Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Maren Wiederhold
Categories
Graphic novel & Manga artwork

EL ARTE. CONVERSACIONES IMAGINARIAS CON MI MADRE

Juanjo Sáez

In einer spielerischen Mischung aus Essay, Autobiografie und Roman rekonstruiert Juanjo Sáez in seinem neuen Buch einige der faszinierendsten Kapitel der Kunstgeschichte. Er tut dies in Form eines imaginären Gesprächs mit seiner Mutter und schafft so eine enge Verbindung zum Leser, den er einlädt, über bestimmte Kunstwerke und die Person des Künstlers selbst nachzudenken. Doch dies ist kein akademisches Werk, das den Anspruch auf Vollständigkeit erhebt; ganz im Gegenteil. Mit Humor und Offenheit, in einem zugänglichen und nachvollziehbaren Stil, schildert Juanjo Sáez seine Vision von Kunst und veranschaulicht sie anhand der Werke einiger der repräsentativsten Künstler der jüngeren Geschichte: Calder, Picasso, Warhol, Dalí und Chillida, um nur einige zu nennen. Auf einer weiteren, ebenso fesselnden Ebene unternimmt Sáez ein eher sentimentales Unterfangen: Er wandert mit seiner Mutter durch Museumsgalerien, erinnert sich an alltägliche Familienszenen und lässt seine eigenen Erinnerungen wieder aufleben. Kunst Imaginäre Gespräche mit meiner Mutter" ist ein Buch wie kein anderes. originell, witzig und innovativ eine wunderbare Mischung aus gewagtem Essay und Coming-of-Age-Graphic-Novel.

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Book Published 2025-12-04 by Astiberri

Comments

As the title suggests, these are conversations that never took place between the author and his mother, who understands as much about contemporary art as the rest of us mere mortals, in other words, not a damn thing. Juanjo Sáez takes no prisoners among his fellow artists and we must doff our hats to him for telling it like it is. He names and shames his peers and, in the funniest section of the book, calls them out one by one. But there is also room for an impassioned defense of the works of Picasso, Miró, Calder and Andy Warhol. Juanjo is a truly compelling voice and he fights his corner with an unflinching eye that few can match.

An irony and ingenuousness that shatter myths.

I had never read any Spanish authors before, but I hit the jackpot when I picked up this magnificent book by Juanjo Sáez, make no mistake. His style, very straightforward and naïf (his characters barely have any anatomical features to speak of) allows readers to give free rein to their own imagination and imbue the story with their own meanings. Something that delighted me, and then some. A simple, beautiful, moving and touching read.

Art, according to Sáez, is Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol. But also his friend Rafa, seated before a plate of sausage and beans, as well as the X-Men and Lars Von Trier.

A cult illustrator (.) drawings that are spontaneous, direct, fun and caustic.

Passionate and stimulating (.) Chapter by chapter, Magritte, Calder, Picasso, Warhol, Duchamp and many others, reveal their incredible strength with total simplicity. Sáez shares the emotions, reflections and revolutions that are triggered by the work with his mother and with the readers. It is malicious, pertinent and clarifying. A book for reading and immediately re-reading.

Spain: Reservoir Books/PRH, 2006; Astiberri, 2016 Argentina: Editorial Común Brazil: Martins Fontes China: United Sky France: Rackham Italy: Salani México: Sexto Piso

Juanjo Sáez does not like snobbish art critics and is the enemy of those who defend art as the preserve of a privileged few. The title of the book contains a project: A combination of novels and short stories with an essay on contemporary art.

Juanjo Sáez urges the "common folk" to ask themselves questions about contemporary art and to banish the fear of not understanding it.

With unique, original delicacy, the young Spanish artist Juanjo Sáez pieces together light-hearted, pleasant conversations with his mother to create a book that is a true declaration of love to the art world.

Educational and intelligent (.) stands out for its transgressive use of cartoons and text.

It remains unknown whether we're dealing with a graphic essay, a groundbreaking comic, a poetic work or a lucid dream. Without a doubt, it's all of the above at once which warrants a single definition: Success!

Hilarious dialogues of razor-sharp ingenuousness.