31 июл. 2015 г.

The Art of the Con: The Most Notorious Fakes, Frauds, and Forgeries in the Art World. Anthony M. Amore

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.

Amore is privy to more information on the subject of forgeries than the average art collector or dealer, and he shares a number of those stor­ies in this engrossing account... a bracing and highly informative as­sessment of a very real problem, sure to resonate with art fans and curators alike. (Publisher's Weekly)