Customer Reviews

I Sold Andy Warhol (Too Soon)

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It doesn't matter if you're an art aficionado or neophyte...this book will inform and entertain you at the same time. I would even recommend this book to anyone that just wants to read a great non-fiction book.

When I started reading the book, I read the first 50 pages in the blink of an eye. I had to pace myself not to read the entire book all in one night...the book is that good.

Richard Polsky is like the "Robert Langdon" of the art world. He is an art dealer / adviser that has somehow done the impossible...unveiled the "other" side of the art world that most of us, if not all of us, have no idea even exists.

Anyone that has ever wondered how one acquires a piece of art, from a $1,000 local artist to a $1,000,000 Warhol, would be startled to realize what exactly goes on behind the scenes. Well, thanks to Mr. Polsky, now I know.

What I love most about this book is that it gives us an insightful look at the evolution of artists and their art, in every aspect, over the last 40+ years (from pop art's iconic Andy Warhol to modern artists like Damien Hirst)...to what high art has possibly become today, nothing more than another tradeable commodity.

What makes a painting worth $50,000,000? Is it its artistic value? Maybe. Is it because the color of the painting is what's in at the moment? Maybe. Is it a status symbol game between billionaires to see who can spend more? Maybe. Is it because it was marketed by an auction house that made the price go up? Maybe. Is it because a powerful art dealer floated a rumor that the painting is worth $50,000,000? Maybe.

After reading this book, I'm even more intrigued with the art world than I was before. Read this book. You'll love it.

This is a chatty, informative and even, at times, humorous look at the comings and goings in the world of selling and buying fine art. The author had one of the Andy Warhol "Fright Wig" paintings and he sold it at an auction for a price that completely satisfied him. Of course, in two years the painting was sold again for triple the price. Now it is worth in the millions. Hence the book's title.

If you are not much interested in art I don't think you would enjoy this book. I liked it myself, but I teach Art History. Students often are amazed at the price of fine art and this books gives some very good background.

Art has become a multimillion dollar business. "I Sold Andy Warhol (Too Soon)" is one man's reflections on the world of art and how it has quickly departed from admiring artistic expression to being all about the art on green paper we call money. Jaded, surprised, and disappointed, Richard Polsky tells what can be a sad tale of the commercialization of human creativity. "I Sold Andy Warhol:(Too Soon)" is a fine and recommended read that is well worth considering for art fans critical of the direction of the modern world of art.

What a great sequel to his first book. I really enjoyed this book like a great art salesman he tells a series of events all centered on his quest for a new Warhol..

It is fascinating, informative and a fun read. You really cannot ask for more. I am eagerly awaiting another book from you Richard, Thank You for the hours of enjoyment in telling your tale

In i sold Andy Warhol. (too soon), Richard Polsky takes the reader on a tour of high priced art and the dealer world of artists, buyers, sellers, galleries, auction houses, and of course, the deal. Polsky is well suited to this task as he has been involved in most of these roles. As a former galley owner and collector, he purchased art and sold it. He is intimately familiar with the big auction houses and the inside manuverings that characterize the transfer of great art from one collector to another.

The book is loosely organized around Polsky's quest to find an Andy Warhol painting for one of his clients. They work the network, approaching known Warhol collectors, quizzing galleries, and attending auctions. All of this brings angst to Polsky. He had had a Warhol and sold it years ago, before the meteoric rise of art prices. Seeing what a Warhol brought at today's prices (a million or more) made his selling that much more painful.

I found the discussion about how the art world is changing quite interesting. Polsky sees a decline in galleries and more and more attention shifting to the big auctions. He redefines himself in this world, changing his role to an art purchasing advisor rather than a gallery owner, and believes this is where many who want to stay in this world will end up as a career choice. I also found the world of the super-rich and their concerns interesting.

This book is recommended for anyone interested in art, how artists work, and especially the finance of great art.

I'm admittedly ignorant when it comes to the art world. While I enjoy looking at art, I haven't the least clue as to what makes one painting more valuable than another. Surprisingly, this ignorance didn't keep me from enjoying this hysterical art world expose.

Polsky relates the tempestuous, oft-times greedy, heady business of high-end art collection. From the artists themselves to the dealers to the famous auction houses, Polsky chronicles the premature sale of his beloved Andy Warhol painting at auction (he needed the money to fund his wife's obscene shopping habit).

One forgives the occasional over-the-top, Chandler-esque metaphor ("....festered like a piece of rotting fruit") because Polsky is just so damned entertainingly informative. The art world reads like a soap opera run amok. Ever wonder how a piece of art comes to sell for millions and millions of dollars? What makes it "worth" that amount? Polsky explains it all and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Terrific follow up to 'I Bought Andy Warhol.' Sad sack art dealer Richard Polsky proves the ineptitude of the so-called secondary market dealer. Hilarious. Well written. A real page turner.

Having interviewed many art world personas: artists (represented and unrepped), dealers (new and established), advisors, and sociologists, and having worked for various arts organizations, I can assure you that the titillating words within this book's pages are no exaggeration. As the least regulated commercial industry, the art world remains fragmented, highly incestuous and corrupt. But more importantly, it is vulnerable to the influx of sophisticated, innovative, and collaborative youth entering the business.

This was a fun read and names names.
I like the style and approach, honest and revealing about the players; kind of like Kruk and Kuip who
broadcast the SF Giants games as opposed to Orel Hirsheiser and Steve Phillips whose one dimensional
approach is to lecture on the minutia of baseball theory ad nauseum (on ESPN), dissecting each and every second of the game as if we were retards.
Having read references to and about Ivan Karp, Illeana Sonnabend, Clement Greenberg, et al, in Art News, Art Forum and other texts, it was fun to read about the idiosyncracies of the Pop Art and later day players from a player's perspective (rather than a critics). In that regard, it's interesting that RP didn't mention one art critic in the book. I wonder what his views on art critics is, and what the politics of that field is.

If you have any eye for aesthetics, you probably lament art works you passed up too. I could have bought a Warhol large flower painting from Foster-White in Seattle for practically nothing when they first came out. I really liked the image, but was too cheap to pull the trigger. also could have bought a Ruscha Standard Oil image; had it in my hands when in L.A. but same thing.
My position in the art world is as a minor, minor, outsider. Even the local art gallery won't show my work,even though I have been juried into several shows at museums and galleries. I think my work isn't commercial enough. Which brings up Bill Anton. Nice paintings, but boring; just mho. Does anyone buy paintings of Yosemite Falls anymore?