MY ART BOOK OF FRIENDSHIP

Art becomes a creative vehicle for exploring and validating the many facets of friendship.

Following the concept in My Art Book of Happiness (2020), and earlier similar books on Sleep (2019) and Love (2018), Gozansky explores the topic of friendship through a series of 35 artworks by a diverse range of artists. Selections include works from contemporary practitioners such as Keith Haring, Nicolas Party, and Takashi Murakami; mid-20th-century artists, including Wayne Thibeaud, Damien Hirst, and Rob Pruitt; and a few older works. Photography and three-dimensional works are included, including the charming Aunt and Uncle from Nam June Paik’s Family of Robots series from 1986, which combine video with vintage TV and radio parts. The images, one per page, are linked by simple statements addressing different facets of friendship; “Friends make you feel… / Strong… // And safe… / And loved when you are sad.” There’s something for everyone here: Kids will be intrigued by the multicultural depictions of kids and adults in different settings, and adults will appreciate the creative mix of styles, from a pair of 18th-century child portraits to the witty, almost-abstract The Kiss by Pruitt. Any teacher or caregiver will find much to explore with a child in this rich, diverse collection, and anyone can appreciate the message, particularly relevant in these times, that friendship takes many different forms and can exist in any time or place between people of all ethnicities, genders, ages, and cultures.

This collection of imaginatively selected pieces provides a friendly approach to modern art.