Being an artist, I really got a charge out of seeing the buyers' side of the art world.

Andy Warhol is my favorite artist so, needless to say, the title caught my eye and I HAD to buy it. The book reminded me of little boys who buy and trade baseball cards. It's made the business side of the art world less threatening and more fun.

I found this book well written and a very enjoyable read.

I've been on an Andy Warhol kick lately; I go through cyclical periods where I review his Diaries and read a book or two written about Warhol. This was my latest find and it was very enjoyable, with a novel premise: Polsky's story is about his pursuit of buying an Andy Warhol painting. Polsky recounts meeting Warhol briefly in 1986, shortly before Warhol's death, when he purchased a "minor" Warhol painting (one of the "$" paintings). With engaging prose, Polsky details the ups and downs of the art market in the 1990s. I have to admit that some of Polsky's anecdotes and comments about the art world's top dealers and celebrated artists were embarrassing. It somehow gets tied together nicely, though, as the ever elusive Warhol masterpiece darts in and out of Polsky's hands.

Alhthough Polsky has some interesting insights on the art market, they are relatively few, and are separated by numerous pointless anecdotes and even more pointless details. For example, in describing a visit to a colleague staying at an upscale Manhattan hotel, Polsky writes that (in case he wanted to stay there in the future) he decided to ask a few questions of the concierge, "a moderately attractive young lady, who was wearing a very businesslike skirt, jacket, silk blouse, and matching bow." (p. 208). Why exactly does it matter that the concierge was "moderately attractive"? So we can gauge how excited Polksy was? So the reader can decide whether he or she would rather stay at a hotel where the concierges are more than "moderately" attractive? Notably, Polsky then does not even have any questions for the concierge -- so it appears that the whole event was not designed to give him an opportunity to find out if he'd want to stay there in the future (as he claims), but simply so he can decide how "attractive" the concierge is. The book abounds in such pointless detail. The author comes across as self-impressed to an extraordinary degree, and while his occasional insights on the art world are interesting, the reader must suffer through a remarkable amount of banal detail. Not recommended.

I'm not a huge fan of non-fiction because I find at times the text to be dry and boring but I was so pleasantly surprised when I read this book! As a student of art history, I knew very little about the actual dealings that go on behind closed doors in galleries and auction houses, so this book was a wonderful eye-opener. This is not just a book about Polsky's quest to purchase his own Warhol but it is about the crazy personalities and deals that go on in the art world.

This is a great book that gives a lot of information on Warhol himself and the kind of struggle one might face if thinking of buying a contemporary art piece. A must read for any art enthusiast!

Don't worry if you're not an art aficionado. Regardless of whether there's a Warhol - or a crush-velvet Elvis - hanging behind your own couch, this book is a fantastic read. Richard Polsky has written a brutally honest and, at times, hilarious assessment of what goes on behind the scenes in the high-stakes, high drama