Product Description

A philosophical French drama. Marc cannot believe that his friend Serge has bought an expensive modern painting, and they quarrel, while the play's third character, a friend of them both, tries to calm them.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #78955 in Books
• Published on: 1996-12-04
• Original language: French
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 96 pages

Review
"This is not some irrelevant fringe production; it is a major intervention in the cultural debate of the country by people who are keen to keep the reactionary tides running. It is probably the most sustained attack on modernism yet seen on the British stage, and it represents a stern challenge to the brilliant success story of British contemporary art."--"The Guardian ""Not only brings to the stage a topical debate, it makes it invigorating, touching and finally disturbing. This dark comedy, translated from the French, in sparkling form, explores its themes through a rift between friends."-"-Financial Times""A remarkably wise, witty and intelligent comedy . . . has touched a universal nerve."--"The Times""Chic, short, and wickedly, perceptively funny, it's the perfect West End play."--Nick Curtis, "Evening Standard"""Art," which has been translated from the French by Christopher Hampton, is filled from first curtain to ending with a dazzling array of language."--Iris Fanger, "Christian Science Monitor""It's an actor's dream, a nonstop cross-fire of crackling language, serious issues of life and art expressed in outbursts that sound like Don Rickles with a degree from the Sorbonne. Brilliantly translated by Christopher Hampton, . . . "Art "takes that yawny old bore, the play of ideas, and jolts it to life."--Jack Kroll, "Newsweek"

Customer Reviews

To quote a line from the play itself: "A masterpiece."
A stunning look into the nature of friendship "Art" clearly examines what binds people together and what pushes them apart. Superbly written, none of the rich subtext is lost in the translation, scenes flow seemlessly into one another and yet still it maintains an essential simpilicity.

With only three characters in the play Reza is able to make them truly believable and their flaws clearly visable. This element of the play is more clearly highlighted if you are lucky enough to have seen the play which has been enjoying years of success now at Wyndhams. ...this play ...instantly became my personal favourite.

Wonderful!
Bought it, read it, did a speech from it and then put it on. it's wonderful!

Friendships, and art...
"Art", a play written by French author Yasmina Reza (1959-...) in 1994, and translated into English in 1996 by Christopher Hampton, is quite interesting. Despite the fact that it isn't overly long, it tackles difficult subjects such as the nature of friendship and art in a rather original way.

The plot is not complicated, and revolves around three male friends: Serge, Marc and Yvan. The dynamics of their friendship is substantially altered when one of them, Serge, buys a Modernist painting without consulting with the others. Serge simply fell in love with the painting, and believes it is splendid even though it is somewhat strange, all white with some lines in a different tonality of white in the middle. Marc, his assertive friend, finds that the amount Serge paid for the painting (200,000 French francs) is absurdly large, and is offended by the mere idea that his friend Serge likes it and believes it is art. Yvan, on the other hand, doesn't mind, but his non-commital attitude will land him in trouble with both Serge and Marc.

Buying a painting, a seemingly common act, will draw the three friends into an uncomfortable debate about themselves, their relationship, and art. It will also give the reader the opportunity to take his own position in a debate that it is still going own.

All in all, I really liked "Art", and I found the ending specially good. This is the first play by Reza that I have read, but if the rest are as good as this one, I have no doubts that I will read many more.

Belen Alcat