The art of the steal
Subtitle: inside the Sotheby's-Christie's auction house scandal
By: Christopher Mason
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Published: 2004
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 406
Subjects: Sotheby's (Firm) -- Corrupt practices; Christie's International Group -- Corrupt practices; Price fixing; Art -- Prices; Auctions -- Corrupt practices; Art auctions -- Corrupt practices
Other titles: Sotheby's-Christie's auction house scandal; Christie's auction house scandal
Description: "The Art of the Steal tells the story of several larger-than-life figures - the billionaire tycoon Alfred Taubman; the most powerful woman in the art world, Dede Brooks; and the wily British executive Christopher Davidge - who conspired to cheat their clients out of millions of dollars. It offers an unprecedented look inside this secretive, glamorous, gold-plated industry, describing just how Sotheby's and Christie's grew from clubby, aristocratic businesses into slick international corporations. And it shows how the groundwork for the most recent illegal activities was laid decades before the perpetrators were caught by federal prosecutors."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [381]-393) and index