Overview
On October 15, 1958, Sotheby's of Bond Street staged an ""event sale"" of seven Impressionist paintings. The seven lots went for £781,000--at the time the highest price for a single sale. The event established London as the world center of the art market and Sotheby's as an international auction house. It began a shift in power from the dealers to the auctioneers and paved the way for Impressionist paintings to dominate the market for the next forty years. Sotheby's had pulled off a massive coup by capturing the Impressionist market from Paris and New York--and began its inexorable rise, opening offices all over the world. A huge expansion of the market followed, accompanied by rocketing prices, colorful scandals, and legal dramas. London transformed itself to a revitalized center of contemporary art, crowned by the opening of Tate Modern. The Tate Modern united new money in London with the art world, offering its patrons a ready-made sophisticated social milieu alongside dealers in contemporary art. James Stourton tells the story of the London art market from the immediate postwar period to the turn of the millennium. While Sotheby's is the lynchpin of this story, Stourton populates his narrative with a glorious rogue's gallery of eccentric scholars, clever amateurs, brilliant emigrés, and stylish grandees with a flair for the deal.
Full Product Details
Author: James Stourton ,
Charles Armstrong ,
Charles Armstrong
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Imprint: Tantor Audio
Edition: Unabridged edition
ISBN: 9798228519909
Publication Date: 04 February 2025
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Audio
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Author Information
James Stourton is a British art historian, a former chairman of Sotheby's UK, and the author of Kenneth Clark and Great Houses of London. Stourton frequently lectures to Cambridge University's History of Art Faculty, Sotheby's Institute of Education, and The Art Fund. He also sits on the Heritage Memorial Fund, a government panel that meets to decide what constitutes heritage and should be saved for the Britain nation. He lives in London. Charles Armstrong trained at the Drama Studio. His theatre work includes Stop Messing About (Leicester Square Theatre) and Round the Horne Revisited (West End and Tour). He has also worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company, National, and many Repertory Theaters. His work on film and TV includes Scoop, EastEnders, Poirot, Head Over Heels, and The Navigators. He has recorded numerous voiceovers, documentaries, radio dramas, and audiobooks. Charles Armstrong trained at the Drama Studio. His theatre work includes Stop Messing About (Leicester Square Theatre) and Round the Horne Revisited (West End and Tour). He has also worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company, National, and many Repertory Theaters. His work on film and TV includes Scoop, EastEnders, Poirot, Head Over Heels, and The Navigators. He has recorded numerous voiceovers, documentaries, radio dramas, and audiobooks.
