I was wandering around Chelsea yesterday, cogitating about my future Post-Sotheby’s Blues article (No Joke.I’ve never handled the end of things very well), thinking about how wonderful it was to meet in person the YBA Mat Collishaw that same morning (minus the post traumatic stress generated by the sight of his “Infectious Flowers“, this guy is the real deal) , and how good it feels to be surrounded by so much creativity. Dam London, I miss you already.
For some reasons this early stage of nostalgia made me want to buy some books. In my infinite quest of trying to learn always more about art, its market and its secrets, I realised that there isn’t such a thing as owning too much book. Yes, we do love books at The Bubblist, Raquela’s Top five Art Books is one of our classic on the blog, and I would love to add to her list some of my recent finds that particularly focus on the art market and the notion of “value” :
“The Value of Art : Money, Power, Beauty” by Michael Findlay
“A collector has one of three motives for collecting : a genuine love of art, the investment possibilities, or its social promise. I have never known a collector who was not stimulated by all three“. The author, Michael Findlay is a long time auction house adviser (named head of Impressionist and Modern Paintings at Christie’s in the mid-eighties ) and art dealer. He is sharing with us his incredible knowledge of the art market, and make us think about “What is Art worth?”. An essential reading.
“Breakfast at Sotheby’s: An A-Z of the Art World” by Philip Hook
Philip Hook is a Modern-Art and Impressionist specialist working at Sotheby’s. Based on his 35 years of experience in the art world, “Breakfast at Sotheby’s” can be seen as a guide that will answer most of your questions with a piquant sense of humour : “His delightful “Breakfast at Sotheby’s” is a house sale of a book, a chance for him to clear out 35 years of memories as an art dealer and auctioneer, first at Christie’s and then Sotheby’s, a rival auction house. Besides the colourful stories, Mr Hook offers various theories about the art world, and keen insight on that vexing question of what gives art value“*.
“Ways of Curating” by Hans Ulrich Obrist
We don’t present the man anymore. Hans Ulrich Obrist is a Swiss-born curator (and co-director of the Serpentine Gallery) with a bombastic reputation (probably one of the world most respected curator) is offering us once again (if you don’t have a copy of “A Brief History of Curating” turn off your computer right now and go get one) an inside look at the art of curating : “His book is about the curator’s role as a maker of exhibitions, a task that involves tracing hidden connections between artworks and forging untrammelled routes across culture in search of new ways of experiencing art; new ways of looking at the world around us“**.
Don’t be shy, scroll down and share with us your art book “must have” in the comment section.
I wish you all a happy reading !
The Bubblist 