The 12-Hour Art Expert: Everything You Need to Know About Art in a Dozen Masterpieces

“You do not need extensive training to understand art, much less to enjoy it,” asserts art historian Charney (The Art of Forgery) in this enlightening crash course. Determined to buck the “intimidation problem” that’s plagued the art world for centuries, Charney moves through 12 chapters organized around a specific masterpiece—from Bernini’s 17th century Tomb of the Blessed Ludovica Albertoni to Marcel Duchamp’s subversive Fountain (1917)—to offer readers an amiable tour through art history, terminology, and styles, as well as the relationship between the price of an artwork and its desirability:“an equation for the value of art: value = perceived (rarity + authenticity + demand).” Charney also revisits his deep fascination with authenticity, dissecting the fuss around Leonardo da Vinci’s famed works—which, he writes, have become a “cultural currency”—to illustrate how art connoisseurship has engendered a thriving forgery industry. While he writes exaltingly of the art world, Charney keeps his narrative refreshingly grounded, empowering lay readers to better appreciate and understand works of art, but to also trust their instincts: “Don’t be afraid to call ‘hogwash’ (or its synonym, BS) on artworks that you’ve given an honest chance.... I do it all the time.” Brimming with examples from across the artistic spectrum, this is the perfect primer to hook future art enthusiasts. (July)