There are many things in the world that I am fascinated by. One of them is stories of fantastic heists and cons. I love these types of movies (the Oceans 11 series, Matchstick Men, The Italian Job, The Game, Catch Me If You Can, The Thomas Crowne Affair...the list goes on and on and I never tire of them). I also love the art world - I don't know a lot about art and I certainly don't have much artistic ability - but I find the idea of genius and beauty and singularity very intriguing. Not to mention the frenzy and million dollar price tags that surround hot artists and their works. So, it should come as no surprise that I LOVED The Forger's Spell. The Forger's Spell is the true story of Hans van Meegeren, a not-so-great painter living in Holland during the Nazi occupation. What van Meegeren lacked in artistic talent, he more than made up for in the art of psychology deception. When his own paintings couldn't sell, he turned to forging those of Johannes Vermeer (the Dutch painter of Girl with the Pearl Earring fame). He swindled over $30 million dollars from investors, much of it from German war criminals. Dolnick's book is a perfect mix - he gives the history of WWII and the Nazi's penchance for plundering great works of art - as well as the history of Holland and its place in the war. He tells the biographies of van Meegeren, noted art critics of the time, and the key buyers. He goes into detail about forgery techniques (telling anecdotes along the way of other forgeries) and presents an amazing story of how van Meegeren could pull off such a fantastic hoax. I found everything about this book so exciting. Unlike many of the suave criminals in heist movies, van Meegeren is not a very likeable character, but when matched against Hitler and snobby art collectors, you can't help but cheer for the guy. Definitely among the best books I've read this year - and without a doubt the best non-fiction book.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
The Forger's Spell - Edward Dolnick
There are many things in the world that I am fascinated by. One of them is stories of fantastic heists and cons. I love these types of movies (the Oceans 11 series, Matchstick Men, The Italian Job, The Game, Catch Me If You Can, The Thomas Crowne Affair...the list goes on and on and I never tire of them). I also love the art world - I don't know a lot about art and I certainly don't have much artistic ability - but I find the idea of genius and beauty and singularity very intriguing. Not to mention the frenzy and million dollar price tags that surround hot artists and their works. So, it should come as no surprise that I LOVED The Forger's Spell. The Forger's Spell is the true story of Hans van Meegeren, a not-so-great painter living in Holland during the Nazi occupation. What van Meegeren lacked in artistic talent, he more than made up for in the art of psychology deception. When his own paintings couldn't sell, he turned to forging those of Johannes Vermeer (the Dutch painter of Girl with the Pearl Earring fame). He swindled over $30 million dollars from investors, much of it from German war criminals. Dolnick's book is a perfect mix - he gives the history of WWII and the Nazi's penchance for plundering great works of art - as well as the history of Holland and its place in the war. He tells the biographies of van Meegeren, noted art critics of the time, and the key buyers. He goes into detail about forgery techniques (telling anecdotes along the way of other forgeries) and presents an amazing story of how van Meegeren could pull off such a fantastic hoax. I found everything about this book so exciting. Unlike many of the suave criminals in heist movies, van Meegeren is not a very likeable character, but when matched against Hitler and snobby art collectors, you can't help but cheer for the guy. Definitely among the best books I've read this year - and without a doubt the best non-fiction book.
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