Artrage

by

Everett Aison

ISBN: 1-929355-25-4 *  $16 * 210 pages     

“The fictional art world that Artrage conjures up has a discomfiting edge of reality. The novel, to use a much-overused phrase, is a page-turner." – Irving Sandler  

“I really enjoyed Artrage. It was like a long letter from the author with his preoccupations and ideas and creativity rolled together. I laughed out loud at some parts and was moved by others,
especially the relation between Mace and Nick. It's really quite a lot of fun.” – Leo Braudy  

“I thoroughly enjoyed Everett Aison’s novel about a regular guy who commits an acte gratuite, the desecration of an art world treasure, and its wildly snowballing consequences.  Mace is a funny, slightly sex-obsessed, and not always sympathetic protagonist, for this story of a provocation is itself a provocation. Humane at its core, though, this novel takes a bead on the obscene mix of art, money and the media with the best possible humor.” – Molly Haskell  

Synopsis:
Mace Caslon walks into the Metropolitan Museum of Art and throws acid on Universal Woman, a forty-one million dollar Picasso.

Entering the Rothko Suite cell in the New York City Police Department's Art Crimes section, Captain Melvin Van Zant faces Mace and begins reading from a print-out: "Born in Saratoga Springs , New York , to working class parents. Brilliant student. Full scholarship to Williams College , summa cum laude. Yale Law School , graduated top fifth. Currently a full partner in one of the most respected law firms on Wall Street, and a serious collector of contemporary art. Mr. Caslon, you're on the cutting edge of inconsistency."

Mace remains silent and impassive, but his act has unwittingly tossed him into the center of a media-crazed frenzy: Exploitive television personalities, enraged museum officials, terrified collectors, confused dealers, aggressive lawyers, a U.S. Attorney on the make, instant psychiatrists, shocked ex-lovers, hyper-cool teenagers, hustler artists, and anti-art demonstrators each demand their time in the spotlight.

Bad night. My days in the Rothko Suite are getting to me. I lay awake thinking how I use art to manipulate women. If I encouraged a woman to talk about herself and her work, I'd get her into bed. I woke up at 3:00 a.m. with a hard-on, thirsty and troubled by a dream I
couldn't remember. Gulped down two glasses of water, then lay back staring into the darkness, eventually recalling the dream: Yolanda Manrique stormed into the Rothko Suite, her Cuban temper flaring. "As your lawyer I'll use anything and anyone to defend you. I will launch an all out attack on our culture's money crazed obsessions. I will ridicule the consumers of art...and what do you do Mace? Do you ever give me an inkling of why you trashed Pablo? No! What is your story Mace? What's this charming little Macho-boy game?”  

The more Yolanda raged on, the more sexually aroused I became.

ARTRAGE stitches together a vivid tapestry depicting the Art/Fashion/Media
world of our chaotic new century.

About the author: Artrage is Everett Aison's first novel. His feature film screenplays include "Ted Sears," "Growing Up In America ," and "Work In Progress." He has written and directed three award-winning theatrical shorts: “Post No Bills!" "So Much In Common," and "Choices." Mr. Aison co-founded with Silas Rhodes the School of Visual Arts Film School. He has designed and illustrated the children's books "Arthur" and "The American Movie," published by Atheneum, was art director of Grossman Publishers, and designed the logos, posters, and opening titles for many films, including Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" and Polanski's "Knife in the Water."