An exploration of art’s transformative power through an imaginary museum.

Can we live without artistic pleasure? In my personal life, in my private world, would anything have been different if I had not encountered this or that work of art? Did a particular work of art change anything in my life, in my world? If so, what, where, how, and to what extent? Who can claim to have solved this age-old enigma? In this essay, philosopher Paul Audi sets out to describe and understand the power of art in our lives. The essay unfolds like a journey through his imaginary museum, from Lorenzetti to Willem de Kooning, inviting us to reflect on our love of beauty.