Famous Works of Art—And How They Got That Way

Abstract

Famous Works of Art-And How They Got That Way Nici, J. B. (2015). Famous Works of Art-And How They Got That Way. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. 281 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4422-4954-7.Famous Works of Art-And How They Got That Way by John B. Nici is the People magazine of art history texts. Now, more than ever, in our celebrity-obsessed culture, and how one achieves it seem like a mysterious algorithm. Nici's book does not examine the rise of Justin Bieber or Kim Kardashian and how they catapulted to epic heights of popularity; instead, he concentrates on the upward trajectory of works of art. How did famous works of art become part of our cultural lexicon? Nici focuses on and follows the rise of certain pieces, their cultural transcendence, and their current status as popular icons and generally accepted masterpieces.With the chummy intimacy of a gossip columnist, Nici chronicles the ascendance of 20 works of art: the Great Sphinx, the tomb of Tutankhamen, the Parthenon sculptures, Apollo Belvedere, Nike of Samothrace, Botticelli's Birth of Venus, Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael's Sistine Madonna, The Burial of Count Orgaz by El Greco, Rembrandt's Aristotle Contemplating the Bust of Homer, Emanuel Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware, Manet's Luncheon on the Grass, The Thinker by Auguste Rodin, Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night, The Scream by Edvard Munch, American Gothic by Grant Wood, Dorthea Lange's Migrant Mother, Picasso's Guernica, Campbell's Soup by Andy Warhol, and Maya Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It is an exhaustive romp through art history, one that Nici (2015) undertook after being asked by a student on a field trip why a certain piece at the Metropolitan Museum of Art was so famous when there were any number of equally nice (p. xix) paintings in the same gallery. Nici's book offers a framework for understanding why certain works of art become famous. In particular, he tells us, with a sense of humor and in great detail, why the above listed works of art have ascended into stardom.John B. Nici has been teaching art history as an adjunct at Queen's College in New York since 1990. Teaching all manner of courses ranging from Medieval Art to Impressionism, his broad base of knowledge is clear in his writing. He writes with as much enthusiasm for Ancient Egypt as he does for Warhol's Factory. Nici seems like the sort of art history professor that everyone wants in their Introduction to Art History course: one that can delight his classes with his wide-ranging knowledge and witty sense of humor. He makes you feel like you are on a guided tour through history with a warm and entertaining guide. As you wander through 4,500 years of art, Nici shares the gossip of the age, focusing on the human aspects of art (the artist, the collector, the subject) and makes the history of his chosen pieces come alive through a variety of sources and perspectives. His writing is accessible and lacks the jargon that often plagues art historical writing. While Nici's writing is entertaining, it is a book that both experts and novices will find interesting.In Famous Works of Art-And How They Got That Way, Nici cites a number of reasons why certain works might achieve over others. His explicit objective for the book is not to choose the most famous works of art in the world, but to explore and analyze different paths to for his 20 chosen works of art. For all famous works of art, Nici (2015) states that genuineness and originality are keys to a work's success and fame (p. xxii). In addition to these qualities, some of the more notable forces that have helped launch Nici's case studies into popular consciousness are: violence against or theft of that work of art (e.g., the Mona Lisa, The Thinker); being written about by famous minds and authors (e.g., the Great Sphinx, the Sistine Madonna); the colorful biography of an artist (e.g., Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, Andy Warhol); location/ accessibility of the work (e. …