Book Description
The Art of the Steal is the only book that tells the whole truth about the price-fixing scandal that rocked the auction world and put one of America's richest men behind bars. It's the story of billionaire tycoon Alfred Taubman; the most powerful woman in the art world, Dede Brooks; and the wily British executive Christopher Davidge-who cheated their clients out of millions until federal prosecutors put a stop to their high-end thievery.
Brilliantly written by Christopher Mason, it's an unprecedented look inside this secretive, glamorous industry by the only reporter with access to all the key players. From galleries and boardrooms in London, Paris, and New York to parties in Palm Beach to the courtrooms of lower Manhattan, The Art of the Steal is a fascinating, damning story of dirty dealing in the art world.
Customer Reviews:
Informative........2007-01-03
This was a close look at corporate London/New York greed within my world of antiques dealing, and it was nice to see comeupance for some amorality, but I'm not sure how much anybody or anything has really changed in the auction world. The stakes are just too high, so probably now the crooks are just more careful.
"greed is good, greed works".......2005-09-11
The Art of the Steal is a morality play but the morals we must draw from it differ somewhat from those proclaimed in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. (The book should have been dedicated "to those who got away with it".) True some of the sinners discover that the wages of sin are destruction (incomes, careers, reputation and in one instance, liberty). However, there are also less morally satisfying `morals' to be drawn. Chief of these is: if you must sin make sure you get it all down on paper and then squirrel the evidence away so that later you can get away with your sins by acts of cowardice, betrayal, and the skilfully orchestrated whistle blowing known as `turning state's evidence'. Do all that and you may evade the penitentiary and even hang on to millions in severance pay, stock options and mansions. Also exposed is the ludicrous capriciousness of the American criminal justice system where so much legal action is dominated by the desire of lawyers to add to their reputations - and their incomes. Certainly the connection between the courts and morality - or indeed justice - seems coincidental. Here we find the very marginally guilty going to prison, the very guilty walking away, and the outrageously, indeed confessedly, guilty slapped firmly on the wrist. Finally, this book delivers one clear lesson to all future corporate sinners. If everybody keeps his big mouth shut everybody will get away with everything, no matter how dire the suspicions of the Justice Department. Am I serious? Alas, I am.
Christopher Mason's enthralling book concerns the great Sotheby's and Christie's scandal, which rocked the art collecting world and `high society' across continents during 2000. The blurb states that chief executive officers Christopher Davidge (Christie's) and Dede Brooks (Sotheby's) conspired to "cheat their clients out of millions of dollars". In fact the issue is more that they colluded to deny their clients costly incentives to become their clients. The often comic sometimes revolting thread running through this affair is that terminal greed was to be found everywhere - except, ironically, among the dedicated, devoted, grotesquely underpaid employees of the auction houses. The executives were greedy for power and the privileges of great wealth. The dealers, collectors and sellers were greedy for the last dollar from their Cezannes and Van Goghs (neither artist made a brass farthing from painting) for, as the Duchess of Windsor remarked, "You can never be too rich." Another irony: although colluding with Christie's in defiance of the anti-trust laws put the chairman of Sotheby's, Alfred Taubman, one of the richest men in America, in jail for a year, and put his really guilty executive officer, Mrs Dede Brooks, under house arrest for six months and stripped her of her wealth, it was the decades long intense competition between Christies and Sotheby's which had brought this situation about. Their competing for clients and the grotesque incentives they offered were bankrupting them. Finally the hounds of the Justice Department came baying at the door and after them the lawyers, like genial sharks, charging more an hour than a Sotheby's fine art expert could hope to earn in a week. By that time Davidge had unearthed his long cached evidence and cut a deal with the Justice Department which was so good for Christies as well as himself that the new management, trying to come to grips with the destruction he had brought upon them, had to swallow their bile and pay him millions in severance pay. Christies lost millions in lawsuits from hungry clients but escaped criminal prosecution - most unjustly.
What makes this book so good is the author's expertise. He moves in the circles whose lifestyle he mercilessly lays bare. He does not lambast the rich with inflammatory invective. He is more deadly than that. He gets them to spill the beans about themselves, a `child among them taking notes' - and faith, he prints it! The opulence and tasteless extravagance are so gross, the self-absorption of so many are so blatant, that Mason needs no rhetoric. Remember Gordon Gecko? "Greed is good, greed works!" Right on Gordon - but keep an eye on the Anti-Trust Laws!
For Gossip-hounds Only.......2004-09-29
Written like a particularly juicy and in-depth Vanity Fair tell-all, Christopher Mason's book, The Art of the Steal details the Christie's / Sotheby's price-fixing scandal that roiled the art world several years ago. Through meticulous research and countless interviews Mason brings to life for the average reading-joe the main players purported to be involved in the crime--Dede Brooks and Alfred Taubman of Sotheby's, and Christopher Davidge and Anthony Tennant of Christie's.
Mason is clearly comfortable inhabiting the social circles he seeks to chronicle and the evidence lies in the sheer number of candid interviews he managed to conduct in preparation for writing the book. The story unfolds largely through anecdote (often times to scathing and hilarious effect), and the method mainly succeeds here. The first half of the book sails along at a breathless pace as Mason recounts the arrangement and execution of illegal collusion by the two auction houses. Brooks and Davidge-the then-CEOs of Sotheby's and Christie's, respectively--are portrayed as power-hungry aristocratic wannabes with no concept of the ramifications their unlawful meetings could produce. God-on-high Tennant (Christie's then-chairman) is credited with masterminding the scheme, while Alfred Taubman (Sotheby's then-chairman) is portrayed as the hapless scapegoat who took the hardest fall.
Unfortunately, the amusement of reading bon mot upon bon mot eventually wears off and the later chapters become bogged down with gossipy or repetitive stories that often do nothing to further the narrative. Where the author's sympathies lie also becomes quite plain in the book's final third. Mason has clearly not taken a strictly journalistic approach to his writing and this shortcoming ultimately weakens the facts so painstakingly narrated in the book's first half.
Nonetheless, The Art of the Steal succeeds in much the same way a good soap opera does. Most of the characters depicted between its pages have more money than some of the planet's smaller nations, and everyone knows it's a guilty pleasure to witness the spectacular fall of the uber-rich. The Art of the Steal ultimately proves itself to be a must-read for both watchdogs of the glitterati and those addicted to society columns.
Copyright 2004
Greed!.......2004-08-23
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.......2004-08-12
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!
Book Description
*Features clear instruction for drawing, shading and painting dragons
*Includes acrylic paints, paintbrushes, and a drawing pad and pencil and more
Nothing makes a fantasy fan's imagination catch fire like the dragon, one of the most enduringly popular beasts of legend. Now beginning artists can learn simple secrets and tricks for creating their own dragon artworks. Based on the bestselling title, DragonArt, this kit offers an instructional book along with pencils, paper, brushes and paints-everything the aspiring fantasy artist needs to create their own mythical works of art.
Customer Reviews:
5 star, but hoping for a bigger book.......2007-08-11
I give this five stars because it is extremely helpful in instructing you how to form your own dragon, but I was hoping for a bigger book to go along with the brushes, pencils, and paints. It's worth the purchase if you'll use everything in the kit, but the $19.99 book is the better purchase.
awsome.......2007-03-19
comes with everything a beginner needs. I just wish I had more free time to draw...
Great !.......2007-02-08
It was simple and complicated enough for my 9 year old. The illustrations are great and the details are easy enough to understand. The paint brush was actually a pretty nice one and not plastic stiff brissles.
Book Description
With this innovative how-to-paint kit, aspiring artists will take to painting like fish to water as they learn to imitate the majestic paintings of world-renowned marine-life artist Wyland! And the kit contains all the materials artists need--including preprinted art paper, which allows beginners to bypass the drawing stage so they can focus on developing their painting skills.
Book Description
Splatter, splash, and swirl your way through the styles of the masters!
If artistic experimentation is what you're all about, then grab this kit and get started! Inside you'll find a project book that teaches you how to imitate the painting styles of famous artists from seven different art movements. From Van Gogh's explosive squiggles to Kandinsky's colorful swirls, you'll learn to re-create some of the greatest painting styles in the world of art! And this kit is the perfect introduction to getting ultra-creative with paint, since it features all the tools you'll need to start painting right away -- including seven different colors of acrylic paint!
Kit includes 32-page project book, 7 acrylic paints, paint palette, palette knife, flat paintbrush, round paintbrush, and preprinted art paper
Customer Reviews:
Aspiring Artist Start Here.......2006-01-16
A terrific kit for young artists. I purchased this kit as a Christmas present. However it is a little too advanced for my seven year old. Although it certainly contains everything that it promised. We have put it aside until summer vacation when I'm sure that she will dig in with enthusiasm.
Customer Reviews:
Wyland Paint Kit.......2007-01-10
My 8 year old granddaughter did very well with the drawing part. She still does not seem to be interested in the painting yet. I think 8 years old is a little young for most for this type of kit. They are still in the watercolor stage, which for them is easier.
Great for Kids.......2003-05-25
Although I am 25 years old, I bought this book because I love Wyland's work and was curious about how he drew his sea creatures. It came with brushes, some acrylic paints, drawing paper, pencils, and a book giving instruction on how to draw and paint (all in a hard cover folder). It is definetly worth the price and would be a great start up book for kids interested in sea art.
Average customer rating:
- Awesome Book
- What a great story
|
My Imagination Kit
Jeffrey Fulmer
Manufacturer: Mondo Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Fiction
| Art
| Arts & Music
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Picture Books
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1593360088 |
Customer Reviews:
Awesome Book.......2006-02-11
This is a wonderful book! Fulmer uses colorful words and Pickering has bright pictures!
What a great story.......2004-01-06
This is such a great story. It tells about how a child uses his imagination and a box of crayons to turn a rainy day into a bright, fun filled one. The pictures are so colorful. I highly recommend this book. I wish it sold as a board book, so I could let my 1 1/2 year old turn the pages.
Book Description
Nickelodeon's best-loved cartoon characters pair up with a 30,000-year-old art form to make this rockin' kit! The 32-page project book shows kids how to re-create all their favorite residents of Bikini Bottom from SpongeBob himself to Patrick and Squidward. For each project, kids will find easy-to-follow instructions to guide them every simple step of the way.
Hardcover 11.25" x 9" case includes 32-page paperback book, paintable rock, 8 acrylic paints, round and flat paintbrushes, black fine-tip marker, 4 pairs of googly eyes, chenille stems, and craft foam.
Average customer rating:
|
Pintar Con Las Manos: Kid Kit: Book/Paints/Apron (Gibson, Ray. Vamos a Jugar.)
Ray Gibson , and
Jenny Tyler
Manufacturer: E.D.C. Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Drawing
| Art
| Arts & Music
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Painting
| Art
| Arts & Music
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Spanish
| Multilingual
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Education
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Spanish
| Foreign Language Nonfiction
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Education
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Infantil y juvenil
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
No ficción
| Infantil y juvenil
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
4 a 8 años
| Infantil y juvenil
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
| General
| Libros con Dibujos
Dibujo
| Arte
| Artes y Música
| Infantil y juvenil
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
Pintura
| Arte
| Artes y Música
| Infantil y juvenil
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
Gente y Lugares
| Infantil y juvenil
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
| Acción y Aventura
| Biografías
| Ciencias Sociales
| Donde Vivimos
| Explorar el Mundo
| Feriados y Festivales
| Los Hermanos
| Los Padres
| Niñas y Mujeres
| Niños y Hombres
| Profesiones
| Realeza
| Relatos Multiculturales
| Situaciones Sociales
| Temas Sociales
| Vida Familiar
General
| Arte
| Arte, arquitectura y fotografía
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
General
| Educación
| No-Ficción
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
General
| Educación
| Profesional y Técnico
| Libros en español
| Formats
| Books
ASIN: 1580864007 |
Average customer rating:
- The Best Introduction to Animation
|
Batman Animation Cel Painting Kit
Manufacturer: Walter Foster Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Drawing
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Drawing
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Batman
| Media
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1560102934 |
Customer Reviews:
The Best Introduction to Animation.......2000-07-07
Its a book for kids but I'm 27 and I enjoyed working on this book with my son.
Average customer rating:
|
Painting and Drawing Kit (Junior Funfax)
Manufacturer: FunFax Junior
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Ring-bound
General
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Painting
| Art
| Arts & Music
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1855975211 |
Average customer rating:
- Lisa Fonssagrives - A unique icon of the Classic Look Fashion photography era
- Simply stunning
- SUPERMODEL
|
Lisa Fonssagrives: Three Decades of Classic Fashion Photography
Martin Harrison
Manufacturer: Vendome Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Fashion
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Photo Essays
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
History
| Fashion
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Marketing & Sales
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
| Advertising
| Consumer Behavior
| Customer Service
| Marketing
| Public Relations
| Sales & Selling
ASIN: 0865659788 |
Amazon.com
Far from simply a "good clothes hanger", as she is known to have described herself, Lisa Fonssagrives brought her considerable talents as a dancer, fashion designer, photographer, and sculptor to her modeling, creating a persona at once earthly and larger than life. Lisa Fonssagrives: Three Decades of Classic Fashion Photography chronicles Fonssagrives's modeling years and establishes her role in bringing fashion photography to the level of high art. It's easy to forget the clothes in light of her sleek, athletic form and engaging Mona Lisa smile. While the tall columns of text may dissuade you from reading the essays, plug on. David Seidner's and Martin Harrison's essays are informed and engaging. The beautifully produced illustrations prove her more a muse than a model for fashion photographers such as Richard Avedon, Anton Bruehl, Horst, Man Ray, and Irving Penn. Readers have the pleasure of watching her become more beautiful as she ages.
Customer Reviews:
Lisa Fonssagrives - A unique icon of the Classic Look Fashion photography era.......2007-08-31
Despite the fact that all the photographs in this book are of one person, this is the best collection of fashion photographs from the 1930s to 1950s era that I have seen.
This collection shows the beauty of a woman who had unique physical attributes to depict, what was regarded at the time as the ultimate in femininity and fashions of that era. Images, captured by a number of the most highly regarded fashion photographers of the day - such as Richard Avedon, Lillian Bassman, Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Erwin Blumenfeld, Horst P. Horst, Clifford Coffin and Irving Penn - provide a wonderful testimony, to this unique and naturally beautiful woman. In addition to this, there are pictures of Lisa as she was in her later life.
At her most popular, pictures of Lisa Fonssagrives were splashed across the covers and editorials of such magazines as Harper's Bazaar and Vogue. Indeed, Lisa was the first fashion model to be featured on the cover of Time magazine in September 1949. The book also includes a short essay from the distinguished photo-historian Martin Harrison, which details Lisa's involvement in fashion, and the photographing of it.
The book's collection of images includes a number of nude depictions of Lisa. However, if it is sexual titillation you are looking for, then this book is not for you. If on the other hand, if you wish to see nude images created by Horst P. Horst and Fernand Fonssagrives, for example, that provides strong evidence why such nude images can only be described as art, then this book is for you.
In all, this book features a unique collection of photo images that in themselves provide a unique visual history of what was regarded as the ultimate in fashions of the Classic Look period. Buy it - gaze in wonderment at some of the best fashion photographs ever taken!
Simply stunning.......2004-08-13
Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn was a beautiful woman and the world's first top model. This book is a collection of her most beautiful photos taken by some of the world's best photographers, including Lisa's husband, Irving Penn. There is some nice biographical information in the book, but it focuses primarily on the photographs, which are breathtaking. It's hard to find a nice copy of this book these days since it's been out of print for a while, but I highly suggest you do some searching on Amazon Marketplace or ebay: the book is totally worth it.
SUPERMODEL.......2001-10-25
Lisa Fonssagrives was the first true supermodel. She had a cool easiness to her modeling, she was almost surreal. Her beauty was perfection. I do not believe there has ever been a model that can compare to her. The supermodels of today, Cindy, Naomi, Claudia are all beautiful, but not in the same way that Lisa was perfect. Its so nice to see her images captured in a book. I hope that in the future more will be done to regenerate her place in history.
Amazon.com
Few writers--and even fewer cartoonists--have captured the imagination of childhood more effectively than Watterson in his many
Calvin and Hobbes cartoons--and apart from his Tenth Anniversary Book, this is probably my favorite
Calvin and Hobbes collection.
Book Description
In the world that Calvin and his tiger Hobbes share, treasures can be found in the most unlikely places, from the outer regions where Spaceman spiff travels to the rocks in the backyard - this curious duo roams their world in search of fortunes (and misfortunes!) to be experienced. Whether Calvin and Hobbes are blasting off on another interplanetary adventure or approaching warp speed on a downhill wagon ride, their capers are repartee consistantly charm and refresh their readers' days. On his own, Calvin is prey to the insidious killer bicycle, is the arbiter of the dad poll, is the creator of a legion of snowmen who provide an incisive social commentary, and Hobbes is always there as the perfect companion. Watterson's talen is evidenced by the range of thought provoking emotions the strip encompasses in addition to the laughs it induces: the loyalty and friendship between Calvin and Hobbes, the challenge of being a patient parents, and the sardonic viewpoint of a cynical six-year-old ("I'm a 21st-century kid trapped in a 19th-century family," laments Calvin) combine to make this one of the best-loved strips in cartoon history.
Customer Reviews:
there's treasure everywhere by buu.......2007-05-13
It's a great book and got here in perfect conditinons.
MY only complai is that amazon gave me a deadline and the product only arrived five days later....
Great READ.......2007-04-12
Bill Watterson is a genious. There's no other way to put it. Calvin and Hobbes is one of the Great Comic Strips of our times and this collected edition is an incredible read. Highest possible recommendation.
fun.......2007-03-03
Very fun and enjoyable and youll never get bored of it. Its the sort of book you can read over and over again countless times.
One of my favorites..........2006-06-18
I love this "treasure." Great buy for your money. Kids will love it and so will you.
A Treasured Calvin & Hobbes book.......2006-03-13
Since our favorite comic strip was discontinued we rely on the books to give us a lift and a smile.
They are delightful.
Books:
- The Artist as Producer: Russian Constructivism in Revolution
- The Best Of Norman Rockwell
- The Complete Lincoln Cent Encyclopedia
- The Deep End of the Ocean (Oprah's Book Club)
- The Essence of Art Nouveau
- The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing
- The Horus Hersey vol. IV: Visions of Death: Iconic images of the Imperium, betrayal and war (The Horus Heresy)
- The Last Picture Show: Artists Using Photography 1960-1982
- The Left Hand of Darkness
- The Legacy of Homer: Four Centuries of Art from the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Visions of Glory
- It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy
- Eleven on Top
- For the Love of Old: Living with Chipped, Frayed, Tarnished, Faded, Tattered, Worn and Weathered Thi
- From Here, You Can't See Paris: Seasons of a French Village and Its Restaurant
- Introduction to General, Organic and Biochemistry
- Military Flight Aptitude Tests, 6/e
- Herman: The SixthTreasury
- Feels Like Far: A Rancher's Life on the Great Plains
- Tales of an American Culture Vulture
Threshold Resistance: The Extraordinary Career of a Luxury Retailing Pioneer
Making the Mummies Dance : Inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Irish Game: A True Story of Crime and Art
The Rescue Artist : A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece
True Colors: The Real Life of the Art World
