For art hounds, one of the great pleasures of walking cities like Paris and London is the sudden discovery of a little gallery at the end of a rue or, perhaps, stumbling upon an up-and-coming artist's studio tucked away behind a favourite church. But sometimes, it helps – especially when time is of the essence – to have help to sort out the good from the bad, the specialists from the generalists; and, more importantly, identify the right people to speak to.
Click here to sample pages from the books
This new set of guide books by art consultant Tiddy Rowan is a timely addition to the library of any collector, whether neophyte or amateur. The beauty of the guides is that Rowan neither preaches to the choir nor overlooks beginners; and so, her listings are both informative and fresh.
Importantly, Rowan is an art consultant who's mined her Rolodex to great effect and cast her net far to profile 100 modern (early to mid-20th century) and contemporary artists. Her primary focus is painting but she also includes photography, video, sculpture, ceramics, installations and mixed media.
Very helpfully, Rowan cross-references artists with their agents together with locations of where their work may be found. In turn, these locations – a lively mix of public and private galleries, public spaces, art venues and studios – are linked to clearly marked maps that also detail key underground stations.
In the process, it's an engaging way of seeing a city, leading even regular visitors to previously undiscovered corners.
The Paris and London guides are out this April; Berlin and New York are slated for a spring 2009 release with two cities every six months subsequently. In the pipeline are Venice, San Francisco, Barcelona, Tokyo and Sydney.
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INFORMATION
Art in the City, London and Art in the City, Paris by Tiddy Rowan (Quadrille, £9.99 each)
- Website
- http://www.quadrille.co.uk
