Customer Reviews

I Bought Andy Warhol

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1 star:		(3)

 

 

Though I found this a pretty entertaining and amusing book, I don't know how interesting it would be to someone who hasn't been a "dealer" of some sort. Having myself been a dealer/collector on a comparatively modest scale for many years, I found many of the traits of the author to be homourously recognizable. Having heard numerous times from people "who cares if it holds it's value or increases, do you LIKE it??", only someone who has been there knows that the pursuit of a deal or hopeful investment is as important (sometimes more so) than any admiration you may have for the object of your pursuit. Most dealers start out as collectors, and they (at least many of the one's I've been exposed to) are a bizarre group of people, and suspicions and competitions run high. When you're dealing with someone in the league of Warhol,(which is way out of my league)you're going to be confronted by some snobby people. Author Polsky's look into this insular world is pretty accurate, and I did find his candor comical, such as his admission that he wanted to sit on Jackson Pollock's toilet. That's the kind of star-worship many feel but few would have the guts to admit to. A pretty down -to earth guy in a world of snoots. And though he is a big admirer of Warhol, this book has little to say about The Father Of Pop. But, if you're curious about the inner workings of the art world, I think you'll find this an interesting read.

I read this book on the red eye flight from San Francisco to New York hoping it would put me to sleep. It kept me up like NYC garbage truck at 3am.

The author is a snob, beyond belief. His tone is condescending at best. It is like a bad gossip column where he seems to ... on everyone else without ever taking a moment for self reflection. The common denominator in all his dealings is him so I suggest rather than point out everyone else's foibles take a good look in the mirror. And for god's sake where was his editor?

There are moments that are funny but in general I felt embarrassed for this guy. Yes some of his observations rang true but his "insider" point of view is obvious at best. I felt like I was being told by a self proclaimed "expert" that the sky was blue. ..P>If you want an interesting read on the art world of the 1980's read Post-To Neo, The Art World of the 1980's by Calvin Tomkins. Now that was an interesting read that actually had some research in it.

Also a good book on art and art making is Making It New: Collected Essays and Writings of Henry Geldzahler

I'm not a huge fan of non-fiction because I find at times the text to be dry and boring but I was so pleasantly surprised when I read this book! As a student of art history, I knew very little about the actual dealings that go on behind closed doors in galleries and auction houses, so this book was a wonderful eye-opener. This is not just a book about Polsky's quest to purchase his own Warhol but it is about the crazy personalities and deals that go on in the art world.

This is a great book that gives a lot of information on Warhol himself and the kind of struggle one might face if thinking of buying a contemporary art piece. A must read for any art enthusiast!

In the Dark Ages, pilgrims wearing the cockleshell of St. James roamed Europe hoping to glance the true relics of Saints. Richard Polsky, an art dealer/collector who opened his first art gallery in the roaring 1980's makes his twentieth century pilgrimage in $300.00 Belgian shoes, burning up cash and frequent flier miles in his quest to purchase a Warhol Self-Portrait, a prize equivalent to a skull of St. John the Baptist. Along the way, he visits the toilet stall where St. Jackson Pollock once did pennance, is baptized in the Pacific by art dealer James Corcoran, and even scores a brief audience with Pope Andy. Polsky, whose art market guides rate artists like blue chip stocks (buy, sell, hold) is a shrewd observer of capitalist systems, and a nice guy: a rarity in the often cut throat world of art dealing. This entertaining book chronicles and lovingly caricatures the author's quest for the seemingly contradictory goals of wealth and transcendence in a material world.

When you buy "I bought Andy Warhol", you will find many "characters" named by name. I am one of them. I can tell
you that Richard's accounts of the bizarre world of art dealing are true to a fault. Richard went off the reservation when he first started writing his guides to assessing the future appreciation potential of various artists. He did not make many friends with his sell recommendations. Thus, he decided he had nothing to lose in telling the truth about what goes on behind the scenes of the art world. If you have ever bought a piece of art for more than $1000 or think you will at some time in the future, Richard's book is must reading.
And yes, I still own my Warhol thanks to Richard. And no, it is not for sale.

This is a great book! I am in the process of reading it right now and taking my time because I don't want it to end. This is a must for anyone who is a collector of contemporary art - or anyone that is hoping to soon become a collector (like myself). Thanks for the insight and enjoyment Richard!

I've been on an Andy Warhol kick lately; I go through cyclical periods where I review his Diaries and read a book or two written about Warhol. This was my latest find and it was very enjoyable, with a novel premise: Polsky's story is about his pursuit of buying an Andy Warhol painting. Polsky recounts meeting Warhol briefly in 1986, shortly before Warhol's death, when he purchased a "minor" Warhol painting (one of the "$" paintings). With engaging prose, Polsky details the ups and downs of the art market in the 1990s. I have to admit that some of Polsky's anecdotes and comments about the art world's top dealers and celebrated artists were embarrassing. It somehow gets tied together nicely, though, as the ever elusive Warhol masterpiece darts in and out of Polsky's hands.

Don't worry if you're not an art aficionado. Regardless of whether there's a Warhol - or a crush-velvet Elvis - hanging behind your own couch, this book is a fantastic read. Richard Polsky has written a brutally honest and, at times, hilarious assessment of what goes on behind the scenes in the high-stakes, high drama

I have one question. What's so great about taking 12 years to do what most serious art collectors do in one telephone call?

Richard Polsky is an endearing clown who is constantly taken advantage of and browbeaten by sharper operators. His book details his ten year search of the perfect Warhol, and is fairly persuasive regarding the artisric merit of the late self-portraits he calls the "Fright Wigs." There's a particularly virulent one on the cover of his book. The antics of the art dealers he encounters are fit for "The Bonfire of the Vanities," and you will want to slap a few of them silly should you run into them shortly after being introduced to them in the pages of Polsky. Most people, he tells us, suffer from low self-esteem, but to a man (or woman), gallerists suffer from "high self-esteem," i.e. they think they're better than they actually are. Polsky paints himself as a man in over his head, and comparisons to Woody Allen have been made, but a better comparison might be Larry David . . . it's as if "Curb Your Enthusiasm" was set in the high-priced world of contemporary visual art . . . just as vulgar, crass and profane.