Extraordinary Art Dealers brings together a history of art dealing across 300 years, distilled into 30 figures and their varied stories. From connoisseur-dealers - figures posing as -cultural architects- with the expertise and authority to demarcate aesthetic taste - to commercially-driven salespeople and profiteering opportunists. In-between, there are stories of exceptional talent and creativity, passion, idealism, cultural respectability and occasional moral corruption, revealing the fragmented and multifaceted psychology of the art dealer. By delving into the past, exploring the profession of art dealing as continually evolving in parallel with the changing positioning of the role of art in society, this publication sheds light on the mechanics of dealing today - from the artist-centric approach, to the economically-driven and personality motivated. Organised into six chapters, this illustrated publication offers insight into a topic often sidelined in discussions of art history, r
