5
NOT ENGAGING IN MARKET MANIPULATION WITH DEALERS
Collector Vivian receives an unexpected teatime invitation from Giorgio, gallery ARTONE’s senior partner. When she
gets to the gallery, she is surprised to see that her collector friend Amir is also there. Giorgio opens up the discussion:
“Let’s get straight to the point, dear friends. You are both longstanding collectors of Fernanda’s work and her two large
horse statues will be auctioned at Mimi Auction House next month. It is a great opportunity for these works to enter
your collections, one each. What Amir suggested, and I agree, is that you bid against each other to make the price at
least 100K for each so that Fernanda’s work gets to the price level it deserves. I will then give you a free artwork or two,
to compensate for the higher price. Would this work? It’s a win-win situation for everyone and it greatly favors the
artist.” What would Vivian’s most appropriate answer would be?