Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
The $12 Million Stuffed Shark
The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art | Don Thompson
4 posts | 5 read | 1 reading | 2 to read
Why would a smart New York investment banker pay $12 million for the decaying, stuffed carcass of a shark? By what alchemy does Jackson Pollock's drip painting No. 5, 1948 sell for $140 million? Intriguing and entertaining, The $12 (…more)
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
ChaoticMissAdventures
post image
Pickpick

This was written in 2008 so it is a bit outdated, but it is a book that gives a lot of thought to art - what is art, making, selling, owning, and value. Much to think about. How does a work become "worth" $12M and what is worth? I found the section on auctioneers most fascinating since I have become interested in Sotheby's auctions. Also found throughout the competition and unity of Sotheby's and Christie's really interesting.

ChaoticMissAdventures It is fascinating to me that someone like Charles Saachi (once a husband of Nigella Lawson) can make and later break a contemporary artist career. Poors like me have probably never heard of him and to know he can buy an artist and that artist work price is driven up and he gets mad at an artist and sells all their work people notice and no one will buy that artist work any longer. 2mo
ChaoticMissAdventures This is a book that the poor need to read with a big disconnect from the idea of money. If you cannot make your mind think of this type of money as Monopoly money this book will just make you so angry that people have this much to throw around you will not be able to read the book through. 2mo
37 likes2 comments
blurb
ChaoticMissAdventures
post image

Last year started my HUGE crush on Sotheby's auctioneer Phyllis Kao. That has lead me to this tagged book.

She is not featured in it, but it does give a history and look at current look at art houses and sales, it is interesting to think about what is art, even though the idea of this much money makes me sick to my stomach.

marleed Ohhhh, I‘m curious 👀 2mo
ChaoticMissAdventures @marleed honestly the title really got me. 😀 2mo
39 likes2 comments
review
Dietz123
Pickpick

This book explains the 'whys' of modern art in an approachable fashion. If you've ever looked at contemporary art and wondered why someone paid x millions for a sculpture, this book explains the business behind it. The chapter on high-end auction houses wasn't as interesting to me, but it's important for understanding pricing later.

blurb
writerlibrarian
post image

September photo challenge #8 Ugly Cover. It's not the quite the cover but the art piece it refers to. This is an amazing book on contemporary art and the money side of it. The 12 million dollars stuffed shark Damien Hirst "created" is quite ugly.

#septphotochallenge