Talk Art: Everything you wanted to know about contemporary art but were afraid to ask
About this audiobook
'As rabid admirers and collectors of contemporary art and photography we wholeheartedly recommend this passionate and joyous book. Without art the human soul is unfulfilled. This collection by Russell and Robert fully explains why.'
Sir Elton John and David Furnish
'Russell and Robert have made talking art not just pleasurable but necessary.'
Lena Dunham
'As witty, wise and well informed as Russell and Robert's excellent podcast.'
Edward Enninful, OBE
When launching the Talk Art podcast in 2018, actor Russell Tovey and gallerist Robert Diament had one clear aim: to make the art world more accessible. Since then, the podcast has grown to be a global hit, featuring exclusive interviews with leading artists, curators, gallerists, actors, musicians and fellow art lovers such as Lena Dunham, Sir Paul Smith, David Shrigley, Noel Fielding, Edward Enninful, Rose Wylie and Sir Elton John.
Talk Art, the book, is a celebration of contemporary art, and a guidebook to navigating and engaging with the art world. Covering a range of different media from photography and ceramics to performance and sound art, the book explores the way art interacts with our society, highlights lesser-known artists, and provides a snapshot of the art world as it is today.
The book features highlights from interviews with: Tracey Emin, Jordan Casteel, Jerry Saltz, Elton John, Grayson Perry, Ian McKellen, Alasdair McLellan, Helen Cammock, Somaya Critchlow and many more.
(p) 2021 Octopus Publishing Group
About the author
Russell Tovey is an actor best-known for appearing in The History Boys, Years and Years, Being Human, The Good Liar, HBO's Looking and ITV's The Sister and American Horror Story. He is also a passionate art collector, with more than 300 pieces, and a judge for the prestigious Turner Prize 2021.
Robert Diament is Director of the Carl Freedman Gallery and Counter Editions (a company that produces prints and multiples by leading contemporary artists such as Tracey Emin, David Shrigley and Martin Creed). Before working in art, he was the lead singer of electro-pop band Temposhark.
Jerry Saltz is the senior art critic at New York magazine and its entertainment site Vulture. He is the winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in Criticism and a 2019 National Magazine Award. Before joining New York in 2007, Saltz had been art critic for The Village Voice since 1998, and was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize during his tenure there. A frequent guest lecturer, he has spoken at the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, the Whitney Museum, and many others, and has appeared at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, the Rhode Island School of Design, the Art Institute of Chicago, and elsewhere.
