W. W. Norton & Company Seven Days in the Art World

A delightful read which makes me want to travel and see the many places that Thornton has visited.

For a person who has always been fascinated by the art world and didn't have much insider information, I really enjoyed the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This was my first art related book that was actually a required text for a class. The beginning throws around a lot of art world jargon so it takes a minute to get into, but so great once you get past the prologue! Thornton explains broad concepts and also small details about the art world that you wouldn’t even think about. The book is organized very well, each chapter being “a day” in different aspects of the art world. Makes it really easy to not only digest but also reference. Awesome book, will be re-reading.

A very smart thought provoking book about the different worlds that cohabite in the art scene. Even beyond art, it is striking to observe how eco-systems are built around populations that may often ignore one another and even sometimes despice one another... and though create a coherent and compelling whole. It's a great piece of work for anyone interested in art, in particular contemporary art.

If "all the world's a stage" then Sarah Thornton's "Seven Days in the Art World" captures some entertaining performances by elitist cabals of the contemporary art world in seven acts. Over the span of five years, cultural sociologist Thornton visits seven different stages during the rise of mass contemporary art consumption: Christie's auction house in Manhattan; a critique session at a California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) seminar class in Los Angeles; Art Basel in Switzerland; Tate Museum's Turner Prize competition in London; Artforum magazine; Japanese artist/celebrity Takashi Murakami's studios; and Venice Biennale. Although Thornton's "participant observations" on the surface are predictable and reinforce the stereotypical attitudes and scenarios affixed to the "high class" art world, her insider access offers readers a closer look at the personas and relationship dynamics of those at the top of their game in the art market. Christopher Burge, Christie's chief auctioneer, with his script book in hand does a final rehearsal run in preparation for the night auction's bidding blitz. At Art Basel, Thornton meets Tim Blum and Jeff Poe, owners and art dealers of a Los Angeles gallery as they are installing their Japanese star Takashi Murakami's painting. Artists are rarely seen at auctions and artfairs where money does most of the talking for collectors on the prowl. (Many dealers and collectors maintain close relationships with one another as a way to buy-in and cultivate an artist's body of work.) Art dealers, collectors, curators, and writers are all taste-makers validating or shunning an artist and/or artwork's significance. Martin Creed, past Turner prize winner says to her, "If the artists create artworks, then the judges create a winner. Whoever they chose is a reflection of themselves." Prime space in terms of physical location at Art Basel and Venice Biennale or advertising in the Artforum magazine, vie for optimal promotion and branding. And if you were curious as to the players' positions and ranking, Thornton provides a telling snap shot as Murakami's entourage board an airplane. "The seat assignment offers a near-perfect representation of the hierarchies of the art world. Murakami sits by himself in 1A, a window seat in business class... Blum and Poe sit in 2C and 2D. The MOCA people are in economy, row 18. Desmarais is nearby, in 19. The six Kaikai Kiki staff members are aligned in row 43." Art can be a very lucrative business machine with the right combination of talent and invested supporting cast. The book portrays the upper-crust of the art world as a playground for self-satisfying, money seeking egos and art as a conversation, a religion, a representation of one's cultural worth. The actors also display the power and influence their position holds. Thornton's writing is free flowing and mostly easy to read aside from maybe the one too many name dropping encounters. She does describe the main characters that she interviews at length as some reappear in another scene. But readers are still expected to have some knowledge of the art world or enough interest to familiarize themselves with it.