Who Made the Art Market?

A new book on the history of the art market—from its birth in the Dutch Golden Age to the mega-galleries of today—illuminates some of the modern dynamics around buying and selling art.

Valentina Castellani, author of the new book 'Trading Beauty.' Photo: Stefania D'Alessandro/Getty Images for Prada

Marion Maneker

July 21, 2026

Earlier this year I was sent a copy of Valentina Castellani’s Trading Beauty, a history of the art market from someone who has lived it. Before becoming an adjunct professor at NYU’s Steinhardt School, where she teaches a course on the history of the art market, Castellani was a director of Gagosian. Her insights are backed—and, surely, colored—by her real-world experience selling art in the big leagues. I was hoping the book would offer some insight on the current pause in the primary market.