Zarrini, Art power money - Behind the Scenes of the Global Art Market

What makes a work of art valuable - its beauty, its history, or the people who decide what it is worth? Behind the elegant galleries, prestigious auction houses, and extraordinary prices of the global art market lies a world shaped by far more than artistic talent. Reputation, money, influence, relationships, speculation, and power all play a role in deciding which artists are discovered, which works become valuable, and which names enter the history of art. Art, Power, Money takes the reader inside this world. Drawing on years of experience working with artists, galleries, collectors, and investors, Ehsan Zarrini explores the forces that shape the contemporary art market - from the construction of an artist's reputation and the psychology of collecting to the hidden dynamics of galleries and auction houses, the rise and collapse of speculative bubbles, and the growing influence of wealth and cultural power. The book also looks beyond the traditional art market. From Renaissance patrons and European dynasties to Russian oligarchs and the new cultural powers of the Gulf and Asia, it examines why powerful people have always been drawn to art - not only as an object of beauty or investment, but as a means of influence, identity, legitimacy, and permanence. It follows the transformation of the market through digital art, NFTs, blockchain, and artificial intelligence, while asking what may change - and what may never change. But at its heart, this is a book about a simple question: who decides what art is worth? For artists, collectors, investors, art professionals, and curious readers alike, Art, Power, Money offers a closer look at the relationship between creativity and commerce, beauty and value, culture and power. Because once you understand what happens behind the artwork, you may never look at a painting in quite the same way again.