Greetings from Edinburgh, where a cheeky tour guide makes art history hilarious
Comedian Max Norman, performing as his alter ego 'Coco,' leads unconventional and humorous art history tours in Edinburgh. The tours aim to make museum visits more engaging by focusing on the gossip and absurdity behind historical figures.
Why it matters
The piece highlights innovative ways to increase public engagement with traditional cultural institutions like art galleries.
Rebecca Rosman/NPR Growing up, I had a knack for getting distracted on school field trips to museums and art galleries.
Teachers marched us through halls of what felt like the same Baroque painting over and over. Endless soft bodies painted against pale blue skies, their stories offered up with little explanation.
It didn't feel like any of it was meant to be fun.
Then I discovered Coco, the self-described "time-traveling tart."
The brainchild and alter ego of comedian Max Norman, Coco — 6 foot 7 without heels — leads interactive and (mostly) factual tours through galleries in London and beyond.
During the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last month, she made her way to the National Galleries of Scotland for what was billed as a "cheeky romp" uncovering the "gossip, glamour and glorious absurdity hiding behind the art."
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