Der Traum vieler Schuuml;ler; eine Klassenfahrt; bleibt fuuml;r die meisten unerfuuml;llt; weil sich der kluge Lehrer mit gesundem Uuml;berlebenstrieb einen Albtraum ersparen will. Gauml;be es nicht immer wieder Vertreter dieser Berufsgattung; denen dieser natuuml;rlich Reflex zu fehlen scheint; muuml;ssten die Geschichten des vorliegenden Buches glatt erfunden werden. Sie erzauml;hlen von der Unbelehrbarkeit einer Hauptschullehrerin; sich immer wieder neu auf Erlebnisse der besonderen Art einzulassen.
#3953980 in eBooks 2005-06-01 2005-06-01File Name: B01A27UH9E
Review
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Fascinating; and quick; read into Russian avant-garde artBy Minyoung SohnNote: I live in Denver; and Adam Lerner is a good friend........... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........Adam Lerner sets the hook by telling how his personal interest in Russian avant-garde art led him to follow a treasure hunt started by two brothers amassing a large collection of early 20th century Russian art bought from sellers on eBay. Is this a treasure trove of 181 paintings done by the masters and worth of tens of millions of dollars? Or; are these merely beautiful; but essentially worthless; fakes?In 2010; Adam Lerner and MCA Denver decided to display these works despite lacking requisite provenance and authenticity.From Russia with Doubt accomplishes several things: First; it is an entertaining story that invites the reader to into the mysterious world of Russian avant-garde art. Second; it provides explanation for the difficulty in authenticating any work from this period. Third; and most importantly; the book drives home the fundamental questions of: What is art; is this art; and should it be exhibited despite the inability to prove their authenticity?That is a tall order; but the organization of the book itself is a piece of abstract art; as Mr. Lerner neatly weaves storytelling (laced with subtle wit) with historical context and powerful use of illustrations to keep the reader engaged long enough to allow the paintings themselves to tell the rest of the story.One of the pictures is of the exhibition at MCA in 2010. The reader can see that the museum displayed a handful of paintings in a large; clean gallery space; which one would expect. Yet; on the opposite side of the wall outside of the exhibit; there hanged dozens and dozens of paintings; crammed next to each other. The juxtaposition of the opposite sides of the same walls reinforces the dissonance in question. The former showcases the art in its own artistic merits. The latter reminds us that the lack of authenticity has diminished its real world value; and the emotional tension of this densely packed display hints at what Mr. Lerner must have felt when deciding to mount this exhibition.As a final gesture; Mr. Lerner presents each painting on its own page for the reader to view and enjoy. However; page after page of full color images ironically "cheapens" the value of image collection and again leaves the reader with the final question in mind: What is art?I am fairly new to the world of contemporary art; and I thank Adam and the rest of the good people at MCA Denver for taking me on this educational journey.Tip: I recommend researching Kazimir Malevich on Wikipedia before reading this book.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. An excellent; quick readBy Matthew Leonard FlahertyFascinating story. The book is not long; I read it at one sitting. Nicely written; good photographs. The story behind the book challenges us to identify what we really value in art: the painting itself vs. the "brand" of the painter; the provenance of the piece; or the opinions of experts (which at times may be dubious).1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. part story; part parableBy Judy DIts an interesting story; replete with photographs; that tracks how a museum director finds out about a collection of possibly authentic; but possibly inauthentic; paintings from the Russian Avant-Garde. Authenticity in terms of provenance is never determined; so the reader is left with the much more complex; but ultimately more interesting question of how one values the art people make.
