Art for Sale

The new look on the history of art and its blind spots, the far-reaching digitization of structures and content, the changing role of museums and art criticism, new forces from influencers to NFTs: Hardly any market system has evolved as profoundly in the last decade as the distribution of art. 

With 25 years of experience in the art industry, Dirk Boll acts as a continuous chronicler and seasonal commentator of these pervasive developments. His handbook Art for Sale is a reliable source of in-depth knowledge about the inner workings of global art market systems. How do auctions, the network of galleries, and fairs work? How are prices being made, and how do trends both in the production of art as well as its collection emerge? What is more, the updated and revised new edition provides comprehensive information on the practical issues of art acquisition: What are the customs and pitfalls, the economic interdependencies between the artists, buyers and other market players, and the legal regulations governing the trade with art?

DIRK BOLL (*1970, Kassel) studied law in Göttingen and Freiburg im Breisgau. After his postgraduate studies in cultural management, he received his Ph.D. for a thesis on the structures and legal framework of art markets. In 1998, he began his career at Christie's in London and has held various management positions since then. Since 2022, he is the Board Member for 20th and 21st Century Art for EMEA (Europe & UK, Middle East & Africa). Boll is professor of Cultural Management in Hamburg, a member of the Academic Board of Christie's Education as well as External Examiner of Kingston University, London.