The Price Of Aesthetics

Rather than lament the pervasive influence of money on contemporary art, “The Price of Everything” examines the relationship between commerce and aesthetics from different angles. “You can’t have a golden age without gold,” someone says, and by that standard we are currently in an epoch of platinum. The sale and resale of work by living and recently dead artists is a multibillion-dollar market, which bothers some people more than others.

Paul Allen, Art Collector

While best known as a pioneer in the technology industry since the mid-1970s, Allen developed a reputation as a ferocious art collector, building a highly regarded collection that was notoriously guarded—for many years, he demanded that his employees keep quiet about his holdings. He made his first appearance on the annual ARTnews “Top 200 Collectors” in 1997, and has been listed in each edition since 1999.

Rembrandt’s ‘Night Watch’ To Get Major Restoration — And You Can Watch The Conservators At Work

“[The director of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam] said it was expected to be a slow and intricate project, which would take several years and cost millions of euros. … The public will be invited to watch the intimate conservation process, both up close in the gallery itself and via an internet livestream, in what is believed to be the biggest ever undertaking of its kind.”