
Living with Leonardo: Fifty Years of Sanity and Insanity in the Art World and Beyond (Hardback)
Martin Kemp (author)Published: 29/03/2018
Approaching the 500th anniversary of Leonardo's death, the world- renowned da Vinci expert, Martin Kemp, recounts his fifty- year journey with the work of the world's most famous artist.
A personal memoir interwoven with original research, Living with Leonardo takes us deep inside Leonardo da Vinci scholar Martin Kemp’s lifelong passion for the genius who has helped define our culture.
Each chapter considers a specific work as Kemp offers insight into his encounters with academics, collectors, curators, devious dealers, auctioneers, and authors— as well as how he has grappled with legions of “Leonardo loonies,” treaded vested interests in academia and museums, and fended off fusillades of non- Leonardos.
Kemp explains his thinking on the Last Supper and the Mona Lisa, retells his part in the identification of the stolen Buccleuch Madonna, and explains his involvement on the two major Leonardo discoveries of the last 100 years: La Bella Principessa and Salvator Mundi.
His engaging narrative elucidates the issues surrounding attribution,the scientific analyses that support experts’ interpretations, and the continuing importance of connoisseurship.
Illustrated with the works being discussed, Living with Leonardo explores the artist’s genius from every angle, including technical analysis and the pop culture works he inspired, such as The Da Vinci Code, and his enduring influence 500 years after his death.
Martin Kemp is emeritus research professor in the history of art at Oxford University. He is a leading authority on Leonardo da Vinci.
Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd
ISBN: 9780500239568
Number of pages: 320
Weight: 820 g
Dimensions: 229 x 152 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'Fascinating' - Sunday Times
'Kemp is a natural storyteller ... This book leads you on a journey through the life, work and legacy of one of history's most intriguing figures. Kemp emerges as a guide whom you feel you can trust - and, perhaps just as importantly, who will prove entertaining company when you pitch camp' - The Times
'Kemp is a natural storyteller. His account of a career at the coalface of the Leonardo industry is as amusing as it is insightful, as informative as it is frank' - The Times, Art Books of the Year
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“An insightful and personal account of Kemp's relationship with Da Vinci's work”
I found this to be a very interesting account of not only Kemp's personal relationship with Leonardo Da Vinci but his experiences with the politics and workings of the art world in general. This is definitely... More
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