Richard Polsky on His New Book I Sold Alice Cooper's Andy Warhol

In this week's episode of the ArtTactic Podcast, host Adam Green welcomes back Richard Polsky, founder of Richard Polsky Art Authentication and author of the new book I Sold Alice Cooper's Andy Warhol, available now for pre-order. Richard recalls buying a dollar sign painting directly from Warhol's studio in 1986 and meeting the artist shortly before his death. He then tells the story at the heart of the book, a red Little Electric Chair painting bought for $2,500 in 1972 as a birthday gift for Alice Cooper, which was rolled up in a tube and forgotten in his garage for decades. Richard walks us through how he authenticated the Warhol and why works outside the catalogue raisonné are such a hard sell at the major auction houses. He also explains how a fully contracted Bonhams consignment, with a $2.5 to $3.5 million estimate, fell apart just before the sale. He closes with an update on his authentication practice, including the surge in Basquiat inquiries and what the closure of artist authentication boards has meant for collectors.