Nat Tate: An American Artist

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Summary: "Nat Tate" reveals a Zelig-like presence in 20th century art
Review: The idea behind "Nat Tate" is an excellent one-- the life of an obscure (and fictional) American artist set against the backdrop of the triumph that was American (and specifically, New York) painting after World War II. The problem, however, is that this particular treatment of a Zelig-like character, as published, reveals only a kind of abstraction, and little that suggests a living, breathing individual. Tate's obscurity notwithstanding, the testimonies of those who brought to life the "facts" of this artist's life belie their relationship with the man as less than we might have imagined them to be. The book is filled with interesting photos documenting Tate's life and his relationships with the famous and notso-famous, at times blurred to suggest a kind of off-handedness, or that the photos had no particular importance when they were taken. Troubling, however, is that an error (even if only a typo) which captions a photo as being that of Frank O'Hara, circa 1935, is troubling since, in 1935, Frank O'Hara, a famous American poet and art critic, was only 9 years old. In a book full of deliberately fictional assertions meant to be taken as truth, one needs to accurately depict those historical truths surrounding the fiction to maintain this sort of story's credibility.

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Summary: Predictable praise from a William Boyd fan
Review: William Boyd demonstrates his versatility with this wonderful satire on modern biographies of arty types. Nat Tate is a fictional artist drawn by Boyd to possess every possible cliche-ridden characteristic, and whose life never deviated from that expected of him by the gullible art consuming public.In fact, so cleverly is the book presented that where I bought it in the Sydney (Australia) Art Gallery, there is a sign that directs purchasers to see the sales clerk before buying it- presumably to let you into the secret that the book's a joke, before you embarrass yourself before friends! The shallowness and predictability of the artist's (guess what) short life will bring a chuckle to the reader on every silly page. William Boyd's reputation as a great modern comic writer is firmly reinforced by "Nat Tate".

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Summary: An enigma wrapped in a mystery
Review: Yes, this book is fiction masquerading as fact. However to suggest it's just a cynical literary prank to confuse art groupies is akin to saying that Macbeth is about a boy and his mother. What Boyd does is create a narrative which suggests a poetic truth about life, art and identity. The idea that fiction is more moving when tied to real events and people is not a new one. it may also in fact, be more true than reality. Nate Tate is a sort of "everyman" artist and Boyd plays with the curious idea that to be famous, one need only be obscure and leave just enough tantalizing facts scattered around. Word of mouth will do the rest. Famous Artists, like actors, only survive their demise by oral history. Stories like "My aunt knew Marilyn Monroe before she was famous, or "The guy in Memphis who made my burger could've been Elvis" suggest that myth, fact, and memory are all shades of the same truth, and not seperate as once believed. This blurring of fact and "near fact" is crucial to understanding the American national psyche. it's no accident Boyd cleverly draws attention to that in the title of this book. Anyone who followed the Priavte Jessica Lynch docudrama over the past year will realize that Boyd was way ahead of his time and should've been a government "Spin Doctor". Art and truth, continue to reside squarely in the eye of the beholder.