I Bought Andy Warhol

Rating:
Summary: Minor dealer finds minor Warhol - big deal.
Review: A rather insignificant tale of a small time dealer who sadly hasn't more interesting things to do with his life than tell us how little he really has to say. This is especially true about the market generated genious of Warhol and his conveyor belt silk screens. Even if you are of the school that Warhol is to the second part of 20th Century what Picasso was to the first half, this slight book adds nothing to the alleged mystique or fame.

Rating:
Summary: Intro to the Art World 101
Review: A witty and informative intro to the art world. Polsky provides a captivating, easy-to-read insight into how the various players interact. No visit to a gallery or museum will ever be quite the same after reading this. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Needs an Editor
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A Wildly Entertaining Peek Behind The Canvas
Review: 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

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous
Review: For anyone who has any interest in contemporary art, this is a must-read. I'm a modest collector, but nothing educated me about the art business like this book. How cheering, too, to read of other people sublimely obsessed by paintings, just like me. A more objective thing to say is that this is very well written, exceptionally well-told, funny, self-mocking and wise. I couldn't put it down.

Rating:
Summary: Revealing and highly recommended reading
Review: I Bought Andy Warhol by Richard Rolsky surveys both the art world and Polsky's journey through it in search of the truths of relationships between artists, galleries, auction houses and collectors. In 1987 Rolsky as an art dealer set aside $100K to purchase painting by Warhol for his private collection: a move which would lead to unexpected exposure to underlying art world influences. His account is revealing and highly recommended reading.

Rating:
Summary: Fun, light, easy reading.
Review: I have been looking forward to this book for quite a while since I enjoy Polsky's columns for artnet.com and thought this Art Market Guides were incredibly helpful. But, after finishing the book, I found it amazing how sorry I felt for Polsky. The entire book was permiated with this sad undertone where time after time Polsky is reminded of his status as a bit player in the art market (you'll feel the same way when he complains about having to pay for lunch with two big dealers after losing a dice roll). At the end, he got his Warhol, but it's not a particularly fun journey to get there, and the reader is thinking, "Why didn't he just pick one up at one of the Contemp/Modern day sales." If you are interested in the market though, this book is a must-read. Same if you like Warhol. Looking forward to another book from Polsky, hopefully with some fresher material since if you've read his Market Guides and his Artnet columns, you read the bulk of this book. But, he does bring a blue-collar mentality to the art market, and that in and of itself is very refreshing.

Rating:
Summary: 12 Years???
Review: I have one question. What's so great about taking 12 years to do what most serious art collectors do in one telephone call?

Rating:
Summary: A great lesson in "caveat emptor" .. and a great read
Review: I quite enjoyed this book and the accounts therein of the gamesmanship and snobbery of the high-end art world. Of course, Polsky's own attitudes about art as commerce detract from the book slightly. Some blatant inaccuracies and omissions detracted as well. For instance, how can one write about the Manhattan art scene in the late 1980s without one mention of Keith Haring, who arguably had a greater international "pop" impact than Warhol for that time period? Also Basquiat is name-dropped a couple of times but that's it. Of course, it's a book about Warhol, so these are forgiveable. And to Polsky's comment that the Warhol museum was the first American museum devoted exclusively to one artist, I invite him to come down to St. Petersburg, Florida, so that he may visit the world-renowned Salvador Dali Museum, which predated the Warhol Museum by at least 10 years. But, despite these minor flaws, I found Polsky's accounts fascinating.

Rating:
Summary: A great lesson in "caveat emptor" .. and a great read
Review: I quite enjoyed this book and the accounts therein of the gamesmanship and snobbery of the high-end art world. Of course, Polsky's own attitudes about art as commerce detract from the book slightly. Some blatant inaccuracies and omissions detracted as well. For instance, how can one write about the Manhattan art scene in the late 1980s without one mention of Keith Haring, who arguably had a greater international "pop" impact than Warhol for that time period? Also Basquiat is name-dropped a couple of times but that's it. Of course, it's a book about Warhol, so these are forgiveable. And to Polsky's comment that the Warhol museum was the first American museum devoted exclusively to one artist, I invite him to come down to St. Petersburg, Florida, so that he may visit the world-renowned Salvador Dali Museum, which predated the Warhol Museum by at least 10 years. But, despite these minor flaws, I found Polsky's accounts fascinating.