Sarah Thornton’s book offers an attentive, ethnographic eye to art, artists, and the world in which they exist. She writes clearly and with great attention to detail not only to the art, but the people and super-sized personalities that they house. This and her access to many of the major art events in the world (Basel etc.) kept me turning to the next page.

At one point I was a little wary of her comparisons of art to a sort of religion for some (thought it was overstated), but her arguments are strong and persuasive and she’s definitely changed my mind. Also, the reader doesn’t finish this book with a full understanding why some art is valued as much as it is. (But honestly, I didn’t expect this. That’s an answer we may never have.)

All-in-all, I have to agree with the Publisher’s Weekly review above on auctions and the book as a whole. Thornton truly offers an “…elegant, evocative, sardonic view into some of the art world’s most prestigious institutions.”

$12 Million Stuffed Shark was the book that started this whole art book kick I’m currently on and I had to know more about the hidden quirkiness of this ever-growing area of interest. This was the next must-have on my list and I wasn’t let down.
Highly recommended.