Breakfast at Sotheby's: An A–Z of the Art Word

Philip Hook

2014 urr. · Abrams

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“A witty journey through the wonderfully tumultuous world of art dealers and markets—organized in the style of a dictionary, complete with a glossary.” —Interview
 
Two questions are key to experiencing a work of art in a museum or exhibition: 1.) Do I like it? 2.) Who’s it by? You need quite a few more questions if you’re in an auction room or dealer’s gallery, however. You’ll find yourself asking, How much is it worth? How much will it be worth in five or ten years? And finally, what will people think of me if they see it hanging on my wall?
 
Breakfast at Sotheby’s is not only a guide to finding the answers to such questions, but also a glimpse into the rarely discussed financial side of the art world. Based on author Philip Hook’s thirty-five years of experience in the art market, the book explores various shades of artist (including -isms, Gericault, and suicides), subject and style (from abstract art and banality through surrealism and war), “wall-power,” provenance, and market weather.
 
Comic, revealing, piquant, splendid, and occasionally absurd, Breakfast at Sotheby’s is a book of pleasure and intelligent observation, as engaged with art as it is with the world that surrounds it.
 
“A breezy, whimsical and often wry compendium, chock-full of hard-won wisdom about what makes someone spend millions of dollars to buy an artwork at auction.” —The New York Times
 
“A winner. Readers will learn more about the modern art market in this simple book than in any college course.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review

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Philip Hook is a director and senior paintings specialist at Sotheby's. He has worked in the art world for thirty-five years, during which time he has also been a director of Christie's and an international art dealer. He is the author of five novels and two works of art history, including The Ultimate Trophy, a history of Impressionist painting.