Trading Beauty – Valentina Castellani at Hatchards, Piccadilly

Valentina Castellani discusses her book ‘Trading Beauty,’ in conversation with Dame Hannah Rothschild. We are delighted to welcome art historian Valentina Castellani and novelist and documentary filmmaker Dame Hannah Rothschild here at Hatchards to discuss 'Trading Beauty: Art Market Histories from the Altar to the Gallery.' ‘Trading Beauty’ traces the evolution of the Western art market from the medieval era to the present day, examining how social, cultural, religious, and economic circumstances have informed distinct models of art production, validation, and valuation. Inextricably linked to the history of art are the stories of its markets. ‘Trading Beauty’ surveys the evolution of the Western art market from the medieval era to the present day. In thirteen chapters informed by her expertise as a veteran of Sotheby’s auction house and Gagosian gallery, Valentina Castellani analyzes how the social, cultural, religious, and economic circumstances of distinct historical periods have defined disparate models of art production, validation, and valuation. Castellani’s chronicles of these various histories, peppered with anecdotes spotlighting game-changing characters and record-shattering sales, provide insight into the mechanisms that have shaped the art market as we know it today. It promises to be an absolutely fascinating evening, do come along if you can! Valentina Castellani has held leading roles at Sotheby’s and Gagosian and has worked as an independent dealer. She is an adjunct professor in NYU Steinhardt’s MA program in Visual Arts Administration. Dame Hannah Rothschild is a novelist, biographer, documentary filmmaker and philanthropist. Her debut novel, 'The Improbability of Love' (2015), won the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize and was shortlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction. Her fifth book, 'Masterpiece,' will be released in February 2027.