“The era from the Renaissance through to the mid-19th century was one of patronage. But then the capitalist intermediary, the dealer, took over. And as early as 1871 the prestigious periodical the Art Journal was lamenting their part: ‘The influence of the dealer is one of the chief characteristics of modern art… to him has been owing… the immense increase in the prices of pictures.’ The pervasive influence of the dealers hasn’t stopped since.”