Freakonomics Radio Launches “The Hidden Side of the Art Market,” a Three-Part Series

Listen to Episode One on all podcast platforms and freakonomics.com

The contemporary art market is one of the least transparent, most illiquid, and strangest markets out there — vastly different than all other markets. In the new three-part series “The Hidden Side of the Art Market,” the wildly popular podcast and radio show Freakonomics Radio will present an in-depth look at how this market functions, who’s benefiting, and how it’s changing.

“The Hidden Side of the Art Market” incorporates new interviews with some of the art world’s most influential power players and economists, as well as archival audio to explore how cultural prestige and commercial success influence each other in the art market ecosystem. Interviewees include David Zwirner, owner of David Zwirner Gallery; Glenn Lowry, director of the Museum of Modern Art; Amy Cappellazzo, co-founder of art advisory firm Art Intelligence Global; University of Chicago economist Canice Prendergast; and entrepreneur Magnus Resch.

The series also features interviews with the central figures in the art world: artists. Tom Sachs, an internationally-recognized sculptor, and Tschabalala Self, a painter whose large-scale collages are in high demand, share their perspective on the commodification of their work. Woven throughout the series is an exploration of the career trajectory of the late painter Alice Neel, an artist who went from painting in relative obscurity during her lifetime to having her work sell for millions at auction. She was recently the focus of a solo show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art — 40 years after her death. “The Hidden Side of the Art Market” also looks at recent trends in the art market, from the explosion of NFTs to an increase in online sales in 2020 with in-person galleries largely closed.

The first episode launches today on all podcast platforms andfreakonomics.com. The next two will go live at 11:00 p.m. ET on December 8 and 15.

ABOUT FREAKONOMICS RADIO

Discover the hidden side of everything with host Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of the best-selling Freakonomics books. Each week, Freakonomics Radio tells you things you always thought you knew (but didn’t) and things you never thought you wanted to know (but do) — from the economics of sleep to how to become great at just about anything.  Dubner talks with Nobel laureates and provocateurs, social scientists and entrepreneurs. Freakonomics Radio had over 100 million downloads in 2020 and is the flagship program of the Freakonomics Radio Network.

For more information about Freakonomics Radio, please contact Ray Padgett (raypadgett@shorefire.com) or Mark Satlof (msatlof@shorefire.com) at Shore Fire Media.