The Art Business [Paperback]

By the time you read this book, the art world may have witnessed the sale of its first $500 million painting. Whilst for some people money is anathema to art this is clearly a wealthy international industry, and a market with its own conventions and pressures.

Drawing on the vast experience of Sothebys Institute of Art, The Art Businessexposes the realities of the commercial trade in fine art and antiques. Attention is devoted to the role of auction houses, commercial galleries and art museums as key institutions, with the text divided into four thematic sections covering:

• technical and structural elements of the art market
• cultural policy and management in art business
• regulatory legal and ethical issues in the art world
• the views, through interviews, of leading art market experts.

This book provides a thorough examination of contemporary issues in the art business, and the mechanisms and influences which underpin its evolution. It is essential reading for students of art history or international business, or anyone with an interest in pursuing a career in this area.

1. Introduction to Studies in Art Businesss  2. Price Before Value  3. Selling Used Cars, Carpets and Art  4. Investing in Art  5. 'Chindia' as Market Opportunity  6. Private Patrons in a Contemporary Art Market  7. Marketing in Art Business  8. Authorship and Authentication  9. Celebrating the Artists Resale Right  10. Ethics and the Art Market  11. Art and Crime  12. Voice from the Field

Iain Robertson is deputy academic director and head of art business studies at Sotheby's Institute of Art. He is an Asia correspondent for the international edl#