The Art of the Steal: Inside the Sotheby's-Christie's Auction House Scandal

By Christopher Mason

Book Overview

The definitive book on the price-fixing scandal that roiled the art world, from the reporter who Dominick Dunne says "knows more about the ins and outs of this story than anyone else" (Vanity Fair). The Art of the Stealis the explosive inside story-the only book to tell the whole truth and dish the dirt-of one of the most fascinating big-business trials of the new century-the price-fixing scandal that rocked the auction world and put one of the richest men in America behind bars. Brilliantly written and reported, it tells the story of larger-than-life figures-the billionaire tycoon Alfred Taubman; the most powerful woman in the art world, Diana "DeDe" Brooks; and the wily British executive Christopher Davidge-who quaffed champagne and dined on caviar while conspiring to cheat clients out of millions of dollars. The book also offers an unprecedented look inside this secretive, gold-plated industry, describing just how Sotheby's and Christie's grew from clubby, aristocratic businesses into slick, international corporations and showing how the groundwork for the most recent illegal activities was laid decades before the perpetrators were caught by federal prosecutors. Christopher Mason is the only reporter who has persuaded all the key figures (and hundreds more) to spill the beans. He has followed the trail of this story wherever it has led-from galleries and boardrooms in London, Paris, and New York to parties in Palm Beach and courtrooms in lower Manhattan. Evoking the best-known investigative narratives like Barbarians at the Gateand Den of Thieves, the hidden lives of the very rich described in Philistines at the Hedgerow, and the crime-and-high-society reporting of Dominick Dunne, The Art of the Stealis destined to become the hottest-and most entertaining-gossip-starter of the season.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399150935
• ISBN13: 9780399150937
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Putnam Publishing Group
• Length: 406 Pages
• Weight: 1.59 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Greed!

Vivid description of the eternal battle between old and new (money) and the rise and fall of some of the upstarts. A good example of what will happen if first generation money is allowed to take over a respectable business and to defile it with their greed and love of display. After all: it takes three generations to become a gentleman... Special attention for the comments of Lord and Lady Hindlip.

High society shows its greed in Mason's book

A great description of New York high life amidst one of the biggest money scandals of recent memory. Mason keeps the pace fast and sizzling. Lots of colorful details of the characters of high society and the art world make this a fast paced read. He even kees the business and legal side of the story scintilating. It kept me up late into the nights. A must read!

A Gripping Read

This book is a real page turner and yet is packed with fascinating and well researched details of both the art world in general and the auction house scandal in particular. Mason manages to give fascinating character descriptions of all the main players laying out both their qualities as well as their, sometimes fatal, flaws. While reading like a thriller, The Art of the Steal is both a social and economic commentary on our times and a historical document. I would recommend this book highly.

The Art World Gone Mad!

Christopher Mason reveals the ins and outs of the complex and deceptive art world in London and New York. He has the inside scoop of what really happened. Sure makes the courtroom drama seem like only part of the story was told on the stand. The careers that were destroyed were not only Mr. Taubman's and Mrs. Brooks's. The reputation of these two premier huoses in thrown into question forever. A good read, and a quick one. The writer brings you along and you are hanging on the side of your seat to see who does what. I recommend it without question.

Fabulous and True

A riveting read about personal and corporate greed, ambition and manipulation in the high-stakes business of art auctions. The book is a fascinating insider's view of the worlds of fine art, international jet-set society, corporate finance and the law. A cautionary tale. And while some of the wrong doers are punished for their hubris and their criminal activities, unlike fiction others equally or more guilty continue to flourish in spectacular ways.It's got everything: sex, money, religion, politics, royalty, foreign travel, the media, gossip, jealousy, spite, comedy, tragedy, and of course crime and punishment. What a story!