A poignant and painfully funny novel about the New York art world by the acclaimed author of Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself For two first-class years, Joan Freeley had it all: the perfect family, the best art dealer in Manhattan, and the admiration of famous friends. Her adoring husband and two handsome sons attended her first gallery show in matching khakis and blue blazers. “An Interesting Talent Makes Its Debut,” declared the New York Times. Then, as if her success were nothing more than a booking error, Joan’s life got downgraded. A brutal divorce led to paintings too bitter to sell and a career stuck firmly in coach. Unable to see her suffer alone any longer, Joan’s teenage son Richard leaves his father and older brother in Los Angeles and moves in to her one-bedroom apartment in SoHo. At the gallery openings where she used to be a star, Richard discovers just how much his mother’s light has dimmed. She is an artist who is not showing—she might as well be invisible. To acknowledge her is to acknowledge the thin line between success and failure in a world as superficial as it is intoxicating. Richard immediately devotes himself to returning his mother to her former glory. Everything about him—the clothes he wears, the jokes he makes, the college he attends—is calculated to boost Joan’s reputation. But as the years go by and the galleries keep sending back her slides, Richard has to ask: Who wants Joan Freeley’s resurrection more—him or her? And when will his own life start?

Drawing on the experience of Sotheby's Institute of Art, this text exposes the realities of the commercial trade in fine art, from its structure to legal issues and wider cultural policy, and including interviews with leading experts in the field.

When Dr. Jessica Shepard travels to Miami to attend an international art fair, she makes friends with a precocious child, Jonathan, and his family, as she looks to purchase some paintings. She’s also reacquainted with Alain Raynaud, Canadian narcotics detective, who has been asked to evaluate security at the art fair due to his prior work at art museums in Paris. After Jonathan’s grandfather recognizes a painting left behind in Germany when his family fled before World War II, an unexpected death occurs. Jessica is drawn into the mystery, wondering if the death was suicide or murder. No one can be trusted as gallery owners, a lawyer, an elderly woman and even her caretaker are questioned. It will take an art curator, a former gang member, a mathematician turned magician, as well as a good game of poker to help Jessica crack the case. She must use her analytical reasoning skills to help Raynaud and the authorities prove a murder has been committed and how it is connected to a questionable piece of art.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the professional activities of the art business. Addressing this fast-moving industry, The Art Business: Art World, Art Market analyses the sector’s institutions and structures, including galleries, auction houses and art fairs. The rapid development of art finance and its deployment of art as an asset class are covered, and up to moment observations are delivered on the quickly evolving auction system that includes dramatic changes at the major auction houses, Sotheby’s and Christie’s. This edition highlights growing crises in the market including the ever more unbearable costs of art fair attendance and the lack of a reliable system for establishing ownership and title of artworks. Ever more pressing ethical issues such as toxic museum donors, cultural heritage compliance, and problems of corrupt provenances are explored in detail. Enhanced by new data analytics on the US art market, the author also distils advice and guidance for working art professionals hoping to build their careers. The result is an up-to-date picture of an art business suitable for students and practitioners across the creative sector.

This go-to guide can be your handbook as you enter the art world and navigate the nuances of becoming self-sufficient. Instead of feeding you new techniques, it will provide you with insights to help you make decisions based on your specific situation and goals. By the end of this book, you will have a set of guidelines for scenarios that range from taking on commission work and conducting negotiations to dealing with rejection and improving your organization. Be the Artist is designed to help up-and-coming creatives educate themselves on essential yet seldom-discussed strategies, learn about new and relevant artists, and gather the resources they need to build their business.

Art Smart is a comprehensive guide to the Canadian art market for both novice and experienced collectors. It is full of advice that can give anyone the tools to determine the value of a piece of art and to not be intimidated by the often mystifying world of art. This informative and helpful volume covers the inner workings of the art market, from dealer trade secrets to expert strategies on buying and selling through auction houses and online. Art Smart gives the reader the knowledge needed to build a collection for long-term investment value, and also covers tax and estate planning, copyright issues, and charitable donations. It also contains all the latest resources for art research, with useful appendices to guide the art consumer in becoming their own art connoisseur. Art Smart is essential reading if you are curious to know more about how the art market functions and is an excellent resource guide for those already involved.