Get the Picture: A Mind-Bending Journey Among the Inspired Artists and Obsessive Art Fiends Who Taught Me How to See

Owner of 315 Gallery in downtown Brooklyn, Barrett represented Bosker’s first deep exposure to the contemporary art world’s inner workings. A gallerist who balances multiple jobs to maintain his space, including photography work for other galleries and restaurant work, Barrett earned respect in the art community for giving emerging artists their first New York exhibitions. His complex relationship with Bosker exemplifies the art world’s conflicted approach to outsiders: He hires her despite explicitly identifying her as “the enemy” due to her role as a writer but later becomes increasingly controlling about what information she can document. Barrett’s gallery, though modest in size and budget, requires extensive preparation for exhibitions, including building temporary walls and maintaining exacting standards for presentation.

Barrett’s mentorship of Bosker reveals both the educational and gatekeeping functions of gallery owners in the contemporary art world. He introduces her to crucial aspects of the art world while simultaneously demonstrating the industry’s resistance to transparency. His eventual hostility toward Bosker’s documentation efforts highlights The Art World’s Culture of Exclusivity, Hierarchy, and Secrecy, as he explicitly states that the industry’s opacity was essential to maintaining its power structure.

Through Barrett, Bosker learns fundamental aspects of the gallery business. Moreover, his insistence on perfection in gallery presentation, demonstrated through incidents like making Bosker repaint walls multiple times, reveals the exacting standards and attention to detail required in the art world. As a figure in the book, he ultimately represents many of the contradictory and exclusionary aspects of the contemporary art scene, showing how galleries simultaneously support artistic development while maintaining strict barriers to entry.

Co-owner of Denny Dimin Gallery, Denny brings formal art world credentials to her gallery, including a master’s degree in art history and previous gallery experience. Her approach to gallery management demonstrates a more openly commercial perspective than Barrett’s, embracing formal beauty in art and rejecting the notion that artistic merit requires abrasiveness. This philosophy sets her gallery apart in their neighborhood and represents a potentially risky business strategy in a market that often favors more challenging works. Her background in art history and previous gallery experience provide her with a deep understanding of both the theoretical and practical aspects of running a contemporary art gallery.

As a figure in the book, Denny illustrates the complex pressures facing contemporary gallerists, particularly the challenge of balancing artistic integrity with commercial viability. Her anxiety about expansion plans, including new spaces in Tribeca and Hong Kong, reveals how galleries must constantly grow to retain their emerging artists, who increasingly demand more resources and prestigious exhibition opportunities. Through Denny, Bosker explores how modern galleries navigate the tension between artistic development and market demands, particularly in the context of international art fairs and the growing importance of the Asian art market.

The pressure of running a contemporary gallery manifests in Denny’s approach to Art Basel Miami Beach. Her strategic decisions about which artists to promote and how to price their work reveal the complex calculations gallery owners make to survive in the competitive art market. Denny’s character demonstrates how contemporary gallerists must balance their personal artistic vision with market realities while maintaining relationships with artists, collectors, and other industry figures.

Co-owner of Denny Dimin Gallery, Dimin came to gallery ownership through a different path than his partner, having pursued performance art after obtaining his MFA. His background exemplifies the role of privilege in the art world, as he openly acknowledges that his success stems partly from family wealth and social connections. This transparency about his advantages provides Bosker with insight into the industry’s financial barriers and their contribution to racial and social disparities. His candid acknowledgment of these advantages is particularly significant given the art world’s general reluctance to discuss the role of privilege in determining success.

Dimin’s character offers a bridge between the artistic and commercial aspects of gallery operation. His suggestion of maintaining some level of intoxication throughout Art Basel Miami Beach indicates both the intense pressure of art fairs and the unconventional strategies employed in the art world’s high-stakes environment. Through Dimin, Bosker explores how contemporary galleries balance artistic credibility with commercial necessity. His background as an artist himself gives him unique insight into the challenges faced by emerging artists, influencing how the gallery approaches artist development and promotion.

His role in the gallery’s expansion plans, particularly their move into the Hong Kong market, demonstrates the increasingly global nature of contemporary art commerce. Dimin’s practical approach to gallery management, combined with his artistic background, shows how successful galleries must navigate both creative and commercial considerations. His character also highlights the importance of social networks in the art world, as his connections and understanding of both the artistic and business aspects of the industry contribute significantly to the gallery’s success.

A rising star in the contemporary art world, Curtiss allows Bosker unprecedented access to her creative process during a period of dramatic market success. Born to middle-class parents, Curtiss initially struggles to envision herself as a professional artist despite her education at an elite French art school. Her journey from working various jobs, including roles as an assistant to established artists Jeff Koons and KAWS, to achieving significant commercial success illustrates both the challenges and opportunities facing contemporary artists. Curtiss’s studio practice reveals the physical and mental demands of creating art, from the precise science of mixing 11 different colors to achieve the perfect shade of gray to the psychological toll of maintaining creative focus under intense market pressure.

Curtiss’s experience with rapid market success highlights the dark side of art world recognition. Her work’s dramatic price increases bring significant stress and social media harassment. Critics attack her credibility, attributing her success to her previous association with KAWS rather than acknowledging her independent talent. Through Curtiss, Bosker explores how artists navigate sudden success, dealing with collectors who threaten to auction work, anonymous critics questioning their originality, and the psychological toll of public scrutiny. The situation creates numerous practical and emotional challenges, including messages from collectors threatening to auction her work unless she can demonstrate upcoming career achievements.

Curtiss’s approach to art-making, focused on creating memorable images that tap into universal consciousness, helps Bosker understand both the technical and conceptual aspects of contemporary art creation as well as Why People Make and Buy Art. Her work draws inspiration from Carl Jung’s concept of archetypes, attempting to tap into universal images that exist in human consciousness. Curtiss’s dedication to her practice, strategic decision-making about exhibitions, and active participation in the art community are crucial factors in her professional development. Her story illustrates how contemporary artists must balance creative integrity with market pressures while maintaining their psychological well-being in the face of public scrutiny and rapid success.

Unlike other artists who are reserved about discussing their work, Curtiss exhibits boundless enthusiasm and a willingness to share her creative process and artistic viewpoint. Her ability to find beauty and artistic potential in unexpected places—from the industrial architecture of the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant to the geometric patterns of everyday objects—transforms Bosker’s understanding of what constitutes beauty in art, helping her in her journey of Developing an Eye for Art. Curtiss approaches her surroundings with an infectious curiosity, teaching Bosker to see the world through an artist’s eyes by focusing on specific artistic choices rather than historical or social context. Whether examining classical works or contemporary pieces, Curtiss demonstrates a unique way of viewing art that emphasizes direct engagement with visual elements like brushstrokes and composition. This approach helps Bosker reconceptualize beauty as a force that draws people to engage more deeply with life. Curtiss’s dedication to her craft stems from an intense drive to create rather than philosophical considerations, showing Bosker how genuine artistic practice often emerges from deep personal necessity rather than theoretical frameworks.

Rob and Eric Thomas-Sewall, known as “the Icy Gays,” represent a new type of art collector emerging from outside traditional art world centers. Based in Minot, North Dakota, the couple began collecting after discovering David Hockney’s work during their honeymoon. Within three years, they advanced from purchasing a single $5,000 painting to investing over $100,000 annually in artwork, primarily acquiring pieces by emerging female and queer artists. Their geographic location challenges conventional assumptions about who can participate meaningfully in the contemporary art market.

Their approach to collecting demonstrates different but complementary strategies. Rob approaches collecting methodically, studying art history and monitoring social media trends, while Eric relies on emotional connections to artwork. This combination of analytical and intuitive approaches leads them to make significant purchases at various price points, including works they discover at smaller art fairs like Spring Break. Their collecting practices show how personal passion can be combined with strategic thinking to build a meaningful collection outside traditional art world centers.

The couple use their collection to spark cultural dialogue in their conservative community by hosting art tours and supporting emerging artists. Their story demonstrates how art collecting could serve broader social purposes beyond financial investment, challenging the established gallery system’s winner-take-all model. Through their experience, Bosker explores how meaningful art collecting doesn’t require vast wealth or urban sophistication, suggesting alternative models for engaging with contemporary art. Their success in building a significant collection while based in North Dakota illustrates how digital technology and art fairs have democratized access to the art market, allowing dedicated collectors to participate from anywhere in the world.