The Art of Love: The Romantic and Explosive Stories Behind Art's Greatest Couples Hardcover – July 2, 2019

Enjoyed the book. Interesting and entertaining. Very good biographical information. Short, easy to read stories of the relationships between artists. A little disappointing that book wasn't new. But read and enjoyed and will pass along to others to enjoy, also.

The author's painstaking research and attention to detail is obvious in the writing of this book. There were many facts that I only discovered after reading this!

Why would anyone publish a book with such small print.Shame on you!!

The Art of Love is an interesting look at how artistic endeavor and relations affect and define creative work. Author Kate Bryan uses short biographic backgrounds to give a glimpse into how (or if) the artists' art and lives intersected one another.Due out 2nd July 2019 from Quarto on their White Lion imprint, it's 184 pages and will be available in ebook and hardcover formats. The ebook version is available now. It's unclear from the publishing info, but the eARC I received for review includes an interactive table of contents with direct links to each of the 34 couples included as well as a hyperlinked index. (Very handy).There's an erudite well written introduction by the author which represents about 6% of the page content. She includes some of the philosophy behind her treatment of the subject, along with some very interesting observations about the interactions and dynamics of personal and professional interactions in artistic partnerships. How did they relate to one another, how they traversed the different levels of fame in their art, etc. Reading the foreword enhanced my understanding and enjoyment of the biographies. Each of the section headings is nicely illustrated by Asli Yazan. There are no interior photos with any of the included artists' works, but Yazan's line drawings represent some of the artists' works. I'm not sure how I feel about that, it might be almost imitative, on the other hand, there were several places I thought to myself "Ah, that's who originally did this piece of artwork".I was not familiar with all of the included artists, and there were some couples with whose work I was only familiar with one and not the other. The couples in the book are all drawn from the last 140 years; starting with Camille Claudel&Auguste Rodin to the present day. The couples are a mixed bunch, from married heterosexual couples, gay men, gay women, and one passionate but unconsummated platonic relationship. There are artists represented from many different cultures and ethnicities.This would make a good selection for art interested readers, fans of the included artists, and a good library book or gift.Four stars.Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

The Art of Love by Kate Bryan is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in early July.34 mixed and same sex couples between artists, their muses, partners and/or artists in their own right who find love and intimacy with someone like or unlike them, fame in art leading to rivalry, many dalliances and progeny, and working together or apart in a way that can complement or delineate. There are line drawings made from photographs, really big font, and biographies of relationships told in slightly out-of-order clumps of events. Ahh, one of the couples (Marina Abramovic and Ulay) are from the Documentary Now! “The Artist is Present” parody.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The author presents well researched short biographies of artistic couples. Some I was familiar with but I also learned a lot of new information reading this book. I really liked reading how the couples helped each other's art or how the relationships were hurt by their art. I was not a big fan of the sketches. I would have preferred photographs and examples of their art. The book was well written and very easy to read. It also encouraged me to read more. Enjoy

Beautifully written, imformative and very fascinating. Really puts an interest for me back into Art History through these stories. Great illustrations too. My dog Cosmo ate my first copy and he loved it but for different reasons. We both give it two thumbs and four paws up. 5 stars. Highly recommended.

Fantastic book! Its really brings to life these artists and their relationships. Helps round my art knowledge.Nice illustrations too. Would buy as a gift.

Great topic; well-written and should make a good gift for arty daughter.

Beautifully written and fascinating stories. You don’t need to be big into art to appreciate this book. Absolutely loved it.

The drawings are terrible. Would be far better if it had original photos of the artists and their work.