Rogues' Gallery: The Rise (And Occasional Fall) of Art Dealers, the Hidden Players in the History of Art

Here for the first time is the history of art dealers, those extraordinary men and women who, over centuries (and almost entirely out of the public eye), built their profession on a singular skill: identifying the intangible but infinitely desirable qualities that characterize the greatest works of art-and finding clients for whom those qualities are irresistible.



Philip Hook's riveting narrative takes us from the early days of art dealing in Antwerp, where paintings were sold by weight, to...