The $12 Million Stuffed Shark

The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art

Business & Finance, Marketing & Sales, Consumer Behaviour, Nonfiction, Art & Architecture, General Art
Cover of the book The $12 Million Stuffed Shark by Don Thompson, St. Martin's Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Don Thompson ISBN: 9780230341937
Publisher: St. Martin's Press Publication: February 21, 2012
Imprint: St. Martin's Press Language: English
Author: Don Thompson
ISBN: 9780230341937
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication: February 21, 2012
Imprint: St. Martin's Press
Language: English

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 Million Stuffed Shark is a Freakonomics approach to the economics and psychology of the contemporary art world. Why were record prices achieved at auction for works by 131 contemporary artists in 2006 alone, with astonishing new heights reached in 2007? Don Thompson explores the money, lust, and self-aggrandizement of the art world in an attempt to determine what makes a particular work valuable while others are ignored.

This book is the first to look at the economics and the marketing strategies that enable the modern art market to generate such astronomical prices. Drawing on interviews with both past and present executives of auction houses and art dealerships, artists, and the buyers who move the market, Thompson launches the reader on a journey of discovery through the peculiar world of modern art. Surprising, passionate, gossipy, revelatory, The $12 Million Stuffed Shark reveals a great deal that even experienced auction purchasers do not know.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

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 Million Stuffed Shark is a Freakonomics approach to the economics and psychology of the contemporary art world. Why were record prices achieved at auction for works by 131 contemporary artists in 2006 alone, with astonishing new heights reached in 2007? Don Thompson explores the money, lust, and self-aggrandizement of the art world in an attempt to determine what makes a particular work valuable while others are ignored.

This book is the first to look at the economics and the marketing strategies that enable the modern art market to generate such astronomical prices. Drawing on interviews with both past and present executives of auction houses and art dealerships, artists, and the buyers who move the market, Thompson launches the reader on a journey of discovery through the peculiar world of modern art. Surprising, passionate, gossipy, revelatory, The $12 Million Stuffed Shark reveals a great deal that even experienced auction purchasers do not know.

More books from St. Martin's Press

Cover of the book The God of War by Don Thompson
Cover of the book The Inspector Erlendur Series, Books 1-3 by Don Thompson
Cover of the book The Melody of Secrets by Don Thompson
Cover of the book American Betrayal by Don Thompson
Cover of the book The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek: The First 25 Years by Don Thompson
Cover of the book The Bible's Cutting Room Floor by Don Thompson
Cover of the book The Shawnee Trail by Don Thompson
Cover of the book Always Compete by Don Thompson
Cover of the book Soul Scorched: Part 3 by Don Thompson
Cover of the book Derek Jeter by Don Thompson
Cover of the book Jennifer Lopez by Don Thompson
Cover of the book Navy SEAL Dogs by Don Thompson
Cover of the book To My Husband with Love by Don Thompson
Cover of the book The Dark-Hunters, Books 10-12 by Don Thompson
Cover of the book The Scent of Murder by Don Thompson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy