Thompson believes that in modern art "value is determined primarily by large merchants, the second - auction houses. Employees play a secondary role of museums, art critics have almost no influence, and buyers - just no. Need an example? Larry Gagosian. Owner 2 galleries in New York, one in Beverly Hills, 2 in London, one in Rome and soon the latest in China, the former seller of posters is Richard Serra, Jeff Koons, Mike Kelley, as well as works by Warhol and Willem De Kooning - easier to say, all the most important names in today's market. Nicknamed "The Larry Gaga" or "go-go", he unhesitatingly offers its customers (the owner of the Press Advance Publications S. Newhouse, record producer D \ mind Geffen, the British collector Charles Saatchi) buy on the Internet, taken them on the screen of his Computers. Quite a risky approach: According to D. Thompson, received the picture, many of them are disappointed ... but it does not matter. "Gagosian - one of the most influential traders in the world" - says Thompson. "Unlike his predecessors, he never comes to work with unknown artists. He prefers to have listed people whom he lured from other galleries. Gagosian perfectly aware of its collectors. It is only one of his assistants to speak to some of them: "Larry thinks that this work for you," he often immediately and bought it.
Don Thompson is convinced that the market for contemporary art depends entirely on the "branding" of the brand. Buy now at the Gagosian (or at other prestigious gallery owners - Dzheya Jopling, owner of the London gallery «White Cube») - is primarily to buy a sign of quality. Auction houses - Sotheby's and Christie's - use the same methods. Conversations trades in London and New York are prepared as real events, with private luxury in the evenings and publishing catalogs. In the evenings some celebrity overshadows the others. Thompson tells about the extraordinary auction Sotheby's in May 2007, which sold the work of Mark Rothko's «White Center» - «a wonderful painting," purchased by Rockefeller in the early 60's. for 3600 euro. The first sentence - 18 million euros. After 2 minutes and 30 seconds of work sold for 47 million euros! According to rumors, it was bought by a collector from Russia. "He bought not Rothko, he bought a Rockefeller!".

Galleries and auction houses have become real brands, but they are not alone - some artists have also become brands. For example, American Jeff Koons, who runs the New York army of assistants (more than 60 employees, implementing projects that would subsequently enter the market at prices above $ 1 million). Thompson said about him: "He knows how to sell himself, he speaks the language of Wall Street." In London, Damien Hirst does not act differently, as evidenced by the story of one of his most famous works - a shark in an aquarium filled with formalin killed. This "sculpture" commissioned him famous collector (in the past - the promoter), Charles Saatchi. In 1992, he paid for it 55000 pounds. The artist had to find a shark (found it in South Africa, paid for her 5000 euros) and bring her to England (the cost of transport by ship chilled - 2600 pounds). After 16 years, the shark was sold to one of smyh major American collectors, Steve Soen, for 7.7 million euros.

Will there be an end to this insane increase in prices? For several months, people are talking about the ghost of the crisis. But the ghost disappears when declaring all new records set at the auction. Don Thompson does not believe in the imminent collapse. "Of course, from time to time the market will adjust the art and the market of contemporary art more than other crisis-prone. But it will not seem that we have seen in the 90-ies. When the market collapsed, was raised only one quarter of New York - East Verznyaya sotrona. Now the market has grown considerably. Buyers from Russia, China, India play a major role. These potential clients have joined the small army of those who are called «Ultra High Net Worth» - the richest of the richest. They can buy food at a fair of contemporary art to the discovery, which filled all the multimillion-dollar city of peace (of course, will not stop the need to pay 650 euros for the entrance to the New York Armory Show a few hours before the official opening). They can buy the products of Hirst's right in his studio, where Rachel takes a kind of colored circles on the kkrtinah Maitre (he is still very dirty hands! "), And another assistant sticks the wings of butterflies on a monochrome background.
Which of these works and these artists are famous in 20 years? In Don Thompson's opinion on this subject: "Look catalog sales of Contemporary Art Sotheby's or Christie's early 1980's. About 80%of artists have disappeared from the art market ...». But despite all, the art feels good: in the world there are 10000 museums, galleries, 17000, annual turnover of the art market for 2006 is 43.3 billion euros. Trading value, the art has also become social value. Wealth is now posted on the walls. Andy Warhol predicted that it would be this: in 1962 he created a picture of a dollar, saying: "I like the money hanging on the walls." Warhol is not. Money remained.