Nathaniel Kahn (My Architect) turns his camera on to the contemporary art market, with a film that is fascinating, amusing and eye-opening, while studiously refusing to make any judgments. The latter, one suspects, is how Kahn managed to secure the incredible level of access that makes the film so revealing. Jeff Koons is interviewed, with his glazed stare and his production line of minions churning out what one auctioneer dismisses as “lobby art”. Gerhard Richter, the 800lb gorilla in the modern art marketplace, decrees loftily that “money is dirty” but is drowned out by the ker-ching of cash registers. Uber collector Stefan Edlis shares his rules for buying art: “Red is better than brown. Don’t buy anything with fish.” While Kahn offers no overt criticism, it’s hard not to question the sustainability of an art market that has evolved into a kind of prestige car park for vast quantities of money.
