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Provenance
Provenance is a spellbinding journey through the international art world -- a world where men and women hide behind masterpieces, and sell their souls to the highest bidder.
From the elegance of Sotheby Park Bernet auctions to the decadence of Parisian nightlife, art detective Alex Drach moves through a gallery of glamorous and sinister figures on his search for stolen paintings -- a search that will lead to the dark catacombs of Rome, back to one of the most shameful secrets of World War II, and the horrifying key to his own elusive past.
From the elegance of Sotheby Park Bernet auctions to the decadence of Parisian nightlife, art detective Alex Drach moves through a gallery of glamorous and sinister figures on his search for stolen paintings -- a search that will lead to the dark catacombs of Rome, back to one of the most shameful secrets of World War II, and the horrifying key to his own elusive past.
501 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1979
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97 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 25, 2016
Nazis and art theft. Sounds like a great combination, right? I wanted this book to be everything the cover and synopsis promised, but it fell short for me. There were an excessive amount of characters that would pop up for only a few pages which caused some confusion. Plus the writing came off a bit too smart for its own good, causing the momentum to see-saw between plodding and slightly thrilling.
June 3, 2017
A close look at an art forgery case from the 1990's--how they did it and how they were caught. Interesting and engaging.
June 1, 2022
A great story marred by superfluous characters, gratuitous scenes, and painfully exhaustive passages of description. Could have easiiy been edited down by 100 pages and been a great book.
June 6, 2025
3,5 se si potesse, a mio parere scritto molto bene, intrigante. Si perde un po' sul finale quando chiude le varie story line in modo troppo sbrigativo.
October 21, 2011
In the Art world nothing is what it seems. Unbelievable story of how the "con" is very much a part of million dollar paintings. If you don't believe that seasoned art lovers would pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for rare, very famous paintings, that were painted on cheap canvas with a mixture of housepaint and vaseline, then you will after you read this story.
April 9, 2014
A fascinating look into the scams and forgeries of the art world, and a particular sociopath who was highly successful at passing fakes. Many of the faked art pieces remain in reputable museums... Thought provoking about the value of art.
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September 11, 2008F McD
January 15, 2013
I was captivated by the guile and chutzpah of John Drewe and what he got away with for so long. It also makes you question, what is true art?
Want to read
January 21, 2013a very good story with an entreteiment history knowledge
November 10, 2013
great book -- had to believe it is really true. Enjoyed it!!!!!
July 26, 2016
Pure Pulp Fiction set in 1970s with flashbacks to WWII. Perfect beach or plane reading.
December 18, 2016
Fast paced and exciting
An excellent read that provides a glimpse into the art trade. A few good plot twists and exciting climax rounds off a good read.
An excellent read that provides a glimpse into the art trade. A few good plot twists and exciting climax rounds off a good read.
September 13, 2022
4 minus. A good thrilling novel. Read in Norwegian.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews