Auctioneer

Adventures in the Art Trade

By: Simon de Pury, William Stadiem

Narrated by: Ralph Lister

Just as William Goldman, the ultimate screenwriter, took us inside Hollywood, Simon de Pury, the ultimate art player, will take us inside an even more secretive business, whose staggering prices, famous collectors, and high crimes are front-page news almost every day.

The former chairman of Sotheby's Europe, the former owner of Sotheby's rival Phillips de Pury, and currently a London-based dealer and advisor to great collectors around the world, Simon has one of the highest profiles of any nonartist in the art world. Even though he has an ancient title and the aura of an elegant Swiss banker, Simon is famous as an iconoclast and is known as "The Mick Jagger of Auctions" for his showmanship and exuberance. His whole life in art has been devoted to bringing art to the public and to the juxtaposition of high and low.

Movie stars, musicians, and athletes compete with hedge funders and billionaires for the great art, and Simon is their pied piper; he wants to turn the world to art, and this book will be his message.

©2016 Simon de Pury (P)2016 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Secrets of High End Art Revealed

I have little experience with the art world. If I see a painting I'll like it, dislike it, or be indifferent.
When listening to this book, I knew in the first few minutes I was delving into a foreign world. What did I have in common with the wealthy, well connected, politically powerful, famous, and art royalty of this story? Only an appreciation of beauty and the way art communicates to the experiencer.
I learned so much about art and the business of art, it was time well spent with this book.

The author’s experiences from inside the art world along with his rise to the top of his career. What a life!

Just totally loved this book. The stories told were amazing to me having not known much about this glamorous side of the art world.

well..ok

Name dropping yep...a peek at how the other half , I mean 1%, live? Yep
But I wanted to know the inner workings of the actual art market, not his love life.

Informative about the current top of the artworld.

Provided interesting insight into the artworld of the recent past and today. Also insight into the lifestyles and motivation of some of the the wealthiest art collectors. Some history of art dealers as well as a look into the history and workings of the art auction business.

This book is a waste of time. I want my credit back

Author is an egotist. Reader read at a speed and inflections were such that it became difficult to comprehend.