Provenance is one of the best true crime books that I've read because it pulled me deep into the art world, explained the reasons why and had a strong narrative pull. The focus of the book is on a conman who found an art forger to make him modern art paintings and realized that if he took the time to create false provenance through museum archives than the paintings wouldn't be questioned. It was a daring idea and one that ended up working effectively for a time, because the idea of provenance is so key within the art world and no one had thought of the archives before.As a librarian and someone who's worked in archives, the idea of someone taking out and then seeding fake documents within an archive is horrifying and fascinating. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story of someone almost getting away with it, thoughtful detective work and appreciates the work archivists do. An intriguing look at how average people can be lured into white-collar crime and how the mind of a con man works, this book is as suspenseful as any spy novel. Art forgery cons are not so unusual, but this one took it one step further by penetrating and altering the archives of collections like the Tate and Victoria & Albert Museum, hence the title -- "Provenance". Just enough technical information is provided so that the reader can follow the ins and outs, but not so much as to be boring or overwhelming. Terrific book!
What do You think about Conman (2000)?
An absolutely fascinating story. Once I started I could not put down this book.
—Rhyus
Interesting true crime which is also very informative about the world of art.
—raybetkay
