Interesting expose of the financial underpinnings of modern art sales. Absurd and astonishing insights within!
929476
I found this book to be a slow read, mostly because every chapter I had to stop and allow it all to sink in. Like most people not of the art world, I assumed artists created art and somehow the marketplace assigned a value. Artists who do not actually create their art? Art as smoke and mirrors lacking substance? It is all here. Thompson exposes the art world as one of sleight of hand based upon PR and fame. It is disgusting and intriguing all at the same time.

I was recently the executor of an estate of relatives who died in their 90's after a lifetime of collecting modern art. It was appraised as worth virtually nothing. I was glad they did not live to see that but also happy that they enjoyed their collection for what it was. This book helped me understand why this happened. I'm not sure this book would be of general interest but given my experience I did find it enlightening.
1306411
Alden Douglas has delivered an outrageous mix of outlandish elements and managed to make it all work. High finance, high-end hookers, high-tech hijinks and oceans of fun ... yet forcing a reader to thoughtfully confront complicated moral dilemmas. Is business-as-usual on Wall Street laudable or criminal? And most of us would readily agree that sexual slavery is not consensual by any stretch of the imagination. But is any sex-for-hire truly consensual? When is hacking noble? The author's comic asides on everything from modern art to greyhound racing to British attire and car-envy are needle sharp. Easily read in one sitting.
4365802
I have just spent the last week reading this book and as an emerging artist i must say i have never read such a informative book which helps one navigate the tricky art world !
3231766
This book kept me wide eyed from the start.  From the blatant neglect which stole his youth, to a banking system that
neglects the common threads of human decency with it's billion dollar record keeping tricks and thievery, this is a must read for anybody who
wonders what is wrong with big money today.  I applaud John Cruz for sharing the painful truths!
369810
I feared this was going to be a dry theoretical book about how the Pre-Raphelites expressed themselves through their small magazine.  Instead I found a detailed account of young active creative minds that made the Pre-Raphaelites come to life in an illuminating way.  The trials and tribulations of their "Germ" magazine and how it was received are as relevant to today's world as ever.  Fitting how narrative and self-publishing are increasingly recognised as skills that can help make the most of the digital age, one finds energy, unbound enthusiasm and strong emotion in the artists that were bold enough to publish their ideas on what constitutes art and its full expression.  They were ahead of their age, pioneers of combining poetry, narrative, sculpture and fine art; they reached for "multimedia" before the term was a household world.  This book opened up a fresh view of the Pre-Raphaelites, a scholarly, authoritative and insightful study of how a humble four-issue magazine, so novel that it was poorly appreciated in its day, nonetheless paved the way for the hobby and recreation magazines that fill the bookstands today.  A surprisingly provocative and inspiring read!
3430718
Author Ken Perenyi takes us into his personal world of art forgery beginning with his stilted, seemingly rudderless teenage years.  The chance encounters with characters like Tony, Jimmy, Sonny, Mr. Jory, and Jose help shape his character and talent.  The beginning chapters are drug-laden and involve brushes with crime but as Perenyi's skills mature, he helps expose the world of auction houses, duped collectors, and the role of the art expert!

It is unlike any book on art you might read...not concentrating on specific paintings but on how they are forged with professional approaches.  I learned so much, I'd recommend this book.
3558437
As a traditional artist, the rift between "representational" art, and "abstract expressionism", among many other descriptive titles, is infuriating.  If you've ever wandered into a "modern" gallery, then wondered where all the masters went, or perhaps the thought crossed your mind: how did we get from there to here?  Then for you, this is a must read!  In "The Painted Word", Tom Wolfe lays it all out in a most eloquent and entertaining way.  Just how small was the sub-nation of artists and critics who turned the world of fine art upside down?  Who were the critics who took it upon themselves to decide for all of us: what is art?  If you honestly believe that anything a gallery declares "art" is so, then for you, this should be required reading....
346769
Ponzi and Picasso is a deftly written book and a must read page turner, which I could not put down! It was fascinating to learn so much about the art world from the artists and dealers first starting out in NYC with all their hopes and aspirations to the most successful ones at the top of their game and how they achieved their goals. A most intriguing fictional and informative plot!
1929799
What happens when greed rules and there is no oversight?  When people are encouraged to take out loans they can never hope to repay and then these bad debts are repackaged as solid investments and sold off to other unwary victims?  When the housing bubble expands and expands until it pops, collapsing much of the financial marketplace?  All this is explained in a chronological overview that emphasizes the absurdity of and the malfeasance behind the housing/financial collapse.  Although I did not enjoy The Big Short as much as Liars Poker, I did appreciate gaining a greater understanding of the events and people behind the news.  I especially enjoyed the portraits of the rare (as in few and also as in odd)  individuals that saw the farce for the charade and menace that it was.  And, when their warnings went unheeded, bet against the common wisdom of the time and made their fortunes.
3860473
There was no doubt to me reading this  book that I was being given a glimpse inside the exclusive and fascinating world of Andy Warhol by one of his favorite insiders. Indeed, a little research revealed  that the multi-talented Ms. Moynihan not only was a cover girl for him but worked  at his magzine for five years.  The biggest mystery to me is, who was the rock star?  I strongly suspect he of the big lips, skinny hips and Brit accent.  As the "protagonist" moves on to India and the Far East one follows her growth as a person who, as Patrick Moynihan's daughter, proves herself to be a chipette off ol' block.  She's clearly her illustrious and highly respected father's daughter.  It's an unusual book and hard to catagorize but that individualism is also among its many strengths.  I like learning things from books I read and this book filled the plate.
2815748
I enjoy books that look at the economics of off-beat topics and this one certainly did not disappoint. I know nothing at all about modern art, but I enjoyed how Thompson took me through the process and explained how it all worked. His analysis was fascinating on what makes an artist that people will spend millions for and who will never make it. The early chapters on the infamous $12 million dollar shark grabbed my attention right away.
4157465
Have you ever been fascinated by the stories of someone buying a valuable piece of art for a few dollars at a garage sale or the local Goodwill store and then selling it for thousands?  If you have ever dreamed of doing the same thing, you would do well to pick up a copy of this book.

The authors, Les and Sue Fox says, "According to our research, there are an estimated 50 million undiscovered painting in America worth hundreds to millions of dollars!  Which someone, sooner or later will cash in on."

So there appears to be a significant amount of valuable art work in the hands of uninformed people.  With a little knowledge and a lot of diligent looking, it is possible to find one or more of these treasures.

The first thing you will learn from this book is discovering a valuable piece of art rarely happens by accident.  You need to have some idea of what you are looking for.  Art is not necessarily valued by the beauty of the painting but more so by the fame of the author.  You will need to understand why some paintings are more valuable than others.  This book gives you a good foundation of how the market values art works.  While there are countless artists in America, there are a relatively small handful of artists whose works account for the majority of art work handled by the auction houses.

The authors have identified a small group of artists, 120 who works are most likely to make up the bulk of undiscovered painting. The major portion of the book profiles these 120 artists, giving an example of their work, a sample of their signature, a description of the work and the auction house which handled the sale, when it occurred and the amount it sold for.

There are plenty of examples of works which were discovered and the complete details of the transaction.  Some are really mind boggling.

The book is printed on very high quality, glossy paper.  There are a lot of valuable resources mentioned in the book.  If you are serious about becoming an art hunter, this is truly a must have book.  In addition because it contains so much information about a the most famous artists and a color sample of their work, it would make a great gift for anyone interested in art and art collecting.
1090378
This is a very impressive book! It details how, over the years, money progressed during history from a means of commerce to the ultimate goal, and the financialization of the US from a nation which was centered on producing things to producing debt, camouflaged as things. Plus, all kinds of derivative concoctions, resulting in just moving around forms of money, with financial insiders and middle people collecting fees, bonuses, etc, all the while these concoctions were so difficult to understand that many didn't even try to understand them, just relying on rating agency ratings while the rating agencies were just a marketing tool of the financial industry, bought and paid for - another form of money exchanging hands with no, or little, analysis of risk. So, the whole thing was a financialization of risk using debt. The book does make a good case that insiders in the financial institutions intentionally wanted many mortgages to fail and used another concoction, credit default swaps (an over-leveraged form of insurance). What they didn't count on were the senior level mortgage concoctions failing because no one really anticipated how far home prices could fall.

And, the creators of this mess were bailed out by everyday taxpayers. If you are a fan of Ayn Rand and free-market capitalism, embraced by Milton Friedman and Chicago economists, you probably will be critical of that part of the book, as the author finds much fault with them, including Greenspan, but does also cover that blame extends pretty much everywhere - everyone wanted to prosper. But, it really was a phony prosperity.

The last words in this terrific book, as an epilogue to the financial mess we are still going through...."Extreme Money, the idea of universal wealth and prosperity engineered by financial alchemy, was immensely powerful, impossible to resist. Was it possible to turn back? As Leonardo DiCaprio understands in the film, 'Inception,' 'the hardest virus to kill is an idea.'"
2483847
When I first started reading, I thought this book would be over my head, but after a few pages I was hooked on the fascinating lives of incredibly rich people weve heard about but never like this! The Day the Bubble Burst covers the history of the stock market from the middle 1800s to the mid -1900s.  But its not a boring history. It is about real people, rich and poor, in real situations who believed in the slogan Everyone deserves to be rich. Wall Street in New York became their god, the stock market their highway to a financial heaven. There are shocking revelations of complex manipulations, embezzlements, and ramifications that adversely affected almost the entire world when the market crashed.
The author is an omniscient storyteller that made me feel as if he knew each person. His extensive research is so smoothly weaved into the story that I felt as if he was actually in the secret business meetings with J.P. Morgan, Henry Ford, Jack Kennedy, J. Edgar Hoover and many others, in the homes of the rich and poor listening to their plans and dreams, in the streets during the celebrations when the market was up and the chaos when the market was down.
There is so much I want to say about this book, but I would spoil it for the reader. It is captivating, a definite 6!
3838550
I found this book interesting on many levels.  I am an artist.  I didn't particularly like Kincaid's work but understand why some folks did.  This book however was more about business practices than art.  It illustrates what can happen when a group of leaders focus on sales and short term at the expense of ethics.  I saw a lot of this in my own business experience and it moved me from a conservative who voted for Goldwater to a liberal that understands the need for regulations.
1181721
Excellent informative and amusing summary of the causes of our recent financial crisis, based closely on real facts.  There are asides  injected occasionally such as "He really said that.", which helps one see how absurd the whole situation really was.
3488708
I cannot believe a book like this was even written. Just stunning. Each page is a gold nugget of intelligence into the artistic process... and life. It's taken me months to read because I keep reading and pausing to reflect on the insights. Artists are vital and important and the author unpacks something rarely examined -- PROCESS. Artist or not, this book will improve the way you see and exist in the world.