Men to Avoid in Art and Life

Men to Avoid in Art and Life by Nicole Tersigni is a brilliantly funny and acutely observed book that pairs historical paintings — scenes from the Old Masters, Renaissance art, and classical portraiture — with modern captions capturing the patronising, dismissive, or oblivious things that men say to women. The result is a perfect satirical marriage of high culture and contemporary feminist humour: the elaborate self-importance of the figures in the paintings makes the modern captions simultaneously more ridiculous and more pointed. Tersigni’s comic timing is excellent, and the book works whether you encounter it in five-minute bursts or read it through from beginning to end. Published by Chronicle Books, Men to Avoid in Art and Life is the perfect gift for anyone who has ever had to sit politely while a man explained something to them they already knew.