The sale prices of paintings can reach astronomical amounts compared with the mere value of canvas and paint. Auction houses, collectors and dealers occupy a secret world where membership requirements mean having 7 plus zeros in your bank account and how it is that a seemingly simple painting can trade for more money than premium real estate in Monaco.
What Makes Art Valuable takes us into the world of the very rich, showing us why they spend fortunes on paintings and why some paintings are more valuable than others. It explains factors like provenance, which is added value due to the history of the painting such as famous previous owners, and it takes us into the closed world of the world’s top auction houses.
One of the top auctioneers in the business, Christopher Burge, reveals many stories of auctions he’s been involved in which helps give us an insight and understanding into this shadowy and yet, appealing world.
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