The $12 Million Stuffed Shark
The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art
by Don Thompson
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“@MattSlater I liked that book a lot! Also really enjoyed this documentary | @dewayneroyj Great book, also recommend $12 Million Stuffed Shark | A look at the economics and the marketing strategies that enable the modern art market to generate such astronomical prices.”
Source →Recommended by 3 notable people, including Vinod Khosla and Linda Xie
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Should I read this?
Recommended by 3 sources and appears in Art History, Finance, and Art.
Why would a smart New York investment banker pay $12 million for the decaying, stuffed carcass of a shark By what alchemy does Jackson Pollock's drip painting No. 5, 1948 sell for $140 millionIntriguing and entertaining, The $12 Million Stuffed Shark is a Freakonomics approach to the economics and psychology of the contemporary art world. Why wer...
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Why recommended
Recommended by 3 sources and appears in Art History, Finance, and Art.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Brianne Kimmel
“@MattSlater I liked that book a lot! Also really enjoyed this documentary | @dewayneroyj Great book, also recommend $12 Million Stuffed Shark | A look at the economics and the marketing strategies that enable the modern art market to generate such astronomical prices.”
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Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis. Recommended by 18 sources.
“Michael Lewis chronicles the friendship and intellectual partnership of Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, who championed the idea that cognitive biases shape our choices. The narrative reads like a buddy story, weaving their discoveries into personal anecdotes and the drama of their collaboration. You'll grasp key ideas—loss aversion, framing—through their story, but the book focuses on biography, not application. Helpful for understanding behavioral economics' origins; less useful if you want actionable advice. The emotional arc of their relationship can overshadow the science.”
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Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.
The $12 Million Stuffed Shark
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