The Museum of Modern Love
cover of 2nd edition, 2018
AuthorHeather Rose
Cover artistSandy Cull
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Published2016 (Allen & Unwin)
Media typePrint (paperback)
Pages286
ISBN9781760291860

The Museum of Modern Love is the seventh novel by Australian writer Heather Rose. The book won three literary awards, including the 2017 Stella Prize.

Rose was influenced by performance artist Marina Abramovic's The Artist Is Present, where the latter sat for eight hours a day for 75 days at the Museum of Modern Art in New York while spectators watched.[1]

Plot

The main character, Arky Levin, composes soundtracks for movies. His wife, Lydia Fiorentino, has a degenerative illness and, fearing his inability to care for her, has moved into a full-time care facility. Arky finds himself drawn to the Museum of Modern Art, where he watches Marina Abramovic's daily performances. Other visitors to the exhibition become part of the narrative as do his colleagues and friends. The book details his search for meaning in his life.[2][3][4]

Major themes

The chair of the 2017 Stella Prize judges, Brenda Walker, claimed the book was full of "such dazzling and subtle explorations of the importance of art in everyday life".[5] Reviewer Camilla Nelson describes the book as "a fictional exploration of the power of art to transform individual lives, written in exquisite prose, with rare and subtle insight".[5]

Publication history

Literary significance and reception

Louise Swinn[7] in The Sydney Morning Herald noted that "this bold new novel by Heather Rose is an astute meditation on art, bravery, friendship, love, how to live, and on dying."[8]

Peter Pierce in the Sydney Review of Books notes in a review of all Rose's works, leading up to and including The Museum of Modern Love, "Heather Rose's career as a novelist has been pursued with a calm daring... All her fiction presents challenges to the heart and to the inquiring mind."[9]

The Book Page's Annie Peters notes "The Museum of Modern Love is an engaging, multifaceted meditation on the meaning of life and art. Rose sets this exploration in the context of one man's compelling midlife search for direction as he observes Abramović's fleeting art, which the novel intriguingly brings back to life. This is a brilliant find for any reader who enjoys grappling with the larger questions of life and literature, and it is an excellent choice for book clubs seeking thought-provoking discussion."[10]

A review by NPR (USA) by Heller McAlpin[11] on 10 December 2018 titled "Art Restores The Soul In 'Museum Of Modern Love' " notes that Rose "displays a deep appreciation of art and a deft ability to blend fact, fiction, abstract ideas, and sentiment..."[12]

The Museum of Modern Love was the first book by Rose to be published in the United States.[2] It was also the first of her books to be set outside her home state of Tasmania. Tacey Rychter of The New York Times profiled Rose in November 2018 on the eve of launch event at the Museum of Modern Art.[13]

Rose was honoured when Abramovic agreed to launch that edition in the Museum of Modern Art in 2018.[13]

Awards and nominations

Adaptations

A theatre adaptation by Tom Holloway premiered at the 2022 Sydney Festival.[18]

The Sydney Morning Herald noting "The Museum of Modern Love's shift to stage is unmissable".[19]

References

  1. ^ Edelstein, Gabriella. "The Museum of Modern Love reminds us to engage with art – and each other". The Conversation. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b McAlpin, Heller (10 December 2018). "Art Restores The Soul In 'Museum Of Modern Love'". NPR.
  3. ^ Swinn, Louise (20 October 2016). "The Museum of Modern Love review: Heather Rose's artistic novel about art". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  4. ^ Stewart, Jessica (16 January 2019). "HEATHER ROSE: The Museum of Modern Love". The Newtown Review of Books. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  5. ^ a b Nelson, Camilla (18 April 2017). "Exquisite prose, with rare and subtle insight". The Conversation. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "The Museum of Modern Love". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Louise Swinn". Louise Swinn. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  8. ^ Swinn, Louise (20 October 2016). "The Museum of Modern Love review: Heather Rose's artistic novel about art". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  9. ^ Pierce, Peter (17 February 2017). "The Mischievous Artistry of Heather Rose: The Museum of Modern Love". Sydney Review of Books. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  10. ^ Peters, Annie (2 November 2018). "The Museum of Modern Love". BookPage | Discover your next great book!. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  11. ^ "Heller McAlpin". NPR. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  12. ^ McAlpin, Heller (10 December 2018). "Art Restores The Soul In 'Museum Of Modern Love'". NPR.
  13. ^ a b Rychter, Tacey (26 November 2018). "An Artist Who Explores Emotional Pain Inspires a Novel That Does the Same". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  14. ^ Convery, Stephanie (18 April 2017). "Stella prize 2017: Heather Rose's The Museum of Modern Love wins award". The Guardian.
  15. ^ Convery, Stephanie (18 April 2017). "Stella prize 2017: Heather Rose's The Museum of Modern Love wins award". The Guardian.
  16. ^ Hodgman, Will (27 November 2017). "Winners of the 2017 Premier's Literary Prizes". Department of Premier and Cabinet. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  17. ^ "ALS Gold Medal 2017 shortlist announced". Books+Publishing. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  18. ^ "The Museum of Modern Love – Sydney Festival 2022". Seymour Centre. 30 January 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  19. ^ Shand, John (26 January 2022). "The Museum of Modern Love's shift to stage is unmissable". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
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