The $12 Million Stuffed Shark

Oh, the grim reality exposed in The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art by Don Thompson! 

Are you an artist? A collector? A lover of art? Or do you just like an occasional expose?  If you are interested in how the contemporary art market works, this is the book for you. 

A word of caution – if you are an artist with aspirations of fame and fortune this book might 1) depress you, 2) discourage you, 3)stimulate your more cynical side, 4) completely alter your style, technique, raison d’etre, 5) save you tens of thousands on art education. 

On the other  hand, if you are, like me, someone who has made a modest living for a few decades on art, this may be 1) an incredibly refreshing dose of truth, (heretofore hidden in the private conversations of fellow artists) made public, and thereby validating many of our opinions previously referred to as “sour grapes”, 2) an opportunity to thank those who have collected your work out of love for what you do, 3) a chance to reconsider just why you do what you do, and perhaps to rekindle your own passion, because, after reading this book you may re-evaluate “value”.