The Forger's Spell
A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century
HarperCollins · Print & ebook · October 13, 2009
New York Times Bestseller “Dolnick brilliantly re-creates the circumstances that made possible one of the most audacious frauds of the 20th century.
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- Who it’s for
- Art, deception, and a near-perfect fraud give this true story a thriller’s pull.
- Themes
- Art forgery, Psychological manipulation, Fraud and crime
- Pacing
- Fast
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Start with this bookAbout this book
New York Times Bestseller “Dolnick brilliantly re-creates the circumstances that made possible one of the most audacious frauds of the 20th century. And in doing so Dolnick plumbs the nature of fraud itself . . . an incomparable page turner.” —Boston Globe As riveting as a World War II thriller, The Forger’s Spell is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later.
Continue reading
For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. As Edward Dolnick reveals, his true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. The Forger’s Spell is the gripping, true tale of this almost perfect crime.
Art and Deception
Art, deception, and a near-perfect fraud give this true story a thriller’s pull.
Come here for
- The collision of Vermeer’s reputation with one painter’s audacity
- A close look at the psychology behind a remarkable art hoax
Expect
- A true story that leads from forged paintings to an Amsterdam courtroom
- A sustained, serious-minded narrative with the tension of a thriller
Where it sits
| Cons, Hoaxes & Scams | 96% |
|---|---|
| Artists' Lives | 47% |
| Historical True Crime | 30% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Art History
- European Art
- Cons, Hoaxes & Scams
- Authors
- Edward Dolnick
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- October 13, 2009
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Art forgery · Psychological manipulation · Fraud and crime
- Reading lane
- Art History