Great book. Especially good for people who are interested in art but don't know where to start. Wish I had this book 20 years ago.

This is a nice overview, especially for those who might be visiting a contemporary art gallery for the first time. It does tend to focus on the big statement-making artists and conceptual theories, and there are other artists out there who might not fit that mold, but it is helpful to understand the context.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is a great little introduction to contemporary art and is a great read alongside Russell and Robert's podcast. It's definitely a very chatty and casual look at all—Russell himself describes it as "accessible, non-academic, non-elitist, gossipy and fun" and that's pretty much the perfect definition of what this is. I think because of that some of the different sections come off a little weird, especially when it comes to more serious topics. In all honesty, I think the best part about this book was the section at the end where it talks about how to build your art collection and sharing tips for artists. If you're someone who really knows next to nothing about contemporary art, this would be great a little introduction but if you're someone who's a little more well-versed, then you'll probably get more out of listening to the podcast.

I am an art fan, and this book seemed a little too introductory for me, but I would still recommend it to anyone without a strong background on art. It breaks down many common terms and periods. Great read!

This book is like an extension to the podcast with the same name: Talk Art. That means it is a bit on the chatty side for me. Having said that, it explains many forms of contemporary art with some examples from the artists and their works. The authors start with some personal notes, and following sections dedicated to different forms are informative and engaging. It might help if you need an approachable guide to start collecting contemporary art or simply a push to delve into the contemporary art world.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc copy.

Robert Diament and Russell Tovey have a goal: to make art and collection art attainable and accessible while fun while teaching the novice that appreciating and collecting art does not have to be intimidating.

Full disclosure: I’m an artist and a budding art collector myself so I was excited to read this….and hate to say that I have mixed thoughts about it after I did. Here’s the good and the not so good.

What I like about this book is that it consolidates, in one place, the what and why of the current art world and it’s place in our world. Magazines will showcase an artist but they concentrate on the artist themselves, and if they discuss art as a movement or current styles, it’s from a place of showcasing to promote and sell. But this book talks about the why, and helps the novice understand movements for a budding collector. The pretentiousness of this world can shut a novice collector down. These authors attempt to open up this art world in a way that budding collectors can understand. Because of this book, I will be spending time trying to understand and dig deeper into the motivation behind genres of art that I usually pass over as I walk the museum and galley halls.

This book educated me on styles and trends that I wasn’t aware of, but it seems to be more of an art comprehension review than a guide on how budding collectors can navigate the art gallery and museum world. That part was a small chapter at the end.

Towards the end of the book the authors give the newbie’s tools to get started on their own art journey: finding a community and discovering your own perspective. They touch upon the intimidation they felt upon embarking on their art journey when confronted with buzzing into a private upscale gallery. I can relate and still get intimidated by that, with thoughts of “I’m here to learn and can’t afford what’s on the walls, so I’m a waste of their time.” However, they make great points about the purpose of galleries which is to teach and inform and hopefully you will go out and share that through word of mouth.

They go into detail about gallery/museum structure and what to expect. I’m not sure that’s ever been explained before. This is invaluable to the newbie who has never stepped foot into an art space.

However, this book in some way tackles the very thing that irks me about the art world: Showcasing those artists and works that make a grand statement. There’s many artists out there, the majority actually, who don’t need to go to extremes to make a point, political or social statement, who just create because they need to. That art is just as important but it doesn’t get written up as often in books or art review magazines. A still life of a bowl of fruit, the light on a tin roof of a barn or the grace of the human figure can be just as exquisite and moving to the viewer as artwork that screams in your face about social injustices.
But maybe because we have seen landscapes, still life’s and figures for centuries that talking about them isn’t exciting. Maybe that type of art is approachable to the novice and easier to relate to….It doesn’t mean that art isn’t any less important. The galleries showing these more traditional forms of art can be even more intimidating than those displaying contemporary art.

In the end, this book does serve its purpose. It makes contemporary art understandable and attainable to the masses. For any budding art collector, admirers who just want to visit museums and galleries and those who buy a few select pieces for their own pleasure, this book offers up a quick review of the current art world.

This is a great book if you are looking for a general survey of the contemporary art movement over time. The delves into the political history behind the movements and their results on the general public,.

The book is chalk full of illustrations (get it). It takes a topic that many people feel is over their heads and explains it in an easy to understand manner. Likewise, it brings attention to specific authors and their works, which is an interesting case study in terms of understanding more general concepts in specific art works.

Breezy survey of contemporary art and genres designed to make people feel comfortable with and interested in participating in and collecting contemporary art. The genre summaries were fine but I really enjoyed the spotlights on individual artists. The advice to explore, find what you like, and go deep on that was good too as was demystifying the mores and manners of art galleries.

Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle for the opportunity to honestly review this advanced copy of Talk Art. This book serves as a good primer for the contemporary art world, presented in accessible language and a great non-judgemental manner. It would have been nice if the book featured more of the art being talked about, as that was the most interesting part. Additionally, though this may have been due to being an ARC, there were a lot of white spaces on the pages. To a certain extent, the different sections did read like episodes of a podcast, but besides for a few pages in the beginning, there weren't distinct voices between the authors. A lot of history, artist biography, and gushing about art, but certainly not as interesting and "gossipy" as expected. The advice to those just starting out as either collectors or artists was very well put-together and would be helpful.

Talk Art offers readers a wide ranging look at art. While the authors come from the arts,t their fields were acting and music. Together, the two have engaged in learning more about contemporary art. They eventually began a pod cast called Talk Art and then came this title. Tovey and Diamant begin by sharing some of their own history with the readers; this helps those picking up this book to know something of the authors’ evolution.

What follows are chapters on many topics. To name a few, there are Performance Art, Public Art, Photography, Sound Art, Ceramics and more. Further, they do not shy away from the political.

This title also includes a helpful section on ways to become involved with contemporary art whether it is seeing art, creating a collection, being an artist or reading more.

This book is lavishly illustrated. Dip in anywhere or go through this title in order. A reader will walk away with something each time.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

This book is by two podcasters/actors who want to make contemporary art more accessible and more enjoyable to average folk. I learned about artists I wasn't familiar with and got a new slant on forms of art that aren't all in galleries. Written with spirit and enthusiasm...I recommend it!

Okay guide to contemporary art I don't think it necessarily meets its premise of making it easier to talk to about contemporary art but there are some nice introductions to some artists.

this is such an amazing look at contemporary art. i think that this will be an amazing entry point for people who have even a fleeting interest in contemporary art. it’s a great primer

Really enjoyed this introduction to the different types of contemporary art. As someone who dabbles in mixed media, I found the authors advice to artists very helpful. I also really enjoyed reading more about how to collect art and build your own collection. Probably the most interesting chapter was that on Public Art with various artworks in London that I had never noticed being highlighted and discussed. I found the chapter on Photography fascinating but a bit too brief. I would have loved to have seen this fleshed out a bit more. Overall a good introduction and I look forward to exploring their podcast to hear more.

A really nice extension of Diament and Tovey's podcast (that doesn't require you to be an avid listener to enjoy!) Their passion for modern art is contagious and I found the stories they tell of their journeys into art collection makes a very exclusive hobby feel accessible to all.

Are you intimidated by contemporary art? Want to learn more about it from two charming British gents? Then you'll enjoy Talk Art, the book based on a podcast by Robert Diament and Russell Tovey (the actor, whom I realized I recognized from an adaptation of Little Dorrit). With full-page photos and approachable descriptions, the two make modern art accessible, from performance art to sculpture, and everything in between. I definitely need to check out their podcast now.

'Talk Art' is a really interesting accessible book that talks about, looks at, and listens to artists talk about, contemporary art. With chapters written by different people, and with lots of photos, this book demonstrates the multiplicity of art practices within contemporary art.

I was not aware of their podcast, and wanted to read this book because it promised me to dive deeper into contemporary art.
I think this book is well suited for people, who have little to no knowledge about contemporary art.
While some of it was new, and gave me more context or an artist, it just didn't grip me. I love art, different kinds of art. Have been lucky to see contemporary art in a lot of different countries and different museums. I have followed art courses, so the level was a bit too low for me personally.
Both gentleman obviously have great passion and enthusiasm for art. If you are not very into the scene you will enjoy this book. I was personally looking for more depth.