Thank you to the author, Chronicle Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is not a book to read as such, but to dip into and enjoy. I found it amusingly snarky, with the side effect of realizing how many classical paintings lend themselves so very well to this pursuit of putting words into the subject's mouths - and how many paintings could said to be peopled by inveterate mansplainers. .

A hilarious reference book of, well, what could otherwise be known as mansplaining art history memes. In Men to Avoid in Art and Real Life, Tersigni defines five categories: The Mansplainer, the Concern Troll, the Comedian, the Sexpert (oh, how many of these I've had), and the Patroniser. The memes are funny, relevant to the female experience, and not for the conservative or faint of heart.

Thoroughly engaging and humorous, I'd definitely buy this as a gift for the incredible artsy women in my life.

I found Men to Avoid in Art and Life by Nicole Tersigni to be both spot on and also a bit disappointing. Sounds odd, I know, but such is life.

I think one of the disconnects for me was the number of times when the comments simply didn't match the period of the painting. I don't expect something that might have actually been said in, say 1750, but some comments just seemed so out of context that the sarcasm, which needs to rely on some element of reality, is dulled. The same comments over more contemporary images, even ones from the early 1900s, would have hit home more readily.

The comments themselves were absolutely accurate and are the things we used to discuss in Women's Studies classes I took and taught. These are not really exaggerated very much for comic effect. Men, we really do make these types of foolish comments based on amazingly selfish assumptions about how things work.

Basically, I found the more effective ones, for me, were the ones where the comments could fit the situation portrayed. But what amounts to office-based misogyny presented in a clearly social setting just missed the mark for me. That said, on rereading and just looking at the comments and the facial expressions while bracketing the rest of the scene it was much better.

I recommend this because I think my personal issues with it are more about what does and doesn't bother me with humor in general, while others will have different ideas about what works for them. Like I said, the comments and the situations, very broadly speaking, are far more accurate than I wish they were. This is definitely one where we are laughing at not with the men, justifiably so.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

Two things I wasn't overly fond of first to get it out of the way.

1) The titles of the artworks and the artists were included in the back of the book, not in a caption under the artwork. The back also included the location of the original artwork, but not the year it was created. I rather have the date, title and artist under the picture for immediacy, rather than having to flip back and forth, which is really annoying in an eBook.

2) I seriously hope that the captions were jokes and not things the author and other women have actually heard from men, because if so, we are doomed as a society.

Now, for the good. The artworks were all new to me, and they were enchanting and excellent choices IMHO. I plan on looking into them more fully, to learn about the artists, the history of the paintings, etc. So HUGE bonus for not choosing works that have been done to death already.

Also, some of the pictures were just PERFECT to go with the caption. For example, on page 14, "At Mouquin's" by William Glackens, the female in the picture, her body language, the look on her face, the way she is gripping her right arm with her left hand as if she is struggling not to back-hand the man next to her, it is absolutely gorgeous and perfect with any caption of a man being insulting and annoying.

Page 87, "The Duet" by Charles van Bevern, the lady looks PISSED. Again, perfect compliment to the words put into the man's mouth. I will be looking at all artwork in a different way now, focusing on the faces and body language of the women and imagining what they may be feeling under what the artist was trying to portray, or maybe actually trying to portray.

This book is rather harsh towards men, but the forward makes it clear that it's not directed to all men, just those who actually think like the comments in the book. Which I severely hope is only a few, really vocal, clueless idiots, and not the majority of them.

Honestly, the comments kind of irked me, but the artwork saved this book from dislike on my part. I have a soft spot for art, having studied it in school many moon ago, so this book was a favorable "read" for me. I am glad that the information on the artwork was given, despite it being at the end of the book. I wish they included how they came across these particular pieces and why they were chosen over others. I would like to know the thought process behind the decision making for what would be paired with what.

This may not be for everyone, I can see the comments irking some and if art isn't your thing, then this might be a pass for you. But if you love art, even if the humor doesn't tickle your funny bone, the art and the rabbit hole it may lead you down could be well worth your time.

3.5 stars, 5 for the art, 2 for the commentary, to average to 3 stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

From the book description: Men to Avoid in Art and Life pairs classical fine art with modern captions that epitomize the spirit of mansplaining.

This hilarious book perfectly captures those relatable moments when a man explains to a woman a subject about which he knows considerably less than she does.

Situations include men sharing keen insight on the female anatomy, an eloquent defense of catcalling, or offering sage advice about horseback riding to the woman who owns the horse.

---

This book is both funny and depressing at the same time. That is a tough combination to achieve. Let me explain to you why that is: it's funny because the examples used are ones you'll hear in real life. It's depressing because the examples used are... Sigh.

It may be that Art History students might have another take. Because the history behind each painting is conspicuously absent. But for a layperson, this book is funny, witty, insightful and sharp.

The only quibble I have is that the painting names and artists credits are given at the back of the book - which makes it a little tricky if you've got a digital copy which precludes back and forth after every page. Nonetheless, it was solid entertainment.

Final verdict: 5 enjoyable stars.

PS : to the men - if you don't find this funny, do you really even have a sense of humour? Wait, let us break down the subtleties behind the description for you so that you can understand this book better. (The other shoe is not very comfortable, is it?)

***ARC generously provided by Netgalley on exchange for an honest review***

This was not what I thought it would be. An okay book to browse when you have nothing to do. It's unfortunate to have to attribute this book such a low rating, but the whole thing feels like a case of half-hearted attempts at humour and political correctness.

On Twitter, Nicole Tersigni paired a classic painting with a sardonic caption capturing mansplaining at its best. The thread engendered this book, 𝘔𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦, a hilarious compilation divided into five sections—the mansplainer, the concern troll, the comedian, the sexpert, and the patronizer—filled with classic art paired with eerily appropriate modern text. The paintings couldn’t be more perfect: the expressions on the women’s faces, the body language, and the presumption of the men perfectly fit the jokes.

Ludek Marold’s “A Man and Woman in a Park” for example, represents the man in the painting as saying, “I think you should let me present your idea. You’re so beautiful, it’s distracting.” (A concern troll.) Sir Peter Lely’s portrait of Sir Henry Capel with a woman’s statue, hand on her breast, says, “You’re not like other girls.” (A patronizer.) Some of the captions are things most women have probably heard a million times, and laughing at them is refreshing! The art itself is lovely, too, and nicely reproduced, with selections from the Art Institute of Chicago, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Rijksmuseum, The National Gallery of Art, and more.

𝘔𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 is a great book for women who find themselves rolling their eyes at the things (some) men say and would make an ideal gift!

A absolutely hilarious book! I was laughing so hard while reading this. This is the perfect mixture of comedy and art, and I absolutely loved it. A seriously funny book!

I mean, what is not to like about this? Beautiful, clever and cultured with a mild potty mouth? This little volume made my morning!

Men to Avoid in Art and Life by Nicole Tersigni is a great blend of classic art, humor, and social commentary. The captions in this book are spot on and the body language on these ladies show how woman have been sick of men's bull for centuries and that there were Chads even back in the Renaissance. I love the juxtaposition of the art and captions as the men weigh in on things such as PMS, how a woman should dress, and why their jokes are funny and not effective. I
This fantastic book separates the men into five different categories including "the mansplainer" and "the comedian."
Many thanks to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the advance copy.

A very different type of book. Here there are art pieces from art galleries featuring one man and woman. And there is commentary written to describe their state and conversation in the book.
Maximum captions and sections are feministic and thrash man as a art character.
I found all art pieces had beautiful ladies and ugly men.
It was funny, different and good. Benefit of seeing great artwork and funny captions on them. I found it good.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.

If art museum plaques read like this, I would visit all the time! The author crafts social commentary through a creative combination of gorgeous classic art pieces and terribly unfortunate quotes from men. With an introduction from Jen Kirkman! ARC courtesy of NetGalley, Chronicle Books, and Nicole Tersigni -- thank you!

How much of art is women looking bored while men go on? About the same as happens in life, I suspect.
If you're looking for some commiserating snark, this is your book. Equal parts funny and annoyingly relatedable - because who hasn't heard most of these? - this is a good one to share with the girlfriends.
Super fast read, as it's just captions on the paintings. Handy art credits in the back will save you from scratching your head thinking “I know this one, but what is it??” for too long.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Thanks to the publishers for sharing this one. It gave me a few laughs, and I found one or two of the pictures especially relatable. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.

short classical meme book made from Twitter thread. this is the kind of book that made you laught through tears because it is so real that is tragic. in my home country (Slovakia) we have right now quite big problem of sexual harassment (it started with one actor, then it just fell deeper and deeper in the blackhole of harassment) so some of pictures were (still) pretty accurate. with some of them my pressure just get high.

<i>"Don't you think it's silly to get upset about how women are portrayed in media, when there are bigger problems in the world?"</i>
ugh, please.

Had this book not been so short and filled with pictures I am not sure I would have had enough to keep me going. It fell short of the mark with pop-culture phrases and little more to offer. I had hoped to find the material intellectually compelling and comically social political and even maybe even a satirical tone of voice. I feel that there are aspects in art, artists and the history of art that could be used to help urge along the point: men can still be sexist.

There has never been a more feminist time in history, and it has taken the gender centuries to get to this point. Women have often been seen as property, lesser-than, fragile and inept. As art progressed through periods of time and in various cultures the women they depict vary both in how they appear (in dress and in presence), act, and portrayal. For example, it is not uncommon to see art prior to the 19th Amendment (1920) in which women are seated while the man stands. This was to show the woman was subservient to the man. However, there are plenty of women throughout history that broke the mold. This book could be a really wonderful and powerful indicator of women's power and strength if it were to incorporate more information about the artist, the period, and the motifs of the artwork. As it is now, there is a hugely missed opportunity for education to help further hammer the point home: despite all they have done over the centuries, men continue to treat women with many of same sexist ideals.

The book wasn't that funny for me. However, I appreciated the beautiful art (and I noticed how most women in the paintings looked like they're tired of the men with them) and I had learned a lot about the different ways men think they're better than women.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

First of all, this is real and necessary and beautiful so f*ing hilarious :). And I have to own it
This book found a very special way to resonate with me... As someone who loves art, as a woman, as a feminist who couldn't possibly get why this book was funny ;D.
The world of gender equality has ways to go still, but everything helps. This book helps.
I did however find a small issue, one that exists in the art world for quite sometime. 99% of the artists who painted the works displayed here were men. I attended a art exhibt in São Paulo last year where they worked to portray works of female paintors through time, and one of the things they commented on was the lack of difficulty other museums made to lend the pieces, like they mattered less somehow... There's that case of a revered european paintor, whose works lost recognition when, centuries later it was revealed that she was actually female. I can't possibly imagine that the painting itself changed, that it stopped being objectively good... I digress... What I mean is, this could have been a platform where works women were also showed. And it would have been awesome.
However, we cannot as women say that there is a wrong way to feminism, that can only make suffer the movement. That is to say, yes, this work would have been better if it had been also painted by women, when talking about women, but this is also a beautiful endeavor that is talking about our issues already, and it deserves it's credit for that.
I really loved the iniciatiative and I hope more people are as inspired as I am,

A hilarious collection of classic art memes that draw attention to how very done women have been with men's B.S. since the beginning of time.

"I'm sure you don't realize this, but you're coming off a little bossy." Honestly this entire book had me laughing straight from the foreword by comedian Jen Kirkman. I'm usually one of those readers who skips forewords to look at the art, but this one is not to be missed! I found the quotes in this book highly applicable to both art connoisseurs and meme creators, but especially to women, all women, everywhere.
Nicole Tersigni has created a unique blending of tweet-worthy quotes and fine art pieces with dada-ish flair. This book will appeal to anyone who can appreciate good humor and fine art--and especially the expressions on some of those long-ago women. It has definitely made me want to rethink how I view a painting the next time I'm in a museum or gallery. Overall, a refreshingly fun, feminist take on the modern art book. I know a few friends who could use a copy for their coffee table!