Ring of truth

The glamorous art world of Manhattan is a natural subject for novelists and film-makers, but with the honourable exception of William Boyd’s Stars and Bars, written before the great art boom of recent times got going, few of the novels or movies have quite got it right.

The glamorous art world of Manhattan is a natural subject for novelists and film-makers, but with the honourable exception of William Boyd’s Stars and Bars, written before the great art boom of recent times got going, few of the novels or movies have quite got it right. But now comes a novel by Steve Martin, An Object of Beauty, which does seem to have the ring of truth about it.

Best known as a Hollywood actor with a sense of humour as dry as a good martini and an appearance that might not look out of place in business or politics, Martin has a quick and lively brain and over the years has written several excellent screenplays — LA Story and Roxanne being the best known — plus two novels, a play and some non-fiction.

The other thing going for him in this enjoyable, well-observed cautionary tale is the fact that over a 30-year period he has been a dedicated collector and he knows what goes on in dealers’ backrooms and behind the scenes at the two big auction houses. Although he never had the mega-wealth of a Hollywood mogul such as David Geffen, or the resources at the disposal of some internet billionaires, he was nevertheless able to buy works by Bacon, Freud, de Kooning, Hockney and Eric Fischl.

Those who had dealings with him describe him as thoughtful and very serious about his collection, which he treated as a private matter for his personal pleasure.