For anyone interested in how forgers get away with their trade, this book is based on art forger Han Van Meegeren's forgeries and how he fooled the entire art world into believing his works were actually by artists like Vermeer and DeHooch. I'm using the word "based" instead of saying the book is "about" Van Meegeren because there's far too much other less relevant information in the book. While the book is interesting generally, I did find the subtitle (which sold me on the book) very misleading because it made me believe that the entire book was strictly about how Van Meegeren plied his trade and actually fooled high-ranking Nazis into buying his work. That's in there, but there's an awful lot of WWII history that was far more detailed than it needed to be. Talking at length about Goering's personal taste in clothing, for example, had nothing to do with the topic. In fact, because I'm not big into war history, I got bored in some places and felt the author was rambling on about things that interested him or he was trying to stretch out the page count rather than just writing about the parts of the war that were relevant to Van Meegeren's story. In the long run I'm glad I read it, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you really enjoy reading about war history. There are other books about forgers that strictly deal with the topic itself and only go into peripheral information as it pertains to their story. In terms of sheer financial achievement from art fakery, there's no one to compare with Han van Meegeren: who forged 6 "undiscovered" paintings by Vermeer in the late 1930s, becoming something like $30 million dollars richer.One of these fakes was acquired by Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring - which explains the Nazi reference in the subtitle.But most of this book discusses the art and science of forgery - and the intricate psychology of deceiving "experts" and collectors. Judging by the color plates in the book, people who should have known better mostly fooled themselves. But van Meegeren finally went to trial after the war: when he became something of a folk hero, due to the fact that he had blatantly swindled the Germans.Brief mention is made here of the Monument Men: a small group of American soldiers tasked with finding the immense amount of fine art looted by the Nazis - and then hidden away. By coincidence, this specialized group of men is also the subject of an upcoming movie with the same title.A fun book - although oddly organized.
What do You think about Forger's Spell (2008)?
If you enjoy this book, also check out Monuments Men and Stealing the Mystic Lamb.
—chance
Had to return this before I could finish it. Hope to get back to it eventually.
—tejas
What an interesting true story--amazing how people can be so blinded
—JohnnyQ32
