Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611

  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Sold Without Substance: The Economics of Hype in Contemporary Art

Sold Without Substance: The Economics of Hype in Contemporary Art

Van Houte, Cor P. M.

Paperback

Series: Art, Book 14

ISBN13: 9798272682864
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Nov 2 2025
Pages: 566
Weight: 1.65
Height: 1.15 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Step behind the velvet rope of the contemporary art world and witness the mechanics of hype like never before. Sold Without Substance exposes how balloon dogs, bananas taped to walls, and diamond-studded skulls sell not because of genius or craft, but because of market manipulation, branding, and media spectacle.

This book cuts through the myth of innovation, showing how today's conceptual art recycles centuries-old ideas while celebrating the illusion of shock. It challenges the celebrated icons of the gallery system - Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Maurizio Cattelan, Banksy, Takashi Murakami, and more - revealing their reliance on assistants, repetition, and empty gesture.

With incisive critique and uncompromising honesty, this book argues for what art should be: skill, risk, craft, and real intellectual depth. If you've ever wondered why some artworks fetch millions while true mastery goes unnoticed, this book will make you rethink everything you know about value, innovation, and hype in art.

Dr. Cor P.M. van Houte

Also from

Van Houte, Cor P. M.

View All