Tom Wolfe (1930-2018) won the National Book Award in 1979 for ‘The Right Stuff’ and is widely credited for creating the New Journalism in the 1960’s.  Wolfe himself applied that term to his non-fiction writing and described it as experimenting with literary techniques, mixing them with the traditional ideal of dispassionate, even-handed reporting. Those techniques included scene-by-scene construction, extensive dialogue, multiple points of view, and detailed description of individuals’ status-life symbols (the material choices people make).

Following his book about Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters and his book about Leonard Bernstein’s party to raise money for the Black Panthers (in which he coined the term ‘radical chic’), Wolfe turned his finely tuned sense of satire and rapier-like wit towards the art scene of the 1960’s and ’70’s.  No trend and no individual is spared as he ironically sketches the Boho’s (the Bohemian artists of the lower East side), the culturati’s (the establishment critics and museum curators), and the bourgeois who in their ignorance follow the latest trends.  He refers to the result as “The Culmination” when the Boho’s art is explained by the critical theories of the art taste-makers, installed in the galleries and museums, and finally bought by the ignorant and impressionable public.  From Modernism to Conceptual Art and finally Land Art with stops for Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Op Art, Minimalism, Photo-Realism and others in between, Wolfe gleefully sends up the art world scene with madly fast-paced sentences and long lists of artists, critics, galleries, etc that end up as entire, page-filling paragraphs.

The style is definitely 1970’s but the send up of the art world remains as true today as it was 50 years ago.  The book is still fun to read and informative, as well.  Wolfe’s funny and well done drawings introduce each chapter and add to the fun.  Not for everyone, but if you love contemporary art and/or great satire, give it a try.