido a la vida, nos transmite una conmovedora melancolía» (Jacinta Cremades, El Cultural); Felices los felices: «Acción y pensamiento, nervio y sentido del humor, es breve, pero te deja ver un mundo muy amplio, casi inabarcable... Reza es lúcida, divertida y cruel, pero sobre todo humanista» (Carlos Zanón, El País) y Babilonia: «A medio camino entre una trama de los Coen y el mejor libreto de Woody Allen, nos regala un “polar” divertido, tierno, profundo y patético sobre la vida del común de los mortales» (Ángeles López, La Razón). También la crónica El alba la tarde o la noche: «Tienes una obra maestra al alcance de la mano. Esto supone una rareza absoluta y debieras aprovechar la oportunidad» (Arcadi Espada, El Mundo).

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Reviews for Art

Rating: 3.8484849 out of 5 stars
4/5

132 ratings6 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An engaging work, in which a man buys a totally white painting. His friends mock his choice, and then they begin to attack each other about every conceivable aspect of their respective personalities. Pop culture psychobabble flies as each man tries to convince his friends that they are the ones in the wrong. Issues underlying their friendship eventually lead to blows. The author has captured the nature of human identity and the need for approval. We identify ourselves by our possessions and our friends seems to be the underlying message of the play; the author explores how people require other people to approve of their decisions, even when they are convinced their decision is right. Well constructed, easy to read, and definitely a play of its time.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Amusing play that on the surface is about whether a painting which is completely white can be considered art but underneath is about the friendship between 3 men. This play is best when viewed (as I was lucky enough to do several years ago); some of the humor may not come through in the print edition.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Not the best play I have ever read, but certainly better than most. I am a big fan of Yasmina Reza's fiction and her memoir, but not so much this first play I have read by her. I will continue on and read more. I do like her dialogue but "Art" seemed a little forced to me at times.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A brilliant and succinct play, both outrageously funny and remarkably moving. The central symbol of the white painting is used to make a statement about the fragility of human relationships, and though the characters' interaction was in some respects exaggerated I could connect with them more than I could with characters in most novels, especially with Yvan. The dialogue is very fast-paced and witty, and Yvan's monologue at the beginning of the climactic meeting between the three characters one of the best dramatic monologues I've ever read/heard. I highly recommend this (especially to anyone who's ever had the unpleasant experience of being caught in the middle of a pointless fight), and I would love to see this performed on stage.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An engaging work, in which a man buys a totally white painting. His friends mock his choice, and then they begin to attack each other about every conceivable aspect of their respective personalities. Pop culture psychobabble flies as each man tries to convince his friends that they are the ones in the wrong. Issues underlying their friendship eventually lead to blows. The author has captured the nature of human identity and the need for approval. We identify ourselves by our possessions and our friends seems to be the underlying message of the play; the author explores how people require other people to approve of their decisions, even when they are convinced their decision is right. Well constructed, easy to read, and definitely a play of its time.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I think I'll just have to accept that Yasmina Reza isn't for me. Like The God of Carnage, I found "Art" to be an ultimately unsatisfying play. There was a lot of sound and fury that came to a rushed conclusion that resolved little of the chaos that makes up the play. Many of the ideas and conflicts presented feel half-baked and pointless, although it's easy to imagine them being entertaining when performed with a talented cast, as this play was on Broadway (which I think accounts for its Best Play Tony win, if I fancy being presumptuous, and I do.) The farce feels rather tired and the character interactions like Albee-lite. As always, it's unfair to judge a play solely on its text, and even more so when the text is in translated form, but as it stands, "Art" left me hollow.