Rogues' Gallery: The Rise (and Occasional Fall) of Art Dealers, the Hidden Players in the History of

Rogues' Gallery: The Rise (and Occasional Fall) of Art Dealers, the Hidden Players in the History of Art

By Philip Hook

Here for the first time is the history of art dealers, those extraordinary men and woman who, over centuries (and almost entirely out of the public eye), built their profession on a singular skill: identifying the intangible but infinitely desirable qualities that characterize the greatest works of art--and finding clients for whom those qualities are irresistible.

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Book Information

Publisher: Experiment
Publish Date: 10/31/2017
Pages: 320
ISBN-13: 9781615194162
ISBN-10: 1615194169
Language: English

Full Description

Philip Hook's riveting narrative takes us from the early days of art dealing in Antwerp, where paintings were sold by weight, to the unassailable hauteur of contemporary galleries in New York, London, Paris, and beyond. Along the way, we meet a surprisingly wide-ranging cast of characters--from tailors, spies, and the occasional anarchist to scholars, aristocrats, and connoisseurs, some compelled by greed, some by their own vision of art--and some by the art of the deal.

Among them are Joseph Duveen, who almost single-handedly brought the Old Masters to America; Paul Durand-Ruel, the Impressionists' champion; Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, high priest of Cubism; Leo Castelli, dealer-midwife to Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art; and Peter Wilson, the charismatic Sotheby's chairman who made a theater of the auction room.

Rogues' Gallery bursts with unforgettable anecdotes and astute judgments about art and artists, honed by Hook's more than forty years in the art market--making it essential reading for anyone interested in the hidden history of art.

About the Author

Philip Hook has over forty-five years of expertise in the art market as a dealer and auctioneer, most recently as a board member and senior director of the Impressionist & Modern Art department at Sotheby's in London.

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