I went to Hatchard’s Piccadilly a few weeks ago, climbed up to the fifth floor’s art section, and asked for a recommendation for learning about the art world. The wonderful American gentleman behind the desk, looking at the selection I’d gathered already, said to me in the most gentle way: “I’d be far more comfortable if you’d start with this biography of Duveen.”

And so I started with this and oh god he was right. What a magnificently written account (it’s actually a compilation of New Yorker articles from the 1950s), with plenty of commentary on status, class, peacocking, value and competition, and of course, a brilliant introduction (based on my very limited understanding) to a world which previously felt so alien to me.

I recommend this book 100%, but even more so, I recommend chatting to people who work in book shops. They are the most passionate, fascinating, helpful people (who should be paid more...) who I find are always so keen to send you off on the most magnificent of adventures.

Duveen's approach to negotiation was fascinating, and his perception of value was exceptionally brilliant.

After reading this book, I found myself intrigued by how Duveen conducted his negotiations and valued his deals. It was fascinating to discover that, instead of lowering prices to attract buyers, he would often raise them. While I understand the market dynamics, it still amazes me how this strategy worked, giving me a newfound appreciation for the field Duveen excelled in. He was truly a master of negotiation.

Once Duveen had a deep understanding of his target, he would carefully decide which masterpiece to purchase, knowing exactly how to sell it to them.

Clifton Fadiman and Edmund Wilson provided the blurbs on the back of this, so I was a little disappointed by the hagiographic treatment of the robber barons. Still it was worth reading; the twisted path that the works of the great masters followed to get to this country casts a different tint on museums. It almost makes me resent them for the noblesse oblige. Though I guess I'd still take the National Gallery's association with tycoons over the louvre's association with french imperialism.

My favorite part of S.N. Behrman's Duveen is the charming artwork by Saul Steinberg. It's unbelievable to read about the wheelers and dealers in the art world spending millions of dollars during the depression. I think I would've enjoyed the name dropping and art discussions much more otherwise. It seems like Joseph Duveen, an art dealer, single-handedly inflated the value of artworks by overbidding on them at auctions. As he lived in New York, London, and Paris, he acquired pieces in Europe and sold them in America. Andrew Mellon, Henry Frick, and JP Morgan were among his clients. It was fascinating to read about Duveen's involvement in the Frick mansion, now a museum in New York. Many of the artworks he sold to American millionaires wound up in the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. Although I found Duveen's sales tactics repellant, he probably prevented some of these artworks being destroyed in WWII.

This was a fun read for me because my great-grandfather is in it. :) He was Duveen's comptroller for a little while. It's also fun to read about the famous names on banks, museums, etc., when they were people and not just famous names (Mellon, Frick, Huntington, Stanford, etc.). Duveen was quite a character and I enjoyed hearing about his exploits.

Spectacular personality. Entertaining and witty.

Amazing insight into how and why the big collectors bought what they did (and for how much!- the numbers still seem astronomical).

An interesting biographical book about the most famous art dealer in the world. I don’t know a lot about art and still don’t, but I enjoyed this book from beginning to end.

It never occurred to me to wonder how the amazing art in museums like the National Gallery and The Frick Collection came to be in America in the first place. The story of the art dealer Duveen and his famous and fantastically wealthy clients was beyond fascinating. To top it off S.N Behrman’s writing is clever and filled with wit. Really transportive. 10/10

the things I would do to be friends with this man my god. arguably the funniest book related to art history

A very enjoyable read. Duveen was the art dealer of choice to all the major industrial titans of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, including Mellon, Kress, Rockefeller, Morgan, Frick, Altman etc., which provides the reader with a great view of how and why these men of great wealth decided to (or were convinced by Duveen to) acquire large collections of art. It is particularly enjoyable as a New Yorker as most of these men lived in Manhattan and the book is littered with references to the city.

6/5 stars!
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