Top Tick: Vanishing Valuations in the Contemporary Art Market by David Birkenshaw looks at how money and hype shape the modern art world. Birkenshaw, a Toronto-based art collector with a background in finance, uses his experience to dig into how contemporary art is bought and sold. The book establishes that only a small proportion of big-name artists maintain their market value over time, while the majority fade from view and lose value.
Birkenshaw combines his own observations with auction data to demonstrate how branding, social status, and flashy publicity matter more than artistic quality. He examines high-profile sales and publicity stunts, such as $6 million dollar bananas and crypto promotions, to illustrate how markets chase trends over substance.
The book isn’t an attack on contemporary art itself, but a thoughtful review of how its market operates and how risky it can be for collectors who believe art is a safe investment. It serves as both a market critique and a warning for anyone who thinks that “investment-grade art” really exists.
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