Top Tick

Vanishing Valuations in the Contemporary Art Market

David Birkenshaw

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Hardback

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English

FriesenPress
27 October 2025

Art: financial aspects; Investment & securities; Industry & industrial studies

The art world loves a spectacle. But at what cost?

In Top Tick, art collector and former finance professional David Birkenshaw pulls back the velvet curtain on contemporary art's high-stakes circus, where branding often matters more than brushwork. Blending personal insight with auction data, he reveals a volatile marketplace in which only the top 1 percent of ""brand-name"" artists (think Warhol, Hirst, or Basquiat) hold their value, while the rest quietly vanish from gallery walls-and balance sheets.

From multimillion-dollar bananas to crypto-funded publicity stunts, Top Tick explores how hype, wealth signaling, and fashion routinely outpace artistic merit. This isn't a takedown of contemporary art. Rather, it's a clear-eyed look at how it's traded, flaunted, and forgotten. A cautionary tale disguised as market analysis, Top Tick is essential reading for anyone who still believes ""investment-grade art"" is anything but an oxymoron.

By: David Birkenshaw
Imprint: FriesenPress
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 11mm
Weight: 354g
ISBN: 9781038352996
ISBN 10: 1038352991
Pages: 108
Publication Date: 27 October 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

David Birkenshaw is a lifelong art collector with a professional background in investment banking. Drawing on decades of experience navigating financial markets, he brings a sharp analytical lens to the world of contemporary art. Based in Toronto, David has observed the rise and fall of countless artists and market trends firsthand, motivating him to write a cautionary guide for collectors, dealers, and art enthusiasts alike. Top Tick is his first book. Connect with him at www.davidbirkenshaw.ca.