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Richard Polsky

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I Bought Andy Warhol Paperback – January 10, 2005

by Richard Polsky (Author)

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In 1987, Richard Polsky put aside $100,000 to buy a Warhol painting, a dream that took twelve years to realize. In a book that spans the years from the wild speculation of the late 1980s to the recession of the 1990s, Polsky, himself a private dealer, takes his readers on a funny, fast-paced tour through an industry characterized by humor, hypocrisy, greed, and gossip.

Print length

256 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Bloomsbury USA
Publication date

January 10, 2005
Dimensions

4.98 x 0.79 x 8.8 inches
ISBN-10

1582345244
ISBN-13

978-1582345246
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard Polsky began his professional career in the art world in 1978 as an exhibiting artist and director of a San Francisco gallery. In 1984 he founded Acme Art, where he showed the work of such artists as Joseph Cornell, Ed Ruscha, Andy Warhol, and outsider artist Bill Traylor. Since 1989 he has been a private dealer specializing in works by postwar artists, with an emphasis on Pop art. He is currently a contributor to artnet.com and lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury USA; Reprint edition (January 10, 2005)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1582345244
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1582345246
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.98 x 0.79 x 8.8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,441,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #222,358 in Arts & Photography (Books)

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4.1 out of 5

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Yoon Jun

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2014

good condition

Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2003

Verified Purchase

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.

9 people found this helpful

Helpful

F. Gentile

In Pursuit Of Pop.

Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2003

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.

19 people found this helpful

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Muriel

must read

Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2013

Verified Purchase

this is a "must read" for anyone interested in fine art whether a buyer or seller. The author was very forthcoming but never mean hearted.

Helpful

Kevin Killian

Picaresque to a fault

Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2004

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.

5 people found this helpful

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Adrian Vitelli

Excellent

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2015

Verified Purchase

Excellent , funny and informative.

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Charles - Music Lover

Art is crass commercialism, isn't it?

Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2005

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.

One person found this helpful

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clwinter

Wonderful lnsight into the Art World

Reviewed in the United States on 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!

6 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Greta Richards

The art of the deal

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 1, 2013

Verified Purchase

This is a very entertaining and instructive romp round the world of the art market. Lots of good character studies and sly insights into a milieu that's both amusing and a bit sordid. The device - the buying of an Andy Warhol - which frames the book is a little stretched but it's fun. Recommended

johan lindqvist

this is one of the best books I have ever read on the modern art ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 30, 2017

Verified Purchase

In my view, this is one of the best books I have ever read on the modern art market. It relates to contemporary artists, historical prices and how the market works from the inside. The author has a vast knowledge and is very entertaining. He is sharing a lot of great stories with a superb distance to himself and the art world. I can highly recommend it.

highfired

Playing with the sharks

Reviewed in Canada on March 26, 2012

Verified Purchase

A fascinating romp through the wild and wacky world of the high end art market. Richard's quest for a Warhol is the common thread to a lively and entertaining tale of a second string art dealer's career. Peppered with anecdotes of his encounters with the major players in the art world one wonders if he was ever invited to lunch again with the irreverent reflections of some crass behaviour on the part of America's tastemakers. A must read for anyone who has ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes.

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