In 2003, Richard Polsky published a memoir called I Bought Andy Warhol - all about his search for his 'dream painting', an Andy Warhol Fright Wig in electric green. Now, Polsky tells us about his (reluctant) decision to sell the painting - right before the art market exploded to bring unheard-of prices. With prices of art soaring, he finds dealing in art to be increasingly beyond his means - after all how can you reinvest without major profits?

Polsky definitely gives us an insider's look at the contemporary art market - the movers and shakers, and those who wish they were. There's a lot of high school-style politics, a lot of buttering up the right people and going through the steps when both parties know where they'll end up in the end. And it's increasingly an arena where name-dropping is more important than the actual art. In Polsky's words, it's becoming increasingly an investment opportunity rather than anything to do with the works themselves.

But one thing is certain, the love of contemporary art shines through in the pages of Polsky's memoir. His admiration of various artists and his explanations of their works were enlightening to me, who generally has no use for most contemporary art. And while I'm certainly not converted into a fan, I came away from Polsky's story with more knowledge about contemporary artists. In fact, I was extremely proud of myself when I passed a sign advertising a showing of Damien Hirst's new skull paintings - and actually had some idea of who he was and why this was new and different for him (and how it wasn't).

Despite the fact that I clearly gleaned some knowledge, and a bit more appreciation, of contemporary works, the memoir confused me quite a bit. As there was no real narrative thread, I was soon baffled by who was representing whom, whose paintings were up for sale, and what this all meant anyway. While I found most of Polsky's vignettes entertaining or informative, I did find myself frustrated at times because I was so obviously missing how the story was pertinent to the overall picture of the contemporary art market that Polsky was trying to paint. I assume that there was more of a narrative in his first memoir - where he was leading up to an important event (the purchase of the Fright Wig) rather than travelling away from it (the Fright Wig's sale).

Also, in a book so devoted to art, it was a bit disconcerting that there were no images - at least of the much vaunted Fright Wig.

Would I recommend it? If you have an interest in contemporary art and the way the market works, I would definitely say yes. Polsky's writing is quite entertaining, and I can only imagine that it works better if you have a basic knowledge of the subject he so loves. I'm not a contemporary art-lover, and I enjoyed it despite some frustrating moments. So if the subject matter intrigues you, I'd give it a read - but maybe make sure you have a modern art history book (or internet access) nearby to give you a flavor of the people and works he talks about!

Also posted at A Hoyden's Look at Literature.

FTC Disclosure: I received a free copy for review from the publisher - and I purchased my own copy as well. ( )