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The Art of the Con: The Most Notorious Fakes, Frauds, and Forgeries in the Art World
Art scams are today so numerous that the specter of a lawsuit arising from a mistaken attribution has scared a number of experts away from the business of authentication and forgery, and with good reason. Art scams are increasingly convincing and involve incredible sums of money. The cons perpetrated by unscrupulous art dealers and their accomplices are proportionately elaborate.
Anthony M. Amore's The Art of the Con tells the stories of some of history's most notorious yet untold cons. They involve stolen art hidden for decades; elaborate ruses that involve the Nazis and allegedly plundered art; the theft of a conceptual prototype from a well-known artist by his assistant to be used later to create copies; the use of online and television auction sites to scam buyers out of millions; and other confidence scams incredible not only for their boldness but more so because they actually worked. Using interviews and newly released court documents, The Art of the Con will also take the reader into the investigations that led to the capture of the con men, who oftentimes return back to the world of crime. For some, it's an irresistible urge because their innocent dupes all share something in common: they want to believe.
Anthony M. Amore's The Art of the Con tells the stories of some of history's most notorious yet untold cons. They involve stolen art hidden for decades; elaborate ruses that involve the Nazis and allegedly plundered art; the theft of a conceptual prototype from a well-known artist by his assistant to be used later to create copies; the use of online and television auction sites to scam buyers out of millions; and other confidence scams incredible not only for their boldness but more so because they actually worked. Using interviews and newly released court documents, The Art of the Con will also take the reader into the investigations that led to the capture of the con men, who oftentimes return back to the world of crime. For some, it's an irresistible urge because their innocent dupes all share something in common: they want to believe.
264 pages, Hardcover
First published July 14, 2015
145 people are currently reading
2757 people want to read
About the author
Anthony M. Amore
7 books43 followersAnthony M. Amore is the Director of Security and Chief Investigator at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum where he is charged with efforts to recover 13 works of art stolen on March 18, 1990.
He regularly writes on his "Big Security" Substack account and is a frequent commentator on national and international news outlets on topics ranging from security to art crime to politics.
Prior to the highly-acclaimed THE WOMAN WHO STOLE VERMEER, he wrote THE ART OF THE CON, which was a New York Times Crime Best Seller and an Amazon Best Pick of 2015. His first book, STEALING REMBRANDTS, was a Wall Street Journal Crime Best Seller and an influential work in the field of art theft investigations.
He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.
He regularly writes on his "Big Security" Substack account and is a frequent commentator on national and international news outlets on topics ranging from security to art crime to politics.
Prior to the highly-acclaimed THE WOMAN WHO STOLE VERMEER, he wrote THE ART OF THE CON, which was a New York Times Crime Best Seller and an Amazon Best Pick of 2015. His first book, STEALING REMBRANDTS, was a Wall Street Journal Crime Best Seller and an influential work in the field of art theft investigations.
He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.
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November 15, 2015
Art fraud is certainly not new. Michelangelo profited early in his career from forging antiquities. Today, experts trained not only in art but also in scientific technologies and historical research are available to fight fraud. IFAR (the International Foundation for Art Research) conducts authentication research and is consulted by both museums and private collectors. The Museum of Find Arts in Boston has a separate position, a Curator of Provenance. Yet, art fraud remains an ongoing problem. Amore cites a major impediment: “...the one thing that science cannot combat is the desire many people have to believe they have discovered the fine art of a lifetime. Technical art researchers cannot compel duped art buyers to submit their acquisitions to analysis. In fact, in many cases, they likely would rather not know. And it's that sort of wide-eyed attitude toward art — and well-known artists — that is the chief symptom of the art dupe.”
Amore examines eleven high-profile cases in this book. Amid the proliferation of dealers, artists, collectors, dates and artworks, many common themes emerge. Creating the forgery is often the easiest part of the scam. Carlos Bergantiños hired a talented street artist who had emigrated from China with dreams of a successful career in the U.S. to create fraudulent Jackson Pollocks and Robert Motherwells (Ch.2: The Broker). Ely Sakhai recruited an entire workforce of de facto indentured Chinese artists to copy the genuine works he had purchased. They worked in the upper floor of his Long Island gallery under his watchful eye (Ch.7: Double Dealer). Kristine Eubanks exploited high resolution printing technology (a process called gicleé) to reproduce her fakes (Ch.10: The Telescam).
The most difficult problem was establishing the fake provenance, the documentation that would persuade skeptical buyers of a work's authenticity. Helene and Wolfgang Beltracehi bolstered their tales of fictional ancestors connected to Impressionst art circles with faked antique photographs picturing the forgeries in period settings (Ch.1: The Forger). Brian Ramnarine forged documents for his unauthorized metal casts of Jasper Johns' sculptures to substantiate claims that they were gifts to him from the artist (Ch.4: The Trusting Artist). Glatoria Rosales, Bergantiñus' partner in crime forged documentation to support a story of a reclusive Spanish collector seeking to sell pieces anonymously.
At least until the advent of the internet, art traffic depended heavily on a global network of dealers, gallery owners and consultants. It was a fairly closed network, expanded by personal contacts: Friends, friends of friends, relatives, employees working their way up the career ladder, and even neophyte artists. It was a world that depended on trust. It is therefore shocking how casually art crime perpetrators violated that trust. Larry Salander was a prominent Manhattan gallery owner. His gallery had exhibited the paintings of Robert DeNiro Sr. He cultivated friendships with artist Stuart Davis' son Earl and with DeNiro's son. He leveraged his friendships into agreements to sell the paintings of these two estates. Instead, he secretly sold many of the paintings without authorization, and simply pocketed the proceeds. Salander duped others as well. He sold half-shares of paintings multiple times not only to investors but to his good friend John McEnroe as well.
One senses a special outrage Amore harbors for these violations of trust. Early in the book he chides the media for romanticizing art fraud perpetrators. They are characterized as overlooked talents, sophisticated aesthetes, or convivial pranksters. The profile Amore paints in this rogue's gallery is quite different: Sociopaths carefully planning to turn trust into betrayal. Their motives include both greed and thrill-seeking. Even after punishment, a surprising number of Amore's criminals are recidivists.
Amore effectively argues that art fraud harms all of us, not just a handful of wealthy insiders. It damages the reputations of artists and devalues their authentic works. It is a gross falsification of the historical record and is an assault on our collective cultural heritage. Unfortunately, his writing style is less engaging than his subject matter. Part of the problem is that he is unable to adopt a consistent point of view even within a single chapter. He shifts from biographical details about the principals to procedural details of the investigations. Many of the collectors and dealers he quotes might be less than candid about their own suspicions and involvement. Amore also tends to ramble. The chapters would have benefited from more disciplined adherence to the rule: Don't bury the lead. These problems are unfortunate. Amore has dedicated a great deal of time and effort into telling this story. In person he is an engaging speaker who has had personal access to an unusually large segment of the art world. I have heard him speak about his previous book, STEALING REMBRANDTS, and urge readers to avail themselves of any opportunity to listen to one of his talks in addition to reading his book.
Amore examines eleven high-profile cases in this book. Amid the proliferation of dealers, artists, collectors, dates and artworks, many common themes emerge. Creating the forgery is often the easiest part of the scam. Carlos Bergantiños hired a talented street artist who had emigrated from China with dreams of a successful career in the U.S. to create fraudulent Jackson Pollocks and Robert Motherwells (Ch.2: The Broker). Ely Sakhai recruited an entire workforce of de facto indentured Chinese artists to copy the genuine works he had purchased. They worked in the upper floor of his Long Island gallery under his watchful eye (Ch.7: Double Dealer). Kristine Eubanks exploited high resolution printing technology (a process called gicleé) to reproduce her fakes (Ch.10: The Telescam).
The most difficult problem was establishing the fake provenance, the documentation that would persuade skeptical buyers of a work's authenticity. Helene and Wolfgang Beltracehi bolstered their tales of fictional ancestors connected to Impressionst art circles with faked antique photographs picturing the forgeries in period settings (Ch.1: The Forger). Brian Ramnarine forged documents for his unauthorized metal casts of Jasper Johns' sculptures to substantiate claims that they were gifts to him from the artist (Ch.4: The Trusting Artist). Glatoria Rosales, Bergantiñus' partner in crime forged documentation to support a story of a reclusive Spanish collector seeking to sell pieces anonymously.
At least until the advent of the internet, art traffic depended heavily on a global network of dealers, gallery owners and consultants. It was a fairly closed network, expanded by personal contacts: Friends, friends of friends, relatives, employees working their way up the career ladder, and even neophyte artists. It was a world that depended on trust. It is therefore shocking how casually art crime perpetrators violated that trust. Larry Salander was a prominent Manhattan gallery owner. His gallery had exhibited the paintings of Robert DeNiro Sr. He cultivated friendships with artist Stuart Davis' son Earl and with DeNiro's son. He leveraged his friendships into agreements to sell the paintings of these two estates. Instead, he secretly sold many of the paintings without authorization, and simply pocketed the proceeds. Salander duped others as well. He sold half-shares of paintings multiple times not only to investors but to his good friend John McEnroe as well.
One senses a special outrage Amore harbors for these violations of trust. Early in the book he chides the media for romanticizing art fraud perpetrators. They are characterized as overlooked talents, sophisticated aesthetes, or convivial pranksters. The profile Amore paints in this rogue's gallery is quite different: Sociopaths carefully planning to turn trust into betrayal. Their motives include both greed and thrill-seeking. Even after punishment, a surprising number of Amore's criminals are recidivists.
Amore effectively argues that art fraud harms all of us, not just a handful of wealthy insiders. It damages the reputations of artists and devalues their authentic works. It is a gross falsification of the historical record and is an assault on our collective cultural heritage. Unfortunately, his writing style is less engaging than his subject matter. Part of the problem is that he is unable to adopt a consistent point of view even within a single chapter. He shifts from biographical details about the principals to procedural details of the investigations. Many of the collectors and dealers he quotes might be less than candid about their own suspicions and involvement. Amore also tends to ramble. The chapters would have benefited from more disciplined adherence to the rule: Don't bury the lead. These problems are unfortunate. Amore has dedicated a great deal of time and effort into telling this story. In person he is an engaging speaker who has had personal access to an unusually large segment of the art world. I have heard him speak about his previous book, STEALING REMBRANDTS, and urge readers to avail themselves of any opportunity to listen to one of his talks in addition to reading his book.
February 5, 2016
The day after humans invented money, someone came up with a con to take it away from the greedy and the gullible. The day after art came off cave walls and became portable, someone figured out how to fake it, steal it, or otherwise convert it into ready cash.
Which continues to this day. Anthony Amore, former security director of the ill-starred Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, became familiar with this subject while trying to figure out the fates of the thirteen artworks stolen from the museum on his predecessor's watch. His initial homework became Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists , which I liked well enough. Not one to let his time in the limelight lapse, he moved on from art theft to frauds and forgeries, the result being this true-crime book.
This is well-plowed ground, so the author wisely concentrates on recent major scams. While some of the familiar names get checked briefly (van Meegeren, Beltracchi, Myatt), each chapter profiles one chief fraudster such as Tatiana Khan, who made a ton of money selling fake art she claimed she got from the Malcolm Forbes estate, and Leon Amiel, who mass-produced supposedly original lithographs and serigraphs from famous Modern artists such as Marc Chagall.
Unless you're a specialist or an obsessive, you won't have heard of many of these people. That's the great strength of this book: you're not reading the same well-worn stories again. Also, because they're all recent (none older than the 1990s), you get an idea of how modern con people (some are female) turn art or "art" into an ATM. Internet-based frauds take up the last chapter -- some people use eBay to move forgeries, shock horror -- and some of the featured bad actors use methods not unlike those used to sell sub-prime mortgages, overpriced timeshares or penny stocks worth less than a penny. In some cases, the audacity is so over-the-top that you may come to appreciate the sheer balls behind the scam.
Amore isn't a writer. He's a reporter, and each chapter reads like an extended feature article in a newspaper. "Straightforward" and "unadorned" are the key adjectives here; this is the Jack Webb school of crime writing. Each chapter is a self-contained account of the roots of the crime, its trajectory, and the eventual unraveling, arrests, and convictions. This is a book that invites snacking. It's easy to read one chapter, set down the book for a day or a week, do something else, then come back to it later and not lose the throughline, because there isn't one.
Unfortunately, as with Stealing Rembrandts, "straightforward" and "unadorned" don't always translate to satisfying. There's no personality in this (either the author's or the crooks'), no sense of character, plot, pacing, tension or drama. Because the subjects of each chapter are just names on a page, you may lose track of which one kept a stable of illegal Chinese immigrant artists and which one made unauthorized copies of Jasper John castings. That's a shame; I'll bet some of these people would be really interesting characters in other hands.
Rating this book becomes of question of which is more important, content or delivery. On the one hand, I could probably pull the plots for the next three or four installments of my art-crime series from The Art of the Con, so it gets four stars for usefulness (to me, at least). On the other hand, the bloodlessness of the prose is a prime reason it took me almost three months to finish this off -- it wasn't a compelling-enough read to make me hurry back. I'll settle on three stars and hope Amore's next co-author injects some life into what should be fascinating material.
Which continues to this day. Anthony Amore, former security director of the ill-starred Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, became familiar with this subject while trying to figure out the fates of the thirteen artworks stolen from the museum on his predecessor's watch. His initial homework became Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists , which I liked well enough. Not one to let his time in the limelight lapse, he moved on from art theft to frauds and forgeries, the result being this true-crime book.
This is well-plowed ground, so the author wisely concentrates on recent major scams. While some of the familiar names get checked briefly (van Meegeren, Beltracchi, Myatt), each chapter profiles one chief fraudster such as Tatiana Khan, who made a ton of money selling fake art she claimed she got from the Malcolm Forbes estate, and Leon Amiel, who mass-produced supposedly original lithographs and serigraphs from famous Modern artists such as Marc Chagall.
Unless you're a specialist or an obsessive, you won't have heard of many of these people. That's the great strength of this book: you're not reading the same well-worn stories again. Also, because they're all recent (none older than the 1990s), you get an idea of how modern con people (some are female) turn art or "art" into an ATM. Internet-based frauds take up the last chapter -- some people use eBay to move forgeries, shock horror -- and some of the featured bad actors use methods not unlike those used to sell sub-prime mortgages, overpriced timeshares or penny stocks worth less than a penny. In some cases, the audacity is so over-the-top that you may come to appreciate the sheer balls behind the scam.
Amore isn't a writer. He's a reporter, and each chapter reads like an extended feature article in a newspaper. "Straightforward" and "unadorned" are the key adjectives here; this is the Jack Webb school of crime writing. Each chapter is a self-contained account of the roots of the crime, its trajectory, and the eventual unraveling, arrests, and convictions. This is a book that invites snacking. It's easy to read one chapter, set down the book for a day or a week, do something else, then come back to it later and not lose the throughline, because there isn't one.
Unfortunately, as with Stealing Rembrandts, "straightforward" and "unadorned" don't always translate to satisfying. There's no personality in this (either the author's or the crooks'), no sense of character, plot, pacing, tension or drama. Because the subjects of each chapter are just names on a page, you may lose track of which one kept a stable of illegal Chinese immigrant artists and which one made unauthorized copies of Jasper John castings. That's a shame; I'll bet some of these people would be really interesting characters in other hands.
Rating this book becomes of question of which is more important, content or delivery. On the one hand, I could probably pull the plots for the next three or four installments of my art-crime series from The Art of the Con, so it gets four stars for usefulness (to me, at least). On the other hand, the bloodlessness of the prose is a prime reason it took me almost three months to finish this off -- it wasn't a compelling-enough read to make me hurry back. I'll settle on three stars and hope Amore's next co-author injects some life into what should be fascinating material.
July 11, 2015
* I received this ebook at no charge from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review *
“Indeed, while the art of art theft is said to be in the selling of the art, not the thievery, the art of the art scams is in the backstory, not in the picture itself.”
Mr. Amore begins his book with the story of John E. Swords’ purchase of the “Portrait of George Washington” from the artist, Gilbert Stuart. Despite living in virtual poverty Stuart was willing to sell the painting only on the condition that it never be copied or reproduced. Swords agreed – of course he did – and then immediately traveled to China where he enlisted their well-practiced copyists to make 100 reproductions of the painting. This betrayal of Gilbert Stuart was the first major “art scam” in American history. The good Captain Swords, however, was not the first to come up with idea of reproducing art for personal profit. Even Michelangelo is said to have sculpted a sleeping cupid figure and then artificially aged it in order to sell it as a lost treasure.
Why would a talented artist resort to fraud and forgery? That is the question that constantly nags at my mind when I read about these elaborate schemes and scams. The answer of course is a combination of greed and opportunity. As Mr. Amore so often points out, everyone wants to believe they have found a lost treasure or an unbelievable bargain … they want it so desperately that they are willing to short-circuit their good judgment and often their own expertise. This creates fertile ground for these forgers and con artists to ply their trade.
As the book progresses the reader learns about art fraud and forgery (and yes there is a difference) in chapters dealing with the forgeries themselves, unscrupulous art brokers, overly trusting artists and art “Ponzi schemes” through to disreputable television auctions and Internet scams.
I enjoyed Mr. Amore’s previous book “Stealing Rembrandts” very much and I was quite excited to receive this one for review; once again I was not disappointed. From the distant past of copying each artist’s brush stroke through to using today’s technology Mr. Amore touches on almost every known scenario. I use the term “touches on” quite purposely. If you are looking for an in depth biography of the forgers and a how-to, step-by-step technical explanation of how the forgeries were produced, I am sure that those books are available somewhere, but you won’t find that in this book and I don’t think that is the purpose of this book. This book gives a reader like myself – someone interested in art and curious about the forgeries, frauds, scams and cons – an easily read and understandable book with enough information to satisfy my curiosity and then (if I so choose) to use Mr. Amore’s extensive source list to delve deeper.
I always find it difficult when it comes to rating a non-fiction book. Obviously, since I picked up the book, the subject matter interests me already or I may want to begin learning more about it. If the book meets that need, and “The Art of the Con” certainly does, then it should deserve five stars. So, why did I only go with four in this case? Two reasons; firstly, although overall it was a book I enjoyed reading, occasionally Mr. Amore’s conversational style of writing slipped into a bit of a “text book” mode that felt a little dry. Secondly, (and this is a purely personal preference so excuse me if I sound like a whiny toddler), I wish that the book had included pictures. This subject is very visual and I often found myself going online to look up the works of art I was reading about – unfortunately, I do not always read in close proximity to a computer.
CORRECTION: After I posted this review Mr. Amore was kind enough to get in touch with me to let me know that although my ARC copy did not have pictures the final published work will indeed have color pictures included. Good to know ... I'll look forward to checking them out. So, let's bump that rating up to 4.5 stars!
“Indeed, while the art of art theft is said to be in the selling of the art, not the thievery, the art of the art scams is in the backstory, not in the picture itself.”
Mr. Amore begins his book with the story of John E. Swords’ purchase of the “Portrait of George Washington” from the artist, Gilbert Stuart. Despite living in virtual poverty Stuart was willing to sell the painting only on the condition that it never be copied or reproduced. Swords agreed – of course he did – and then immediately traveled to China where he enlisted their well-practiced copyists to make 100 reproductions of the painting. This betrayal of Gilbert Stuart was the first major “art scam” in American history. The good Captain Swords, however, was not the first to come up with idea of reproducing art for personal profit. Even Michelangelo is said to have sculpted a sleeping cupid figure and then artificially aged it in order to sell it as a lost treasure.
Why would a talented artist resort to fraud and forgery? That is the question that constantly nags at my mind when I read about these elaborate schemes and scams. The answer of course is a combination of greed and opportunity. As Mr. Amore so often points out, everyone wants to believe they have found a lost treasure or an unbelievable bargain … they want it so desperately that they are willing to short-circuit their good judgment and often their own expertise. This creates fertile ground for these forgers and con artists to ply their trade.
As the book progresses the reader learns about art fraud and forgery (and yes there is a difference) in chapters dealing with the forgeries themselves, unscrupulous art brokers, overly trusting artists and art “Ponzi schemes” through to disreputable television auctions and Internet scams.
I enjoyed Mr. Amore’s previous book “Stealing Rembrandts” very much and I was quite excited to receive this one for review; once again I was not disappointed. From the distant past of copying each artist’s brush stroke through to using today’s technology Mr. Amore touches on almost every known scenario. I use the term “touches on” quite purposely. If you are looking for an in depth biography of the forgers and a how-to, step-by-step technical explanation of how the forgeries were produced, I am sure that those books are available somewhere, but you won’t find that in this book and I don’t think that is the purpose of this book. This book gives a reader like myself – someone interested in art and curious about the forgeries, frauds, scams and cons – an easily read and understandable book with enough information to satisfy my curiosity and then (if I so choose) to use Mr. Amore’s extensive source list to delve deeper.
I always find it difficult when it comes to rating a non-fiction book. Obviously, since I picked up the book, the subject matter interests me already or I may want to begin learning more about it. If the book meets that need, and “The Art of the Con” certainly does, then it should deserve five stars. So, why did I only go with four in this case? Two reasons; firstly, although overall it was a book I enjoyed reading, occasionally Mr. Amore’s conversational style of writing slipped into a bit of a “text book” mode that felt a little dry. Secondly, (and this is a purely personal preference so excuse me if I sound like a whiny toddler), I wish that the book had included pictures. This subject is very visual and I often found myself going online to look up the works of art I was reading about – unfortunately, I do not always read in close proximity to a computer.
CORRECTION: After I posted this review Mr. Amore was kind enough to get in touch with me to let me know that although my ARC copy did not have pictures the final published work will indeed have color pictures included. Good to know ... I'll look forward to checking them out. So, let's bump that rating up to 4.5 stars!
November 7, 2018
Funny book, some of those cone artists produced better copies than the originals. Rather fascinating stories of fakes, frauds, forgeries. Even art has its criminality and can reach Nobel or oscar level.
January 16, 2023
Interesting review of cases
December 21, 2020
A bit dry at times, the value here is the sheer variety of scams and schemes perpetuated by crooks, who come in all shapes and sizes, from every background. The stories cover the mid 1800s through the early 2000s. The technology and techniques change, but the human interplay never does. It actually gets a bit depressing to read so many stories of unscrupulous assholes stealing from people.
Some (a few) of the victims who bought forgeries I don’t really feel too bad about because many of them were greedy, looking to make an investment rather than buying art they liked. The real victims are the artists and their families who were ripped off, some of whom have since died, leaving their families in debt because the forgers devalued their artwork by flooding the market with fakes.
I spent longer than usual reading this book because I kept looking up the pieces referenced in the book, and usually ended up going down rabbit holes of information and side connections. Such as discovering that one of the crookedest of the crooks, Ely Sakhai, has a daughter, Michelle, who is now an artist herself. Oh irony, never stop being weird. (In her numerous bios, his name is never once mentioned, just that her father is from Iran and her mother is from Japan. Hmm.)
I saw an interview years ago with Kirk Douglas (who died earlier this year at 103 years old), talking about his love of art and why he sold his collection. He remarked that he, too, once chased the dragon of purchasing art by the dead masters, but came to the realization that all he was doing was fueling the aftermarket of bottom feeders, so he instead started buying work from living artists only, and directly from them. (It’s almost always the middlemen who are cheating both sides.) That’s what I do, too, because working artists need the support. Rembrandt and Picasso are beyond caring. Of course, Douglas knew artists like Joan Miro and Marc Chagall personally, so his stuff turned out to be incredibly valuable to other collectors, but the point still stands.
The ultimate takeaway here is “caveat emptor” and don’t let greed blind you to obvious red flags. It’s true that good art doesn’t match the sofa, but it’s equally true that some guy didn’t just accidentally find a Jackson Pollock in his grandma’s attic and is willing to sell it to you for “just” a hundred grand.
Some (a few) of the victims who bought forgeries I don’t really feel too bad about because many of them were greedy, looking to make an investment rather than buying art they liked. The real victims are the artists and their families who were ripped off, some of whom have since died, leaving their families in debt because the forgers devalued their artwork by flooding the market with fakes.
I spent longer than usual reading this book because I kept looking up the pieces referenced in the book, and usually ended up going down rabbit holes of information and side connections. Such as discovering that one of the crookedest of the crooks, Ely Sakhai, has a daughter, Michelle, who is now an artist herself. Oh irony, never stop being weird. (In her numerous bios, his name is never once mentioned, just that her father is from Iran and her mother is from Japan. Hmm.)
I saw an interview years ago with Kirk Douglas (who died earlier this year at 103 years old), talking about his love of art and why he sold his collection. He remarked that he, too, once chased the dragon of purchasing art by the dead masters, but came to the realization that all he was doing was fueling the aftermarket of bottom feeders, so he instead started buying work from living artists only, and directly from them. (It’s almost always the middlemen who are cheating both sides.) That’s what I do, too, because working artists need the support. Rembrandt and Picasso are beyond caring. Of course, Douglas knew artists like Joan Miro and Marc Chagall personally, so his stuff turned out to be incredibly valuable to other collectors, but the point still stands.
The ultimate takeaway here is “caveat emptor” and don’t let greed blind you to obvious red flags. It’s true that good art doesn’t match the sofa, but it’s equally true that some guy didn’t just accidentally find a Jackson Pollock in his grandma’s attic and is willing to sell it to you for “just” a hundred grand.
July 14, 2015
A fun collection of relatively recent true-crime stories about art theft, fraud, and forgery, this book moves along at a fast clip. The different stories chosen do become a little repetitive at times, although the colorful characters involved in each case do distinguish themselves in the details of their individual audaciousness.
Amore's journalistic writing style states facts plainly and with little embroidery, which will appeal to those readers who enjoy TV more than they enjoy long literary tales. Amore's prose sometimes reads like the transcripts of a true crime TV show. This makes it entertaining, but also somewhat forgettable by the morning after.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley.
Amore's journalistic writing style states facts plainly and with little embroidery, which will appeal to those readers who enjoy TV more than they enjoy long literary tales. Amore's prose sometimes reads like the transcripts of a true crime TV show. This makes it entertaining, but also somewhat forgettable by the morning after.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley.
June 16, 2022
“The art of the con” is a fascinating book that focuses on previously unknown art scams as well as introducing the readers to those hard at work to stop art fraud through authentication and research.
The book consists of an Introduction, eleven chapters, and an epilogue. Surprisingly, art scams are not just an American problem but it is an international problem going back centuries. Each of the eleven chapters focuses on a different type of art scam and includes cons featuring art forgers, art brokers, immigrant artists, and printers.
The introduction begins with the first art scam in history done 1801 involving Gilbert Stuart’s unfinished portrait of George Washington. Amore writes this book to highlight con artists and fake art works that are so well painted that even art experts were fooled. Amore explains that scammers are successful because of their ability to find a mark who who has a strong desire to believe that they’ve stumbled upon a rare deal that’s both good and true. Scammers will usually provide a backstory about a collection that’s been hidden away for years or maybe a gift from the artist. Amore introduces to the reader the most important word in the art world which is provenance or the historical record of the ownership a work of art.
Chapter one is titled the forger and focuses on art forger Wolfgang Beltracchi and his years of deception with the assistance of his wife Helena. From 1993 to 2010, the Beltracchi’s tricked hundreds of art lovers and art experts. By the end of the chapter, both Beltracchi and his wife are convicted and sentenced to prison however, they were sentenced to home confinement and were able to spend their days together.
Chapter two is titled the broker and focuses on an art con by an art broker Galfira Rosales with her boyfriend Carlos Berganitinos who claimed that art made by immigrant painter Pei-Shen Qian was painted by master painters. This chapter also highlights the after effects of being conned such as the closing of Knoedler Gallery after 165 years of business.
Chapter three is titled the art ponzi scheme and focuses con artist Larry Salander. This chapter shows how Salander present himself as a charming art gallery owner as well as an artist with celebrity friends. Salander's scams included selling one piece of art to multiple people and sell art entrusted to him by friends.
Chapter four is titled the trusting artist and focuses on artists Jasper Johns, Kenny Scharf, Saint Clair Cenin, and Robert Indiana who are unknowingly targets of art scam by the sale of unauthorized reproductions copies of the artists by Brian Ramnarine by using molds handed to him by the artists. After the artists become aware of Ramnarine's treachery, they are livid over the misrepresentation of their works and how it damages their reputations. Although Ramnarine is convicted of fraud, he goes right back to selling fake sculpture after his term of probation had ended.
Chapter five is titled the inheritor and focuses on John Singer Sargent and his contribution to the Boston Public Library and his assistant Joseph Coletti. The scam in this chapter is performed by Luigi Cugini, a man who claimed that he had inherited artwork from Sargent and Coletti since Coletti was his grandfather. Cugini scams people with his partner Dr. Vils Likhite as they continued to steal and sell stolen artwork. Although Cugini is caught without incident and is sentenced to 27 months, he is bold in that he asked the government to return of the art seized from his home before his imprisonment.
Chapter six is titled the captor and focuses on the theft of Michael Bawkin Cezanne’s Bouilloire de Fruits which had been in his family for decades. When Bawkin and his family return home after a trip out of town to visit parents he is shocked when seven art pieces are stolen from his home. The artwork is found by lawyer Robert Mardirosian after his criminal client dies however, Mardirosian decides to try to turn a profit with the stolen paintings. After many year, Bawkin is reunited with his beloved painting but then realizes he will have to sell it due to lack of safeguards.
Chapter seven is called the double dealer and focuses on efforts by Senior Special Agent Bonnie Goldblatt, Christopher Marinello and Ely Sakhai’s double dealing art scamming with a Tiffany lamp. Sakhai eventually uses immigrant labor to make copies of paintings from authentic works he owns. Sakhai's con is undone after he tries to sell an original artwork he owns and discovers a fake copy being sold by an competing auction house.
Chapter eight focuses is titled the bait and switch and focuses on the con run by artist Maria Cruz and Tatiana Khan who lied and said she was selling items from famous Malcolm Forbes collection. This chapter was interesting in that Amore provides a side story about a young Pablo Picasso being a prime suspect in an art theft.
Chapter nine is titled the printmaker and focuses on printmaking cons involving Leon Amiel, Marc Chagall, and the art of print dealing and duplicated lithographs. Surprised to learn that it is illegal to see art prints as investments. Interesting to read about U.S. Department of Justice Operation Bogart (bogus art) that lead to finding several crooked art dealers and a family of females selling fake art prints. Ironically, after all members of the Amiel's female family art con ring are imprisoned, the Amiel grandson resumes the fake art print business and is eventually prosecuted but is shown mercy due to being raised by criminals.
Chapter ten is titled telescam and focuses on Christine Eubanks, husband Gerald Sullivan and their TV art auction show on Dish network directed at selling high-class art to middle class consumers. Artists John O’Brien and Charlene Mitchell are tricked by Eubanks and copies of their works are soon discovered as being sold on eBay and on cruise ships without their knowledge. Eubanks does sloppy work in duping customers and her sloppiness is what eventually leads to her being caught and prosecuted.
Chapter eleven is titled the internet and focuses on scams done through the internet and use of eBay to purchase art. This chapter highlights two British con men Geoffrey Spillane and David Henry; Michael Little. This chapter includes dubious behavior such as creating eBay fake accounts and placing shill bids; fraud involving art is thriving.
If you are someone who enjoys reading about the art world and crime, this book is a must read due to the amount of detail Amore provides to the reader as well as the addition of color photo of those con artists mentioned in the book. Lastly, I liked the details regarding those tasked with detecting fake artist including analysis of paint color, brush technique, signature positioning as well as minute details like whether or not a painter could not have used a specific type of paint due to death in years before death.
The book consists of an Introduction, eleven chapters, and an epilogue. Surprisingly, art scams are not just an American problem but it is an international problem going back centuries. Each of the eleven chapters focuses on a different type of art scam and includes cons featuring art forgers, art brokers, immigrant artists, and printers.
The introduction begins with the first art scam in history done 1801 involving Gilbert Stuart’s unfinished portrait of George Washington. Amore writes this book to highlight con artists and fake art works that are so well painted that even art experts were fooled. Amore explains that scammers are successful because of their ability to find a mark who who has a strong desire to believe that they’ve stumbled upon a rare deal that’s both good and true. Scammers will usually provide a backstory about a collection that’s been hidden away for years or maybe a gift from the artist. Amore introduces to the reader the most important word in the art world which is provenance or the historical record of the ownership a work of art.
Chapter one is titled the forger and focuses on art forger Wolfgang Beltracchi and his years of deception with the assistance of his wife Helena. From 1993 to 2010, the Beltracchi’s tricked hundreds of art lovers and art experts. By the end of the chapter, both Beltracchi and his wife are convicted and sentenced to prison however, they were sentenced to home confinement and were able to spend their days together.
Chapter two is titled the broker and focuses on an art con by an art broker Galfira Rosales with her boyfriend Carlos Berganitinos who claimed that art made by immigrant painter Pei-Shen Qian was painted by master painters. This chapter also highlights the after effects of being conned such as the closing of Knoedler Gallery after 165 years of business.
Chapter three is titled the art ponzi scheme and focuses con artist Larry Salander. This chapter shows how Salander present himself as a charming art gallery owner as well as an artist with celebrity friends. Salander's scams included selling one piece of art to multiple people and sell art entrusted to him by friends.
Chapter four is titled the trusting artist and focuses on artists Jasper Johns, Kenny Scharf, Saint Clair Cenin, and Robert Indiana who are unknowingly targets of art scam by the sale of unauthorized reproductions copies of the artists by Brian Ramnarine by using molds handed to him by the artists. After the artists become aware of Ramnarine's treachery, they are livid over the misrepresentation of their works and how it damages their reputations. Although Ramnarine is convicted of fraud, he goes right back to selling fake sculpture after his term of probation had ended.
Chapter five is titled the inheritor and focuses on John Singer Sargent and his contribution to the Boston Public Library and his assistant Joseph Coletti. The scam in this chapter is performed by Luigi Cugini, a man who claimed that he had inherited artwork from Sargent and Coletti since Coletti was his grandfather. Cugini scams people with his partner Dr. Vils Likhite as they continued to steal and sell stolen artwork. Although Cugini is caught without incident and is sentenced to 27 months, he is bold in that he asked the government to return of the art seized from his home before his imprisonment.
Chapter six is titled the captor and focuses on the theft of Michael Bawkin Cezanne’s Bouilloire de Fruits which had been in his family for decades. When Bawkin and his family return home after a trip out of town to visit parents he is shocked when seven art pieces are stolen from his home. The artwork is found by lawyer Robert Mardirosian after his criminal client dies however, Mardirosian decides to try to turn a profit with the stolen paintings. After many year, Bawkin is reunited with his beloved painting but then realizes he will have to sell it due to lack of safeguards.
Chapter seven is called the double dealer and focuses on efforts by Senior Special Agent Bonnie Goldblatt, Christopher Marinello and Ely Sakhai’s double dealing art scamming with a Tiffany lamp. Sakhai eventually uses immigrant labor to make copies of paintings from authentic works he owns. Sakhai's con is undone after he tries to sell an original artwork he owns and discovers a fake copy being sold by an competing auction house.
Chapter eight focuses is titled the bait and switch and focuses on the con run by artist Maria Cruz and Tatiana Khan who lied and said she was selling items from famous Malcolm Forbes collection. This chapter was interesting in that Amore provides a side story about a young Pablo Picasso being a prime suspect in an art theft.
Chapter nine is titled the printmaker and focuses on printmaking cons involving Leon Amiel, Marc Chagall, and the art of print dealing and duplicated lithographs. Surprised to learn that it is illegal to see art prints as investments. Interesting to read about U.S. Department of Justice Operation Bogart (bogus art) that lead to finding several crooked art dealers and a family of females selling fake art prints. Ironically, after all members of the Amiel's female family art con ring are imprisoned, the Amiel grandson resumes the fake art print business and is eventually prosecuted but is shown mercy due to being raised by criminals.
Chapter ten is titled telescam and focuses on Christine Eubanks, husband Gerald Sullivan and their TV art auction show on Dish network directed at selling high-class art to middle class consumers. Artists John O’Brien and Charlene Mitchell are tricked by Eubanks and copies of their works are soon discovered as being sold on eBay and on cruise ships without their knowledge. Eubanks does sloppy work in duping customers and her sloppiness is what eventually leads to her being caught and prosecuted.
Chapter eleven is titled the internet and focuses on scams done through the internet and use of eBay to purchase art. This chapter highlights two British con men Geoffrey Spillane and David Henry; Michael Little. This chapter includes dubious behavior such as creating eBay fake accounts and placing shill bids; fraud involving art is thriving.
If you are someone who enjoys reading about the art world and crime, this book is a must read due to the amount of detail Amore provides to the reader as well as the addition of color photo of those con artists mentioned in the book. Lastly, I liked the details regarding those tasked with detecting fake artist including analysis of paint color, brush technique, signature positioning as well as minute details like whether or not a painter could not have used a specific type of paint due to death in years before death.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2020
Anthony M. Amore leads the reader right into the hearts of the characters of the art world. Art of the Con honors those who dedicate themselves to creating and protecting the aesthetic ideals and reckons with those that defile and cheapen these creations.
The chapter-long storylines are tight and keep you on your toes. Many of the descriptions of art, theft, and forgery carry with a "just the facts ma'am" style. Stripped of the usual sensationalization within the crime genre, the author instead often opts for a wry tone that tells how it is and does not sugarcoat the plot lines. Yet, in timely moments Amore cuts with incisively sharp humor and insight that catches the reader off guard and remarks upon a deeper meaning and puts you at the edge of your seat.
I found this style to be rawer as it allows for a more in-depth view of both the motives of the criminals and those of higher graces. It meets these individuals for who they are, it also looks deeper into their motivations, and it remarks about something of the human condition.
This precision of language also allows the reader to step into the criminal mind to understand how they work. Yet, Amore goes on to make it clear as he presents the stories of these masterminds of heists and forgeries, that he is not won over by their trickery and instead gives them a little hell. This balance between objectivity and engagement with the characters makes for a razor-sharp wittiness and awareness that I found utterly compelling.
Another striking feature of this book is the author's firsthand quotes. They are always well chosen and bring the characters to life. Jasper Johns says, "One night I dreamed that I painted a large American flag, and the next morning I got up and went out and bought the materials to begin it" (80).
And then there are the cerebral realizations of what art means for society and the human condition. Amore gives this penetrating description of Sergeant Hall by the Boston Public Library: "An American Sistine chapel enshrined within a place of learning… The object of 'worship' here, however, was not the original Christian deity of the 'original' Sistine chapel in the Vatican, but rather the informed and enlightened subjectivity the education could produce'" (99).
And I love how he describes love. Amore described an art collector couple's devotion to one another that paint a most vivid picture. "Harry and Ruth Baldwin were devoted... to each other as their colleagues were to the quaint restaurants and pubs." They explore one another and celebrate one another like others do going out and eating. Within this seemingly simple metaphor is a depth that one can almost miss, as it is so cleverly phrased in plain sight. Amore goes on to describe Harry and Ruth's story of meeting as students, having careers in the same field, having children, traveling, and collecting art together. This story of a couple building a beautiful life together is in itself art, and it takes a keen eye to detail it in such fitting fashion.
There is also sound advice on art collecting, "If anyone should seek my advice about collecting, I'd quickly point out the old truth— buy only what you like. Measure a work by the joy and satisfaction it will bring" (159).
Amore also lets us see into the motivations of the heroes that dedicate their lives to recover stolen art. Special Agent Bonnie Goldblatt says, "Every time I return a Holocaust painting I just get teary-eyed… I'd like to get it all back" (144). Nothing more needs to be said about the passion and commitment from a pure-hearted fight for justice.
Amore brings to light the true stories of the art world and reminds us that the world we live in is stranger than any fiction. Just as the motivations of the crooks seem to come to light, there are 180-degree pivots. And what appears to be a great story within an art piece will have a heart-thumping ride of a story surrounding the work.
Anthony Amore has a unique ability to reveal the souls of the artist, owners, and perpetrators and give the reader a close-up view of art crime. Art of the Con leads us through the winding and cavernous tunnels of crime that shows the true price of preservation of great works of art. Amore shows us how empty a world is without a foundation of truth and integrity in life's affairs, all while delivering unforgettable stories, laughs, shocks, and some sage advice. A definite recommendation.
The chapter-long storylines are tight and keep you on your toes. Many of the descriptions of art, theft, and forgery carry with a "just the facts ma'am" style. Stripped of the usual sensationalization within the crime genre, the author instead often opts for a wry tone that tells how it is and does not sugarcoat the plot lines. Yet, in timely moments Amore cuts with incisively sharp humor and insight that catches the reader off guard and remarks upon a deeper meaning and puts you at the edge of your seat.
I found this style to be rawer as it allows for a more in-depth view of both the motives of the criminals and those of higher graces. It meets these individuals for who they are, it also looks deeper into their motivations, and it remarks about something of the human condition.
This precision of language also allows the reader to step into the criminal mind to understand how they work. Yet, Amore goes on to make it clear as he presents the stories of these masterminds of heists and forgeries, that he is not won over by their trickery and instead gives them a little hell. This balance between objectivity and engagement with the characters makes for a razor-sharp wittiness and awareness that I found utterly compelling.
Another striking feature of this book is the author's firsthand quotes. They are always well chosen and bring the characters to life. Jasper Johns says, "One night I dreamed that I painted a large American flag, and the next morning I got up and went out and bought the materials to begin it" (80).
And then there are the cerebral realizations of what art means for society and the human condition. Amore gives this penetrating description of Sergeant Hall by the Boston Public Library: "An American Sistine chapel enshrined within a place of learning… The object of 'worship' here, however, was not the original Christian deity of the 'original' Sistine chapel in the Vatican, but rather the informed and enlightened subjectivity the education could produce'" (99).
And I love how he describes love. Amore described an art collector couple's devotion to one another that paint a most vivid picture. "Harry and Ruth Baldwin were devoted... to each other as their colleagues were to the quaint restaurants and pubs." They explore one another and celebrate one another like others do going out and eating. Within this seemingly simple metaphor is a depth that one can almost miss, as it is so cleverly phrased in plain sight. Amore goes on to describe Harry and Ruth's story of meeting as students, having careers in the same field, having children, traveling, and collecting art together. This story of a couple building a beautiful life together is in itself art, and it takes a keen eye to detail it in such fitting fashion.
There is also sound advice on art collecting, "If anyone should seek my advice about collecting, I'd quickly point out the old truth— buy only what you like. Measure a work by the joy and satisfaction it will bring" (159).
Amore also lets us see into the motivations of the heroes that dedicate their lives to recover stolen art. Special Agent Bonnie Goldblatt says, "Every time I return a Holocaust painting I just get teary-eyed… I'd like to get it all back" (144). Nothing more needs to be said about the passion and commitment from a pure-hearted fight for justice.
Amore brings to light the true stories of the art world and reminds us that the world we live in is stranger than any fiction. Just as the motivations of the crooks seem to come to light, there are 180-degree pivots. And what appears to be a great story within an art piece will have a heart-thumping ride of a story surrounding the work.
Anthony Amore has a unique ability to reveal the souls of the artist, owners, and perpetrators and give the reader a close-up view of art crime. Art of the Con leads us through the winding and cavernous tunnels of crime that shows the true price of preservation of great works of art. Amore shows us how empty a world is without a foundation of truth and integrity in life's affairs, all while delivering unforgettable stories, laughs, shocks, and some sage advice. A definite recommendation.
July 13, 2024
Art forgers and the con men who deal in forged art are often portrayed romantically, much like highwaymen, even though they create billions of dollars in damages to duped buyers, original artists, galleries, and museums. (A former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art claimed that about 40% of all art in museums is either forgery or a fake). But the con men survive and thrive because people have a strong desire to believe, contrary to all evidence, that they have purchased something rare at a great price. Interestingly, while many of the con-people doing the selling may be women, the forgers themselves are almost exclusively “middle-aged men frustrated by their own failures as artists (or perhaps the failure of the art world to recognize their greatness.” It can be hard to prosecute some forgers because the buyers don’t want to have their paintings analyzed. They would rather not know.
Art auctions on cruise lines have been a huge source of forgeries, as has eBay. “Since its inception, experts say, eBay has become a den of art forgery, an unregulated market where ignorant art enthusiasts are easy prey for forgers and scam artists.” EBay is doing everything they can to clamp down on con men, but they keep cropping up like weeds. I’m amazed at the light sentences that get handed down for many of these conners, even when they’ve been caught more than once.
Art auctions on cruise lines have been a huge source of forgeries, as has eBay. “Since its inception, experts say, eBay has become a den of art forgery, an unregulated market where ignorant art enthusiasts are easy prey for forgers and scam artists.” EBay is doing everything they can to clamp down on con men, but they keep cropping up like weeds. I’m amazed at the light sentences that get handed down for many of these conners, even when they’ve been caught more than once.
February 7, 2023
I listened to The Art of the Con: The Most Notorious Fakes, Frauds, and Forgeries in the Art World on audiobook. It is estimated that 50% or more of art is fraudulent.
This book covers historical art fraud and how con artists target their victims---particularly those who are so interested in adding to their art collection that they don't pay attention to provenance. Sometimes, despite proof to the contrary, those who have purchased fraudulent art refuse to believe the evidence.
This book covers historical art fraud and how con artists target their victims---particularly those who are so interested in adding to their art collection that they don't pay attention to provenance. Sometimes, despite proof to the contrary, those who have purchased fraudulent art refuse to believe the evidence.
April 30, 2025
The stories were interesting but the delivery was rough at times. As someone unfamiliar with the art world, I somewhat regularly got confused about who was who based on his tendency to bounce around chronologically within a story. I ended up looking up a lot of the people and artists, wishing the book had more pictures of the work and con artists.
January 1, 2018
I enjoyed this collection of stories despite the rather dry presentation. Technique is barely mentioned and the book focuses instead on provenance, the artworks' back story or history of ownership.
November 26, 2023
An exhaustive but also fascinating research into art fraud. Although somewhat interesting I did find the stories complicated to follow and had to give up on a few. Nonetheless some very interesting
May 18, 2019
This book was a well researched and endlessly interesting foray into the world of true art crime. Each chapter is devoted to a different scheme: fraud, fakes, and thefts. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in heists and the unbelievable lengths people will go to to pull off a con.
December 20, 2024
Just switching up the types of books and this one was a book on art. Not my world, but a nice little book anyway. I quite enjoyed listening to it while I was working on my garage. Should you read it? Maybe, but probably not.
January 3, 2016
This was an excellent overview of art crime, focusing on the USA. A mixture of outright forgeries to bizarre scams and the things people will believe just to think they own a rare masterpiece. Amore knows a lot of the players on the law enforcement side and draws on this to show how scammers are tracked down and caught. What amazed me was the amount of blatant recidivism; how people get out jail and go right back to doing the same exact thing again. As my maternal grandmother would say, "All the fools aren't dead yet." Unfortunately that goes for the people who buy into these scams as well.
August 23, 2018
These were interesting cases but boy was this tough to get through. This writing is bad. Every chapter began with three paragraphs of truisms. The author has a weird habit of heavily emphasizing the brilliance of the "good guys" and vice versa, which flattens even the potentially interesting characters into boring stereotypes. There is virtually no critique or analysis that goes beyond any of his source material. Also, the chapter on the internet ends with a multiple-paragraph PR statement from eBay about how wonderful they are. Did they pay him?
August 4, 2015
Having read Anthony Amore's previous book "Stealing Rembrandts," I thought that "The Art of the Con" would be just as good. It certainly started out that way. But, after reading several chapters, it began to bore me and then I decided that I was no longer interested in it. What really drove me crazy from the beginning though and throughout are the amount of errors with missing punctuation, misspelled words, and missing words. The book badly needs a proofreader.
July 22, 2015
Well written and well researched this is an endlessly fascinating account of some of the world’s greatest art cons and scams. Somewhat marred by the lack of illustrations, there is nevertheless much to be savoured here, not least the ingenuity of those determined to fool the rest of us. Absorbing stuff.
September 13, 2015
This book provided a fun foray into some cases of art fraud, providing detailed descriptions of various scams and grifters, even when the cases were elaborate and convoluted. My least favorite chapter was the one on Internet scams, which seemed a bit cursory and undeveloped. But this book has definitely piqued my interest on the subject, and I look forward to reading more.
July 26, 2015
Wonderfully written, well researched, art terms translated into language any reader can follow. AA takes you deep into the minds and modus operandi of art criminals as well as their victims. Any art lover, reader of detective novels, or general whodunnits will appreciated this excellent book.
August 8, 2015
Fascinating read for anyone interested in art, the art world or con artists themselves. Each chapter in the book is about a different con that was pulled off--usually by gallery owners--often for several years or even decades that prove the adage that "if it's too good to be true it probably is."
July 22, 2015
Good book but the forgers never really "came alive" for me. Too factual and not enough color.
August 27, 2015
Lots of boring parts for a book about con artists, and I wish it had been a more cohesive book rather than a collection of different con artist stories.
September 3, 2015
Entertaining overview of the types of cons occurring in the art world. The writing is a bit dry, and none of the perpetrators quite come to life, but it was interesting nevertheless.
September 7, 2015
gets repetitive quickly like a variation on a theme
February 10, 2016
This author did a talk at the Billerica Library. His book is fascinating.
March 1, 2019
It is AMAZING what you can get away with if you have enough chutzpah...I guess people just like to believe other people. This was well-written and kept my interest for the duration.
March 19, 2021
I reread Michael Shermer's Why People Believe Weird Things a few weeks ago and before I moved on to his next in that sequence, How We Believe, I took a detour (a couple, that is) here to see if there were some weird things for believe to believe. And yes, there were. Amore breaks up the fakes, frauds, etc. into eleven chapter categories: The Forger, The Broker, The Art Ponzi Scheme, The Trusting Agent, The Inheritor, The Captor, The Double Dealer, The Bait and Switch, The Printmaker, The Telescam, and The Internet. He talks about the expert forgers, the duplicitous dealers who sell forgeries, commission forgeries, who sell part interests in art multiple times. The artists who trust brokers, dealers and agents. Trust the foundry to cast their art, only make multiple more pieces; and the Giclée and print reproducers doing the same. Theft, and the thieves holding something they cannot fence. The ebay swindlers. Art forgery and scam artists have been around since art was invented.
An expert dealer dealt in forged art, but was not criminal in her intent.
I liked this
Malcolm Forbes, a serious collector said
I like this:
An artist has her works copied and sold on cruise ships without her knowledge.
Bottom line: fascinating book about tragic losses
An expert dealer dealt in forged art, but was not criminal in her intent.
Instead, it seems far more probable that she was intoxicated by the prospect of being part of the unleashing of a heretofore unknown collection on the world, just as so many others who have been duped by clever con men were. That’s not to say she was acting altruistically: ego, greed, and acclaim were also possible components of what seemed like an ardent desire to believe that the unlikely was fact.People, even experts, believe what they want to believe (see Shermer).
I liked this
From a criminal prosecution perspective, the D.A.’s office had a mountain of evidence against Salander, and he, like so many scammers, knew he faced an opponent he could not beat. In 2010, with new district attorney Cyrus Vance in office, Salander pleaded guilty to stealing over $120 million from investors and art owners.Go Vance! Next scammer...T!
Malcolm Forbes, a serious collector said
If anyone should seek my advice about collecting,” he said, “I’d quickly point out the old truth—buy only what you like. Measure a work by the joy and satisfaction it will bring.”I have that opinion about anything someone says is valuable - like baseball cards, for instance: they're only worth what someone is willing to pay for them. But if you like them...they're worth more to you than to me, and that's exactly all right.
I like this:
Picasso himself once said that “it is not enough to know an artist’s works. One must also know when he did them, why, how, in what circumstances . . . I attempt to leave as complete a documentation as possible for posterity.”I learn about music composition and love to know the history of what was happening at the time in the world and in the composer's life. Same with art and literature. It helps me understand the works more. Or in some cases, a fraction, working toward the "more".
An artist has her works copied and sold on cruise ships without her knowledge.
When an attorney for Princess told the New York Times that Mitchell benefited from the exposure her counterfeited works received onboard their ships, her attorney retorted, “Princess is so twisted it thinks that mass distribution of unauthorized, forged copies of artists’ works on their ships helps artists.”That's even worse than restaurants and businesses telling artists that free exposure is good.
Bottom line: fascinating book about tragic losses
Displaying 1 - 30 of 165 reviews