Art, writing and the pleasure of the right word

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The Getty Museum hosted a conversation Tuesday night between actor, writer and art collector Steve Martin and Frederic Tuten, the novelist, critic and former professor. It was moderated by Andrew Perchuk of the Getty Research Institute.

It started with a reading, as Martin and Tuten have new books. Tuten’s is ‘Self Portraits: Fiction,’ with a Roy Lichtenstein self portrait on its cover. Martin’s book, ‘An Object of Beauty,’ has an art writer as a main character -- its publication date is Nov. 23. Carolyn Kellogg reports on Jacket Copy that although the book is set mostly in New York, it includes a passage, which Martin read, about how frustrating it can be trying to visit Southern California’s spread-out art institutions.

But the ensuing conversation ranged over many subjects. Read Kellogg’s full report on Jacket Copy.

--Kelly Scott

Above: Perchuck, Tuten and Martin at the Getty. Credit: Jobe Benjamin/The Getty Research Institute