Synopses & Reviews
In the tradition of Liar's Poker and Kitchen Confidential, the inside story on one man's quest to own the perfect Warhol painting. In 1987 art dealer Richard Polsky set aside $ 100,000 to purchase for his private collection a painting by famed Pop artist Andy Warhol--a process that took him 12 years. His journey, spanning the art world of the go-go 1980s to the recession of the 1990s, is recounted here in this funny, fast-paced, and intensely readable expose. Artists, gallery owners, auction houses, and collectors all play a role in this entertaining tale that illuminates not only Warhol the person--and his place in art history--but also the machinations and marketing that fueled his celebrity, driving the price of his paintings to the top of the market (in 1998 publisher Si Newhouse bought Orange Marilyn for $ 17.3 million--the highest price ever paid per square inch for a work of contemporary art). As an industry insider, Polsky reveals the relationships that make the art world go round. I Bought Andy Warhol is a behind-the-scenes look at that world--a look that reveals it to be filled with humor, hypocrisy, gossip, greed, manipulation, and money.
Review
"Warhol shadows the scene like a spectral under-painting: his tender cosmetic treatment of endangered species and dollar signs alike bespeaks a wry indifference to subject, allowing prized items to be as banal as obsession itself. Polsky's unabashed esteem for rarity is a curious tribute to the democratic side of the artist whose icon he seeks." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Often biting, always amusing behind-the-scenes glimpse of the heady world of art collecting." Kirkus
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. [245]-247) and index.
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 of art by post-war artists, with an emphasis on Pop art. In 1995 Polsky began writing a series of financial guidebooks known as the Art Market Guides and he is currently a contributor to Artnet.com. He lives in San Francisco.