Like Art: Glenn O’Brien on Advertising

by Glenn O'Brien

"Everybody wants a little luxury in life, whether it’s state-of-the-art high-tops or something large and 24 carat. It’s only human … Luxury is a sign of hope and belief in one’s self,” wrote Glenn O’Brien―the prolific writer, editor, creative director and New York staple―in a 1990 article for Artforum magazine. O’Brien’s words have proven decidedly true, as has much of his writing from the Artforum column on advertising he penned from 1984 to 1990.
With prescience and panache, O’Brien wrote on such diverse topics as advertising in Japan, the Buy American campaign, Burger King, tobacco and alcohol ads, condoms, Max Headroom, computer games, the relationship between advertising and art, and much more. Now collected in their entirety for the first time, the 38 articles are accompanied by a preface by Jeffrey Deitch and an introduction from O’Brien, as well as a previously unpublished dialogue on consumer culture from the same period.

248 pages, Paperback

Published May 23, 2017

About the author

Glenn O'Brien was an American writer who focused largely on the subjects of art, music and fashion. He was featured for many years as "The Style Guy" in GQ magazine, and published a book with that title.

Reviews

[Tosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Like Art" is a journey through the advertising world through the late and much missed Glenn O'Brien. This book is a compilation of a column that O'Brien worked on for Artforum Magazine during the late 1980s. It's very witty and smart. O'Brien has an understanding of the advertising world, and he's not afraid of it. In fact, he embraces that world as one embraces art. He knows the difference between the two mediums of art and advertising, but the way he ties it in all together is an enjoyable read. There are not that many witty writers in the art world and O'Brien was a special presence in that world as well as in the world of fashion and pop culture. A wonderful prose stylist who will be missed by many of his readers.

[Juan A. Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read, breezed through it. O'Brien's got great insights, of course, but also a nice reminder that plain, fresh observations on your times will almost always become invaluable. Artforum should go back to this kind of stuff rather than the sceney, academic circle jerks they're running these days

[Michel Ortega · Rating 5 out of 5]

Al leer Like Art de Glenn O'Brien y su forma de criticar el mundo de la publicidad en los ochentas, donde un nuevo estilo de publicidad y un nuevo lenguaje visual nacía, con marcas como Calvin Klein o GUESS? atreviéndose a publicar anuncios como nadie antes los había hecho. Pienso que al mismo tiempo que el arte Pop ya consagrado por artistas como Andy Warhol, Richard Prince y Barbara Kruger levantaba nuevos cuestionamientos sobre la relación de la publicidad y el arte cambiando por completo la forma en que nos relacionamos visualmente con nuestro alrededor y los productos que deseamos y lujos con los que soñamos.
Hoy en día la publicidad está insertada en nuestra realidad de manera tan profunda que muchas veces es difícil distinguir entre lo que es y lo que no es un anuncio o propaganda. Después de todo solo queremos la sonrisa mas blanca y ser parte de la materia de los sueños.
Vivimos en mundo donde las modelos son mejores que las diosas, porque tienen números telefónicos y cuentas de Instagram.
En un mundo que puede ser guiado por la belleza, solo podemos esperar que la belleza no haga que nos perdamos.

Para Glenn O'Brien la publicidad es la forma de arte mas democrática posible, menciona en el libro. Quizás es un punto debatible pero aun así, un punto de vista muy valido.

[Myles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these columns are excellent. O'Brien's voice is breezily cynical, smartly catty, and unfortunately repetitive.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry - for humanity and maybe Glenn O’Brien. I may not really believe art and advertising are the same, but the belief works its way into my brain like a worm. It’s an easily shattered distinction, one pointing directly to Warhol, as Glenn will regularly remind you. At one point he “advocates” ameliorating the Israel-PLO conflict with a PR campaign for Palestinian tourism. That he suggests a British firm is an ironic bit of ignorance, but is it a joke? Would you prefer advertising to war? What is propaganda for anyway? Which revolution do you want?