Rogues & scholars A history of the London art world : 1945-2000

The collapse of 300-plus years of British imperialism after World War II financially brought the British gentry to its knees. As a result, they sold a flood of artwork that made London's art market ground zero during the postwar decades. Selling everything from Old Master paintings to looted antiquities, the "trade" projected itself as a bastion of effortless, double-breasted assurance when it in fact it was a combustible stew of eccentrics, émigrés, and grandees who created an international market for fine art with incredible bravado and skill. Stourton (Kenneth Clark: Life, Art and Civilisation) focuses here on the dynamics between venerable British auction houses like Christie's and Sotheby's, the galleries and dealers that fed them, and international collectors like J. Paul Getty. A former chairman of Sotheby's UK, Stourton knowledgeably takes readers behind the scenes and describes the emptying of great British estates, London's swinging '60s, the rise of contemporary art, the overdue restitution of antiquities, and finally the market's ultimate demise thanks to the internet. VERDICT While Stourton steers dangerously close to overfilling the book with names and anecdotes, his brisk writing style and honest approach will win over readers. Ultimately this is a remarkable story about a bygone world, well told by an insider.--James Woods Marshall

Pulling back the curtain on the art market. The art world sometimes seems to exist in a rarified atmosphere, steeped in esoteric language, secrets, and vast amounts of money. Aiming to bring it back to the real world, Stourton, as former chairman of Sotheby's British office, has the experience to do so. His book combines an account of the auction house's rise with the story of how London became a center of the art market. Stourton describes a 1958 "event sale" of seven Impressionist paintings from a private collection as a pivotal moment. The event was set up by an enterprising individual named Peter Wilson, then head of Sotheby's, who realized the business was changing. He invited a gaggle of celebrities to the auction and drew a lot of media attention. The paintings sold for a record-breaking £781,000. The auction also pushed the demand away from the Old Masters who had dominated the art market. Wilson led the company into global expansion and gathered up a supply of material from old-family British collectors who needed cash. Sotheby's was able to stay with the trends as the market shifted to modern and contemporary art, although the company's focus would eventually move to New York. Stourton bases much of the book on interviews and personal recollections, some of which go on too long. Nevertheless, this study will be of interest not just to art aficionados but also business-oriented readers who will want to know how a company creates a market, adapts to change, and thrives. A rare view into the art world, told wryly and authoritatively. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.