The art world makes strange bedfellows. On one side are some of the world's savviest businesspeople, from hedge fund powerhouse Steven Cohen and French luxury-goods mogul Frangois Pinault to London advertising pioneer Charles Saatchi, all of whom are mega-collectors of contemporary art. On the other side are the artists and the often bizarre works for which the collectors lay out millions. Offering a view of this scene is Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton. The book is a knowledgeable, insidey, and wonderfully written attempt to explain the interconnection between the collectors and dealers who make up the art market, and the artists, curators, art professors, and art fair directors who help set taste. By the end of the book, you almost understand how Cohen could shell out $8 million for a rotting 14-foot shark pickled in formaldehyde, as he did three years back when he bought from Saatchi a signature work by celebrated British artist Damien Hirst.
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机译：艺术世界使人感到奇怪。一方面，有全球最精明的商人，从对冲基金巨头史蒂文·科恩（Steven Cohen）和法国奢侈品大亨弗朗戈瓦·皮诺（Frangois Pinault）到伦敦广告先驱查尔斯·萨奇（Charles Saatchi），他们都是当代艺术的大收藏家。另一方面，是艺术家和收藏家为数以百万计的作品而往往离奇的作品。萨拉·桑顿（Sarah Thornton）的《艺术世界的七日》（Seven Days in Art World）提供了这一景象。这本书是一本知识丰富，内在且写得很好的书，试图解释构成艺术市场的收藏家和经销商与帮助树立品味的艺术家，策展人，艺术教授和艺术博览会导演之间的相互联系。到这本书的结尾，您几乎可以理解科恩如何花800万美元购买一块腐烂的14英尺长的甲醛鲨鱼，就像他三年前从萨奇（Saatchi）购买著名英国画家达米恩·赫斯特（Damien Hirst）的签名作品那样。
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