In this collection of short stories, the author invites us behind the scenes to the backrooms of the art world - into the artists' studios, the gallery offices and other out of bounds areas - to meet a diverse group of characters creating, acquiring, selling, forging, discovering and appreciating art.

Set in places that Maria Tippett obviously knows well - Berlin, Vancouver, London, Chicago, Paris, Rome and Los Angeles - here is a unique insight into the making and marketing of works of arts, rich with human quirks and motivations. Through these stories, the author brings to life issues that traditional art historians and other commentators on the visual arts too often ignore.