--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Auctions are bizarre combinations of…" description: "\"Auctions are bizarre combinations of slave market, trading floor, theatre and burlesque... a lot of people are going to be making a lot of excuses or m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93d/jerry-saltz-1712_auctions_auctions-are-bizarre-combinations-of-sla_2997142.jpg" --- # Auctions are bizarre combinations of slave market, trading… ![“Auctions are bizarre combinations of slave market, trading floor, theatre and burlesque... a lot of people are going to be making a lot of excuses or maintaining that they were never part of this.” quote by Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93d/jerry-saltz-1712_auctions_auctions-are-bizarre-combinations-of-sla_2997142.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93d/jerry-saltz-1712_auctions_auctions-are-bizarre-combinations-of-sla_2997142.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93d/jerry-saltz-1712_auctions_auctions-are-bizarre-combinations-of-sla_2997142.jpg) > “Auctions are bizarre combinations of slave market, trading floor, theatre and burlesque... a lot of people are going to be making a lot of excuses or maintaining that they were never part of this.” [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art auctions blend commerce, spectacle, and exploitation, revealing tensions between value and morality. **In simple terms:** Auctions mix trade, theater, and exploitation. Key Takeaway Recognize ethical dimensions of buying art. Themes art ethics market spectacle culture Mood critical reflective Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - gallery sales - collector decisions - museum acquisitions - artist negotiations Key Concepts commodification spectacle power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How does spectacle affect perceived value? - What responsibilities do buyers have? A Different Perspective Critics argue market forces can corrupt artistic integrity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Auctions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/auctions/) [Bizarre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bizarre/) [Burlesque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burlesque/) [Commerce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commerce/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Trading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trading/) ## Related quotes > [To Xeniades, who had purchased Diogenes at the slave market, he said, "Come, see that you obey orders."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/to-xeniades-who-had-purchased-diogenes-at-the-slave-market-he-said/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) > [“She thanked me for not trying to make what I did seem less by offering a lot of excuses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/she-thanked-me-for-not-trying-to-make-what-i-did-seem-less-by/) [Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/) > [Look, architecture has a lot of places to hide behind, a lot of excuses. 'The client made me do this.' 'The city made me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/look-architecture-has-a-lot-of-places-to-hide-behind-a-lot-of-excuses/) [Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/) > [If you look at the great frauds of all time, Enron had that phantom trading floor. What Herbalife has is it has phantom or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ackman/if-you-look-at-the-great-frauds-of-all-time-enron-had-that-phantom/) [Bill Ackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ackman/) > [It seemed glamorous when I used to go into work and get to be on a trading floor or see how the business worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-duffy/it-seemed-glamorous-when-i-used-to-go-into-work-and-get-to-be-on-a/) [Erin Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-duffy/) > [With Twitter, you can build your own virtual trading floor and research department, populated by the smartest people on earth. Almost any subject or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/with-twitter-you-can-build-your-own-virtual-trading-floor-and/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [The men on the trading floor may not have been to school, but they have Ph.D.’s in man’s ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-men-on-the-trading-floor-may-not-have-been-to-school-but-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I loved working on Wall Street. I loved the meritocracy of it and the camaraderie of the trading floor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-clinton/i-loved-working-on-wall-street-i-loved-the-meritocracy-of-it-and-the/) [Chelsea Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-clinton/) > [The truth is that once you get down on the trading floor, you find that the traders come from all walks of life. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-bradford-raschke/the-truth-is-that-once-you-get-down-on-the-trading-floor-you-find/) [Linda Bradford Raschke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-bradford-raschke/) > [“The prosecutor uttered the party line that would distinguish revue from burlesque for the next thirty years. "The difference is movement. On Broadway, unadorned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dita-von-teese/the-prosecutor-uttered-the-party-line-that-would-distinguish-revue/) [Dita Von Teese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dita-von-teese/) > [The difference between burlesque and the newspapers is that the former never pretended to be performing a public service by exposure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/the-difference-between-burlesque-and-the-newspapers-is-that-the/) [I. F. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone/) > [There is ever a slight suspicion of the burlesque about earnest good men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/there-is-ever-a-slight-suspicion-of-the-burlesque-about-earnest-good/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The human comedy is always tragic, but since its ingredients are always the same - dupe, fox, straight, like burlesque skits - the repetition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/the-human-comedy-is-always-tragic-but-since-its-ingredients-are/) [Dawn Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/) > [I've had 79 to 80 years of show business. I started when I was 5 with a man called Tom Mix. I didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sidney/i-ve-had-79-to-80-years-of-show-business-i-started-when-i-was-5-with/) George Sidney > [Look, I come from vaudeville, I come from burlesque, I come from heartaches, I come from sadness, I come from gladness, I come from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-rooney/look-i-come-from-vaudeville-i-come-from-burlesque-i-come-from/) [Mickey Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-rooney/) ## More by Jerry Saltz > [One argument goes that recessions are good for female artists because when money flies out the window, women are allowed in the house. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/one-argument-goes-that-recessions-are-good-for-female-artists-because/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Kinkade estimated that one of his paintings hung in every twenty homes in America. Yet the art world unanimously ignores or reviles him. Me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/kinkade-estimated-that-one-of-his-paintings-hung-in-every-twenty/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [The German ueber-photographer Andreas Gursky was the perfect pre-9/11 artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/the-german-ueber-photographer-andreas-gursky-was-the-perfect-pre-9-11/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [The debut show, “Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary,” is supposed to be about how artists reuse humble or unusual materials. There’s good work here,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/the-debut-show-second-lives-remixing-the-ordinary-is-supposed-to-be/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [While the space for artists and curators has increased enormously, maybe, just maybe, that's left room for too many people calling themselves artists and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/while-the-space-for-artists-and-curators-has-increased-enormously/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Those who love him love that he sells the most art; they take it as a point of faith that this proves Kinkade is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/those-who-love-him-love-that-he-sells-the-most-art-they-take-it-as-a/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > ['Untitled' is a time machine that can transport you to 1992, an edgy moment when the art world was crumbling, money was scarce, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/untitled-is-a-time-machine-that-can-transport-you-to-1992-an-edgy/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [I love art dealers. In some ways, they're my favorite people in the art world. Really. I love that they put their money where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/i-love-art-dealers-in-some-ways-they-re-my-favorite-people-in-the-art/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [My nominee for Best Picture of the year - maybe the best picture ever, because it's essentially made up of and is an ecstatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/my-nominee-for-best-picture-of-the-year-maybe-the-best-picture-ever/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Many things happened in the sixties, but the period is no more significant, better, or more 'political' than today. It's time to turn the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/many-things-happened-in-the-sixties-but-the-period-is-no-more/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [When people in stadiums do the Wave, it's the group-mind collective organism spontaneously organizing itself to express an emotion, pass time, and reflect the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/when-people-in-stadiums-do-the-wave-it-s-the-group-mind-collective/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Few contemporary artists mined the space between the ordinary and the strange better than Orozco did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/few-contemporary-artists-mined-the-space-between-the-ordinary-and-the/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [The giant white cube is now impeding rather than enhancing the rhythms of art. It preprograms a viewer's journey, shifts the emphasis from process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/the-giant-white-cube-is-now-impeding-rather-than-enhancing-the/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Art schools are partly the villain here. (Never mind that I teach in them.) This generation of artists is the first to have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/art-schools-are-partly-the-villain-here-never-mind-that-i-teach-in/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [There's one Baldessari work I genuinely love and would like to own, maybe because of my Midwestern roots and love of driving alone. 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/there-s-one-baldessari-work-i-genuinely-love-and-would-like-to-own/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) [Explore all 213 Jerry Saltz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) ## More Auctions quotes > [War's an auction where whoever can pay the most in damage and still be standing wins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/war-s-an-auction-where-whoever-can-pay-the-most-in-damage-and-still/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [It is not the time to put school districts up for auction. Now is the time to galvanize them into action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-hargreaves/it-is-not-the-time-to-put-school-districts-up-for-auction-now-is-the/) [Andy Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-hargreaves/) > [The book of the moment often has immense vogue, while the book of the age, which comes in its company from the press, lies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamilton-wright-mabie/the-book-of-the-moment-often-has-immense-vogue-while-the-book-of-the/) [Hamilton Wright Mabie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamilton-wright-mabie/) > [In all fairness to the auction companies ? most companies are not car experts, they are marketers. I caution buyers to make sure that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hyman-m-d/in-all-fairness-to-the-auction-companies-most-companies-are-not-car/) [Mark Hyman, M.D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hyman-m-d/) > [The government consists of a gang of men exactly like you and me. They have, taking one with another, no special talent for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-government-consists-of-a-gang-of-men-exactly-like-you-and-me-they/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [I am not opposed to the art market. I have lots of friends who are collectors. But the whole idea of the art market…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olafur-eliasson/i-am-not-opposed-to-the-art-market-i-have-lots-of-friends-who-are/) [Olafur Eliasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olafur-eliasson/) > [A tipping point is invisible, as we just saw in Greece. In most situations, everything appears fine until it's not fine, until, for example,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/a-tipping-point-is-invisible-as-we-just-saw-in-greece-in-most/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [I don't know much about auctions. I sometimes go to previews and see art sardined into ugly rooms. I've gawked at the gaudy prices,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/i-don-t-know-much-about-auctions-i-sometimes-go-to-previews-and-see/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Publication - is the auction of the mind...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/publication-is-the-auction-of-the-mind/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [ If you didn't auction the \[CO2\] permits, it would represent the largest corporate welfare program that has ever been enacted in the history of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-r-orszag/if-you-didn-t-auction-the-co2-permits-it-would-represent-the-largest/) Peter R. Orszag > [Scott has to be one of the most talented artists I've ever seen. He really captures his subjects in a unique way. He is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-lilly/scott-has-to-be-one-of-the-most-talented-artists-i-ve-ever-seen-he/) [Bob Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-lilly/) > [Once they witnessed one of his painting sold at auction for $100,000. And asked how you do it, he said, 'I feel as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/once-they-witnessed-one-of-his-painting-sold-at-auction-for-100-000/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [People were doing business with one another through the Internet already, through bulletin boards. But on the Web, we could make it interactive, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/people-were-doing-business-with-one-another-through-the-internet/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [Can you imagine a demon auction? Serial killer going once...twice...sold to the drama queen at the corner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/can-you-imagine-a-demon-auction-serial-killer-going-once-twice-sold/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The right-of-centre parties still often compete with left-of-centre ones to proclaim their attachment to all the main programmes of spending, particularly spending on social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/the-right-of-centre-parties-still-often-compete-with-left-of-centre/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) [Browse all 84 Auctions quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/auctions/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Auctions are bizarre combinations of slave market, trading floor, theatre and burlesque... a lot of people are going to be making a lot of excuses or maintaining that they were never part of this.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jerry Saltz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/auctions-are-bizarre-combinations-of-slave-market-trading-floor/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Auctions" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/auctions-are-bizarre-combinations-of-slave-market-trading-floor/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93d/jerry-saltz-1712_auctions_auctions-are-bizarre-combinations-of-sla_2997142.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93d/jerry-saltz-1712_auctions_auctions-are-bizarre-combinations-of-sla_2997142.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93d/jerry-saltz-1712_auctions_auctions-are-bizarre-combinations-of-sla_2997142.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Auctions are bizarre combinations of slave market, trading floor, theatre and burlesque... a lot of people…” — Jerry Saltz", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jerry Saltz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Auctions are bizarre combinations of slave...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/auctions-are-bizarre-combinations-of-slave-market-trading-floor/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/auctions-are-bizarre-combinations-of-slave-market-trading-floor/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```