Hilarious! Men to Avoid in Art and Life is the perfect gift book for any snarky badass in your life. If you've ever been one of the people who quietly snickers at art museums, you've got to have this one. Five Stars!

I'm not really sure how to rate this book. On one hand I found it offensive, but on the other hand I found it a bit of fun. It was rather a rocky start for me personally, but then The Comedian helped break the ice. I thought that and The Patroniser were the best. This book won't be everyone's cup of tea but I can see there being an audience for it.

Funny and witty. A quick take on gender roles as critiqued through classical art, I would probably keep this as a coffee table book, allowing access for quick perusing and quick chuckles to anyone who would glimpse it's cover.

This book is humorous and engaging. The author uses beautiful paintings and hilarious captions to lampoon men and their foibles. Thoroughly enjoyable!

Who'd have thought that so much of art history is actually just the mansplainer, with the roguish chap leaning into the well-presented woman and telling her where women go wrong, or where her attitudes to being leered at suck, or how women, you know, just aren't funny? Here's proof that it's gone on for a lot longer than we thought, and out in the open too – hung on gallery walls, and given approval by being the thing to see and therefore be seen doing. This book offers up a lot of examples of it, with what is allegedly the original captions and dialogue (sorry, monologue) splurged across them. And you know something else, for a novelty gift humour book, this is actually pretty damned funny – veering a bit towards the crude for some tastes in the chapter on the sexpert, but getting the right point across in the right way, and generally gifting the ideal words to the right image, and showing some forethought. What's more surprising still, perhaps, is the wealth of different images – yes, they're all of a type, generally staid portraits, with far too many King Charles Spaniels, but even the art expert will find some of them new to her. I don't know if it's the act of taking them out of the galleries and putting them in this context, but a lot of them do look a bit rapey, but that's a bit too serious for a funny/serious novelty book like this. I don't know what you gain by having this and not relying on the author's tw*tter series of such images, but I for one enjoyed it. I did wish that the attribution was there with each image and not in a list at the end, but still, four and a half stars.

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
This book cracked me up! The commentary went perfectly with the art and it makes me wonder a little about the context of the art in real life.

Men to Avoid in Art and Life was great, feminist fun! A hilarious take on famous paintings, this book had some truly brutal one-liners and i'm definitely here for it. From menstrual cramps to sexual harassment, to all the ways women go wrong, these oil painted mansplainers give some eye rolling advice to their female companions.

As a bit of an art nerd, I appreciated the different art styles represented in the book. Though each page shows a portrait, the variety in terms of art movements was abound. Alas, I did find it a bit disappointing that the source of the paintings were not included on each page but instead stuck at the end, in a list. I do get that it's for the aesthetic. But I would have enjoyed to see the sources as I flipped through this book, because it is as much a look at the art as it is the snarky male comments.

Overall, I enjoyed the humorous anecdotes in this book, and it will definitely make me look twice next time i'm strolling through a museum.

An okay book to browse when you have nothing to do. Some funny comments next to the paintings. I do think you should be American to get them all. Don't expect a lot out of this book.

Saw this on @netgalley and had to peruse it and see what #art was used. This would be the perfect book to buy for your best office girlfriends. I have several former coworkers that I know would display this proudly on their desks! 📚📚📚 #reading #picturebook #booklover #bookreview #bookrecommendations #MentoAvoidinArtandLife #netgalley

This is a wonderful hilarious book for all women suffering from the men of the internet. It got that classical art memes feel to it, as the author chose a number of beautiful classic paintings to add some common sentences used by different types of men, online or IRL.

They're split into: The mainsplainer, The concern troll, The "comedian", The sexpert, and The patronizer. It was fun and I thank netgalley for the digital arc.

I'm typically a pretty big fan of everything Chronicle puts out, and this is no exception! A delightfully bitter little book that will get a laugh out of anyone.

I cannot even express how much I loved this book. Not only were the paintings nice to look at but the captions were spot on!
I laughed at most captions while some had me cringing at how accurate they are.
I've been recommending this book to all my friends. I will definitely purchase this book! I can't wait to see more from this author.

We've all seen the memes floating around of classical paintings with a woman rolling her eyes, a man seemingly unaware of her displeasure, and a witty (modern) comment attached to it. I wasn't aware of Tersigni as the trend-starter, but I'm always amused by the memes when I come across them, so I was looking forward to a full coffee table book of them.

Some of the paintings-paired-with-comments were indeed bitingly funny, but others were quite hit-or-miss for me, not really outrageous enough to be hilarious. The book tries to "unify" the memes by putting them in categories of "men to avoid" (The Mansplainer, The Concern Troll, The Patronizer etc.), but a good amount of both comments and paintings seemed somewhat interchangeable. The "new" pairing of paintings and comments did make me look more closely at the paintings than I might have otherwise, and they're honestly fascinating in their own right - both for the low-key exasperated women and, more generally, for the types of scenes they depict ("the drawing lesson"? okthen).

In other news, I spent half the book totally distracted by the various animals in the paintings (the doves in that one post-coital scene? sure!), but I'm always distracted by puppies, so I guess that was to be expected. ;)

Just in terms of the book's layout, I found it well-designed but would have preferred the source paintings to have been named on their respective pages, rather than in a list at the end of the book. Flipping back and forth would have been quite time-consuming (especially in a digital format), and I did often find myself wondering where the paintings had come from.

This book is full of classic art combined with modern/timeless captions. I didn't know whether to laugh or cringe! It would be a fun gift for an art fan or any woman who's heard "well, actually" one too many times.

Fine art plus captions suggesting what the man has just said to the woman, which may be come-on or condescension but is never anything good. It is essentially one joke, and doesn't even include my favourite of the genre ("Are you a software update because not right now"), which may have been someone else working from the same idea. But dear heavens, there's a definite skill at work here, matching each painting's expression (weary sigh, resigned, desperately attempting to retain composure) to just the right inciting idiocy.

(Netgalley ARC)

This collection of famous art mixed with observations and snarky comments about men gave me quite a few laughs. Given the pandemic, that makes it worth a recommendation. Very funny!

Men to Avoid in Art and Life is a very funny and beautiful book that I would definitely gift to some of the women in my life.

This was quick and fun, and simply a book of memes basically. I do love browsing art and therefore enjoyed looking at the pictures and reading the clever, funny captions that mainly make fun of mansplaining and misogyny. Tough to critique a book of just pictures and funny captions, felt a bit like scrolling through a funny "feminist memes" reddit page and I enjoyed it.

Love the premise and as a woman who has endured "mansplaining" on more than one occasion, it is overdue! Front cover is great!

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll flash an areola.

It all started with a strategically exposed tit.

Based on a twitter thread started by writer Nicole Tersigni, MEN TO AVOID IN ART AND LIFE pairs classic paintings (some of them creepy AF all by their lonesomes) with the gross things men say to women in the wild. From the always popular “you’d be so much prettier if you smiled” to the very meddlesome breastfeeding instructional, MEN TO AVOID IN ART AND LIFE is a veritable smorgasbord of white male privilege and awfulness.

There are your MANSPLAINERS:
http://www.easyvegan.info/img/men-to-avoid-03.jpg

Your CONCERN TROLLS:
http://www.easyvegan.info/img/men-to-avoid-06.jpg

Wannabe COMEDIANS:
http://www.easyvegan.info/img/men-to-avoid-07.jpg

So-called SEXPERTS:
http://www.easyvegan.info/img/men-to-avoid-08.jpg

And, not to be outdone, PATRONIZERS:
http://www.easyvegan.info/img/men-to-avoid-09.jpg

Books based on memes and Twitter feeds can sometimes be a little repetitive – too much of a good thing, etc. – but not so here. With just 76 pairings, this is a quick read that left me craving more. Sadly, there’s no dedicated Twitter feed where you can whet your appetite, just the original thread. Still, it’s something.
fwiw, I have no idea why they omitted “thanks I’m gay now” by norman rockwell from the book; this is something that will keep me up at night.

Ditto: https://twitter.com/nicsigni/status/1125453281344540674

Really the only thing that could have made this book better is if Tersigni paired this with screenshots of actual tweets. Still, it works. What woman among us hasn’t had a painfully unfunny joke explained back to us ad nauseam, as if the teller’s sexism will suddenly metamorphose into a sidesplitter upon the umpteenth retelling?

OMG this book is hilarious! You have to buy it for all the feminist friends in your life. It is the perfect gift and I will definitely be getting a copy for my sister. She's going to love it. If you've ever looked at those awkward expressions in old paintings and wondered what the subjects could possibly be thinking, this book will make you howl with laughter. And yes, you might actually learn a little something about art as all the art and artists get their full credit (naturally).

This was indeed funny, and I enjoyed the art. It also made me want to strangle someone at times though :-) The humor was biting, sarcastic, and just what I needed for a change while locked down at home for this virus that seems never ending. I’m thinking I need to read humor more often now. Thanks. Advanced electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Nicole Tersigni, and the publisher.

As an artist, I am always looking to find interesting books about visual arts, design techniques and unique takes on the arts. This book, while featuring some great artworks, isn't. While I might be accused of mansplaining, my only intent is to leave a review. The artwork I loved, the humor not so much. Well, maybe it was just a little funny...

Than again, should I put myself in their (female) shoes...

Thanks for the ARC, which I go in exchange for an honest review.

Very amusing with gorgeous color plates. Would make a fun coffee table or bathroom book.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a ARC copy for my review.

An absolutely hilarious gift to the world. I loved flicking through Men to Avoid in Art and Life and rolling my eyes at the intensely relatable scenes. Next time I'm in a gallery, I'll look out for (or rather, swerve), men to avoid. This would be a great hashtag on Insta!

This book is for every woman who's ever been told they'd be much prettier if only they smiled. Honestly, I could relate to so many of the women in these portraits, especially given the dialogue Tersigni used to accompany these classic paintings. I would be hard-pressed to find a woman who hasn't been subjected to at least some of the examples given in this book of men to avoid.

Nicole Tersigni's idea for Men to Avoid in Art and Life is fun and silly and sure to bring a smile to the women in your life. She takes classic art and adds captions to bring some more modern sensibilities to the fore. She divides the book into sections dealing with mansplaining, sexperts, and misplaced concern.

This is funny stuff, even if it does base its humor on stale stereotypes about male attitudes and behaviors. Only the thinnest skinned man will be offended, and men and women alike will get a chuckle about the familiarity of the scenarios. (But it's other men, not me. . . .)

By the way, for the art lover, she provides a listing of the works and artists, as well as the museums where the are found.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

Nicole Tersigni has been attacking in all directions, for years. Men, life, her husband, her family, men, confinement, men … everything. Now she has collected her thoughts in a cartoonish little book called Men to Avoid in Art and Life. It’s a delightful small collection of scenes magnified out of classic European paintings, with Tersigni’s jaundiced captions over them.

Maybe I shouldn’t say jaundiced. That would come from a neutral observer. What they are really are finely targeted and accurate attacks on men abusing women out of total ignorance. Very little exaggeration was necessary to make her captions funny; men already provide. Free.

The book is divided into chapters of paintings, collecting men’s sins into neat buckets: The Mansplainer, The Concern Troll, The Comedian, The Sexpert, and The Patronizer.

The scenes are centered around a woman in a painting, with a man hovering while overexplaining something at her. The really great thing about the paintings is that Tersigni has found women who are just done. Tired of hearing the prattle, fed up with playing the bimbo, or holding off from a slew of expletives for lack of an AR-15 or a Deathstar. They look on, often breaking the fourth wall, like Jack Benny dumbfounded by the noise passing for information.

I leave you with a sampling:
“We’ve been over this a million times. You can’t get pregnant if you’re on top. It’s called gravity.”
“No one wants to see a woman with body hair. It’s unnatural.”
“Let me tell you something about the female body…”
“I know it’s hard for women to sit quietly. But close your eyes and listen. You might learn something.”
“…and women don’t have to be funny, because men are already attracted to them. That’s why only ugly women can tell a joke worth a damn. Anyway, nice to meet you. I’m Bob.”

David Wineberg

Men to Avoid in Art and Life is a title too tempting to resist. I saw it on NetGalley and could not stop myself from having a look at it.

The idea is to pair classical paintings of couples with funny captions relating to men's behavior.

It is interesting how the author collected paintings where women seemed truly annoyed, bored, astonished or simply fed up.

Some jokes were better than others, but overall I enjoyed this book.

On a side note, I wish the information about the paintings was easily accessible. I had to keep going to the end of the book to find the names of those unknown to me.

This is hysterical (omg please send me a physical copy!). I can already think of a few people that will be getting this as gifts. They need it! They are strong women who get mansplained constantly and I know will appreciate this.

Men to Avoid in Art and Life is a collection of paintings depicting men and women with the author's interpretation of sayings that the women may have been hearing at the time of the painting. Each woman's expression was so perfectly matched to the man's quote that it was easy to believe! As for the book itself, I loved this book! As a fan of art I not only appreciated the beautiful images, but I loved how each quote was perfectly paired with the painting. And sadly many of the quotes reminded me of the times I had heard the quote myself, but it helped to know that I was no alone! I simply loved this book and can't wait to gift it to the perfect friends in my life!

This was the perfect funny short book I needed to cheer up during quarantine.

Nicole Tersigni has created a great blend where the reader can enjoy beautiful works of art, while at the same time laughing because of the oh-too-real dialogues that shouldn't feel so relatable.

A cross between satire, classical fine art and gender study, "Men to Avoid in Art and Life" is a sarcastic portrayal of what the term "mansplaining" looks like in the eyes of contemporary women. Have you ever followed those meme pages where people in fine art are "saying" totally absurd things? That's precisely what we find in this book - but very much an extended version, under the hashtag #feminism.

I cringed and laughed my way through this book in the best way possible. I have never related to women in fine art more and therefore had an unstoppable urge to share some of the content with friends. One could argue that making jokes of misogyny is potentially problematic, but Tersigni skillfully avoids that trap by simply roasting the very misogynistic subjects. Some of the things they say are:
“We’ve been over this a million times. You can’t get pregnant if you’re on top. It’s called gravity.”
Or my favorite:
"Most girls only get an unsolicited look at my dick in their DMs. You're lucky you get one in person."

At the same time, the (probably mostly millennial) readers get a rare chance to admire classical art, which they can later identify through a handy index at the end of the book. However, I wish there was a bit more art history content to keep the reader involved such as intriguing facts about the artists - better yet, some absurd facts about the artists to keep up with the satirical theme.

That being said, this book is clearly not for everyone. Buy it for yourself or your feminist friends, but avoid sharing it with generally conservative people.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Capturing the zeitgeist perfectly. Funny, sarcastic, and relevant, this makes for a light read and a perfect present.

This is a hilarious art book. So many of the captions are very relatable for women everywhere. The captions matched the art well. If you like art and feminist commentary - you will love this. It was a nice break from covid-19. I will probably get a copy for my coffee table.

This book is hilarious. The paintings chosen were perfect, and the captions capture pretty much whatever I think is happening in the painting when I go to this room of the museum. I have always wondered why exactly the women were so bored and miserable, and this book has specific answers. This is the kind of art history book I would like to have on my shelf. I wish so many of these painting events had not actually happened to me in real life.

Thanks to Chronicle Books, Nicole Tersigni, and NetGalley for this fun read, in which I got to educate myself about art while making fun of it at the same time.

Are you a woman trying to live your best modern life and just tired of the patriarchy? When you go to museums, do you enjoy laughing at classical art, saying "oooh, poor girl, I feel your pain!"? This is a hilarious book is for you! I don't know what else to say than that you must excuse me, I have to run off and pre-order this book for all of my friends and family.

Thanks to Netgalley, for providing a digital copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

As a fan of beautifully and amazing trend of taking classical art pieces and adding contemporany texts, I enjoyed reading this book. A bit too short in my opinion, makes for a fast read to get some laughs and good meme material. I wish it had had more written content, as the introduction was quite well writen, and made me laugh, but alas, it’s not that kind of book. Nonetheless, Nicole Tersigni managed to represent through photographs, in very few words, those delightless moments in which you are bothered by the men represented in this book.

If you want a quick laugh and a not-so-in-deep reflection of feminism, this is a very good companion, that may also work as an introduction to some concepts before digging in the world of feminism, if you feel so inclined.

“Men to Avoid in Art and Life” will be published on August 11th, by Chronicle Books.

A mini art course that will make you laugh out loud. Includes a few super famous works but in general the paintings are lesser known. I rate that a plus as it was fun to discover something new. I wish the footnotes naming the title and artist had been on the same page. Hilarious all the same.

When I tried to post my review on amazon it said "this item is not eligible for review"

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book!

Buy it for your coffee table, your guest bathroom, your work wife, the person in your contacts that you're always exchanging memes with. Men to Avoid in Art and Life is perfect for them ALL. This book is chock full of the hilarious, cringe inducing, relatable memes that made Nicole Tersigni Twitter-famous - ones that take classic art and pair them with mansplain-y captions that will make you laugh and sigh, because, well...all know that guy, don't we?

This book was so great! It was really funny. Combining the classic artwork with could-be current quotes was brilliant! This would be a great gift. I loved it.

Do you ever wonder what the women are thinking, in the classic paintings. Nicole has come up with some funny thoughts on the subject, as the Men explain, and patronize, and generally annoy.

It take on new life, when you see them set with paintings you are both familiar and unfamiliar with. What is really funny is the paintings are not altered, at all, and yet the women really do look as though they are thinking what the caption says they are thinking.

Good book to have around, on the coffee table.

Thanks to NetGalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

While personally I don't think that being on the other end of a mansplainer is really a gender specific thing. I've been privy to a few conversations between male friends where one launches into a mansplain of the century, the difference is that they tend to verbally swat the other to avoid that territory. Women, sadly, aren't so lucky just like the women in these classic works of art paired with a funny mansplanation, if you would.

The art was lovely and the accompanying text elicited anything from an eye-roll to a giggle. I'm pretty sure I saw Jesus mansplaining to a woman by a well. The background of the pages are black and the text is black with a white background. Fairly simple layout, the paintings are skewed a little so at times they are off to the side and others they fill up the page.

There is a glossary in the back crediting the artwork and the artists along with the location of the piece, but I think it would have been better to add those tidbits of information under the manplaination so you don't have to go back and forth when you find a piece that you like.

Any criticisms aside, it was funny and I really enjoyed the selection of paintings. My favorite quote was something along the line of, "I didn't know you read real literature. I thought it was all romance novels."

This was funny and I liked how the paintings matched the text. It was a very quick read since there isn't
much text on the pages, it's short and quick but it does gets its point across.

Nicole Tersigni has created this little delight, based upon her well-known Twitter thread of the same name. For readers unfamilar with the latter, Tersigni cleverly pairs examples from the last 500 years of European art with appropriately illustrative statements attributed to the male characters. Examples are grouped into the categories "The Mansplainer", "The Concern Troll", "The Comedian", "The Sexpert" and "The Patronizer". Any woman who has lived in the modern world (and by the look of the facial expressions, many in times past, also) will be all-too familiar with the situations and sentiments depicted.
The artistic examples Tersigni has chosen are absolutely perfect for her material - the reader can't fail to sympathise (and empathise) with the recipients of all this masculine "insight".
Hilarious, and will prove a lovely addition to the collection of art lovers and feminists alike. Also a great gift idea.
Thanks to the author, Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advance copy.
#MentoAvoidinArtandLife #NetGalley

Mansplainers, concern trolls, "comedians", sexperts, and patronizers, beware. Those aren't just the dregs of the male society; they're also the names of the chapters in this funny short read. Classical art combined with the wit of a modern woman and captioned with those chapter names, what more could I have asked of this book?

The preface is a hoot. There's also a glossary at the end that identifies the paintings reproduced in this book.

I LOVED this!
Since I am an Art History student I enjoyed seeing the art, but what I enjoyed, even more, is the way the author managed to find a fitting and very true caption to put next to the painting!
I recommend this one to everyone! To those who will get the joke and to those who won't (in the hope this will open their eyes even a little bit).

I might buy this when I get the chance...

This was hilarious! Whoever thought of making this a book is a genius.. I've always looked at paintings and wonder what those people must really be thinking and this was a great spin on it. I'd definitely buy it as a gift for one of my girlfriends!

Delightful and entertaining. Funny, humorous, wry and nice to look at. Really grabs attention and I loved that I stumbled across this beautifully done book.

Men to avoid in Art and Life is a hilarious and a fun take on what a woman has to go through everyday.
The constant mansplaining which gets the better of men in most situations is discussed in here with a jolly and exciting to read writing style!
I especially loved the title of the book which made me pick it up in the first place! It's funny and totally someone would go over atleast if they saw it in a bookstore.
The language of the book was easy to understand and the words flowed creating a relatable image in the reader's head.
I loved that important issues were discussed with such a hilarious point of view.
All in all, it was a great book that I'd read on my sad days with music on in the background!