Questions for Reading Groups

1. Alex Clayton often sees the world in terms of art and paintings she knows. Is this a good thing?

2. Does it increase her understanding or distance her from reality?

3. It is said that the painting, Man Proposes God Disposes, is cursed. Do you believe in magic and curses?

4. If someone offered to give you a masterpiece but told you it was cursed, would you happily hang it in your home?

5. When Alex and John are in the storage area of MIMA, Alex ad libs an arty discourse about a Brett Whiteley painting. Does art need to be explained?

6. Do you think artists and critics sometimes try to seem too superior and clever?

7. Alex and John have been close friends for years, but the relationship seems to be changing. Should they explore their feelings or would they be risking their friendship?

8. The forged Brett Whiteley painting would sell for a high price. What makes good art expensive?

9. If a forgery is so good it’s impossible to distinguish from the real thing, why is it not just as valuable?

10. John is so desperate to save his marriage that when Sue turns up at the exhibition opening, he abandons Alex. Did he make the right decision at the time?

11. When Alex is offered the job at MIMA, she must decide between security and what had once been her dream, or the risks associated with the independent path she’s carved for herself. What do you think she ultimately chooses and is it the right choice?