Other Press sent me a copy of their latest release from author Richard Polsky. “I Sold Andy Warhol. (Too Soon)” is a follow up to the successful, “I Bought Andy Warhol”, penned five years earlier.
Andy Warhol, Self-portrait (Fright Wig), synthetic polymer and silkscreen ink on canvas, 1986.
The last two decades has seen a meteoric rise in auction value for work created by the late Andy Warhol. The book is a first person account of attempts to procure several different variants of the painting, “Fright Wig” (above). Polsky has been a private dealer for more than thirty years. He has also lent his authorship in the form of a regular column to Artnet online.
His experiences as collector and dealer inculcate his latest book with a credibility that could be found in few other places. Anyone involved in the art world will delight in Polsky’s honesty and humor. The work should also attract a larger audience as a tense narrative of business with millions at stake.
I do occasionally read about the “art market” for reference as an artist and gallery owner. It is usually a hunt for a few bits of useful information in a heap of uninspired text. I found “I Sold Andy Warhol. (Too Soon)” to be quite the opposite, it is engaging on a level that exceeds its genre. I was recommending it to some friends before the last page was reached. You can pick up your copy here.
Richard Polsky, I Sold Andy Warhol. (Too Soon), 2009.
Richard Polsky
I Sold Andy Warhol. (Too Soon)
Released: September 2009
Other Press
i always think andy looks like a unicorn in that photo.