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I Bought Andy Warhol (Hardcover)

by Richard Polsky (Author) "HAVE YOU EVER WALKED INTO AN AUTO showroom and been assaulted by their sales force hell-bent on selling you a new car?..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Andy Warhol, Los Angeles (more...)
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
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I Bought Andy Warhol + The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art + Seven Days in the Art World
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
So what was it like to be an art dealer in the go-go ‘80s? California-based private dealer Richard Polsky drops some juicy anecdotes into an account of his quest to add a Warhol painting to his personal collection. The title of his book, I Bought Andy Warhol, is a wink-wink reference to a film about a disgruntled Factory member who shot the artist in 1968. Polsky’s attitude is wryly bemused as he recounts tales of practical jokes, petty grudges, peculiar dining experiences, and other indignities that befall a little guy in a world of sharks. The cast of characters includes heavyweight New York dealers Ivan Karp, Jim Corcoran, and Larry Gagosian as well as mid-range collectors and artists better known in California than in Manhattan. Warhol himself makes no personal appearances, though Polsky assiduously tracks fluctuations in the superstar’s market value. Along the way, there are useful nuggets ranging from questions a potential art buyer should ask a dealer to typical auction house pricing strategies. The author is a likeable character who demonstrates surprising candor about trying to make a living in the early ‘90s, when art prices plummeted. While some readers may be taken aback by Polsky’s relentless stress on the monetary worth of a work of art as opposed to its aesthetic value, his book is a gossipy account of running a unique kind of business, selling one-of-a-kind products in a highly volatile market. —Cathy Curtis

Review
"Often biting, always amusing behind-the-scenes glimpse of the heady world of art collecting." -- Kirkus

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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; First Printing edition (June 1, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0810942712
  • ISBN-13: 978-0810942714
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #932,530 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #41 in  Books > Arts & Photography > Instructional & How-To > Collecting

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First Sentence:
HAVE YOU EVER WALKED INTO AN AUTO showroom and been assaulted by their sales force hell-bent on selling you a new car? Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Andy Warhol, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Jim Corcoran, Fright Wig, Joseph Cornell, Chuck Arnoldi, Fred Hughes, Ivan Karp, Santa Monica, Acme Art, Belgian Shoes, Corcoran Gallery, Dennis Hopper, Leo Castelli, Mary Boone, Roy Lichtenstein, West Coast, Jackson Pollock, David Hockney, Jonathan Novak, Madison Avenue, Ohio House, Bay Area
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Customer Reviews

21 Reviews
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4.0 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars In Pursuit Of Pop., June 16, 2003
By F. Gentile (Lake Worth, Florida, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
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.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful lnsight into the Art World, August 5, 2004
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!
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8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Profit Speaks, June 13, 2003
By John Seed (Temecula, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars It's great to see the other side of the art biz
Being an artist, I really got a charge out of seeing the buyers' side of the art world.

Andy Warhol is my favorite artist so, needless to say, the title caught my... Read more
Published on April 21, 2005 by Wilhelmina Gaudy

4.0 out of 5 stars Art is crass commercialism, isn't it?
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. Read more
Published on February 13, 2005 by Charles - Music Lover

1.0 out of 5 stars Needs an Editor
Alhthough Polsky has some interesting insights on the art market, they are relatively few, and are separated by numerous pointless anecdotes and even more pointless details. Read more
Published on December 26, 2004 by Mark Twain

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wildly Entertaining Peek Behind The Canvas
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... Read more
Published on August 4, 2004 by Desert Yogi

4.0 out of 5 stars Picaresque to a fault
Richard Polsky is an endearing clown who is constantly taken advantage of and browbeaten by sharper operators. Read more
Published on April 14, 2004 by Kevin Killian

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, light, easy reading.
I have been looking forward to this book for quite a while since I enjoy Polsky's columns for artnet.com and thought this Art Market Guides were incredibly helpful. Read more
Published on February 8, 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Revealing and highly recommended reading
I Bought Andy Warhol by Richard Rolsky surveys both the art world and Polsky's journey through it in search of the truths of relationships between artists, galleries, auction... Read more
Published on December 7, 2003 by Midwest Book Review

2.0 out of 5 stars 12 Years???
I have one question. What's so great about taking 12 years to do what most serious art collectors do in one telephone call?
Published on November 4, 2003 by Keith May

1.0 out of 5 stars The author must be ...
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. Read more
Published on August 17, 2003 by andrewcornell

4.0 out of 5 stars A great lesson in "caveat emptor" .. and a great read
I quite enjoyed this book and the accounts therein of the gamesmanship and snobbery of the high-end art world. Read more
Published on August 17, 2003 by psw20

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