Praise for ArtCurious
“Awfully fun to read . . . written with well-researched precision but also a prominent sense of humor.”
—The News & Observer
“Jennifer Dasal understands that it's the stories that make art interesting, not names and dates and movements. This book is bursting with useful and entertaining tales that will forever change the way you look at some of the world's best loved artworks.”
—Sarah Urist Green, author of You Are an Artist
“The term ‘art history’ is often equated with a good cure for insomnia—well, this book won’t let that happen! Jennifer Dasal has transformed ‘art history’ into ‘you will not believe this,’ one crazy, artsy story at a time.”
—Danielle Krysa, The Jealous Curator
“For all those who remember—yawning—the tedium of art history lectures in dark classrooms, Jennifer Dasal’s Artcurious is here to shake you awake, open your eyes, and get your heart racing. This is art history as adventure, mystery, whodunnit, and even comedy. In short, a passionate pursuit of the innately interesting. You’ll never look at art—or art history—the same way again.”
—Bridget Quinn, author of She Votes
“ArtCurious unspools like a juicy novel, detailing the backstories of several art history notables, their families, mentors, fellow artists, lovers and more . . . Dasal writes with humor and honesty, offering truth mixed with speculation . . . All this adds up to a fascinating, lively take on a topic that is too often reduced to dry facts. Art history buffs or anyone who likes a good thriller will find ArtCurious a welcome escape.”
—BookPage
“Lively, accessible, and engaging . . . As Dasal observes, ‘art isn’t (always) boring. Sometimes it’s exactly what we need to make our lives more colorful.’ This volume will certainly do that for casual museum-goers, art aficionados, and the just plain curious.”
—Booklist
“A wildly entertaining and surprisingly educational dive into art history as you've never seen it before, from the host of the beloved ArtCurious podcast.”
—Shelf Awareness
“Dasal reveals in this entertaining survey the weird, wacky, and unbelievable backstories of some of the world’s greatest artists and most famous works of art. . . . Both art aficionados and novices will find something to appreciate in this offbeat and informative outing.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)