About the Author

Will Gompertz is a world-leading expert in and champion of the arts. Having spent seven years as a Director of the Tate Galleries followed by eleven years as the BBC's Arts Editor and two years as Artistic Director at the Barbican, he is now the director of the Sir John Soane's Museum. Gompertz has interviewed and observed many of the world's leading artists, actors, writers, musicians, directors and designers. Creativity magazine in New York ranked him as one of the 50 most original thinkers in the world. He is the author of the internationally bestselling What Are You Looking At? and Think Like an Artist, both translated into more than twenty languages.

Reviews

Offers a tidy lesson in not just getting more from art, but more from life itself . . . lucid and revealing . . . Gompertz is at his best—Michael Prodger, The Times

Art can amaze us into changing our minds. This remarkable book teaches us how—Es Devlin

Highly engaging and thought-provoking—Philip Hook, author of Breakfast at Sotheby’s

By going straight to the essence of each one's work, Will Gompertz provides a fluent and refreshing introduction to the way art can enable us, in the most unexpected ways, to see the world anew—Michael Peppiatt

Gompertz insightfully explores the processes and personalities of a remarkable roster of artists . . . effortless prose and laser focus on the communicative potential of art make this a worthwhile read—James Woods Marshall, Library Journal

Thorough and diverse . . . Gompertz's illuminations of artists' lives and minds are accessible and full of valuable information. This is an exhilarating resource for personal growth, a consciousness-raising exploration for artists and art lovers, and an asset for anyone interested in the who, what, and why of great artworks—Booklist

Gompertz doesn't have it in him to be boring—The Times

Will Gompertz is the best teacher you never had—Guardian

He is a natural communicator whose passion for art is expressed with wit and verve—Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair of Arts Council England

Hugely accessible . . . writes about difficult things without letting on that they are difficult—Independent on Sunday on What Are You Looking At?