Reviews
The Art Detective: Fakes, Frauds and Finds and the Search for Lost Treasures by Philip Mould
spillie's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Having watched both ‘The Antiques Roadshow’ and ‘Fake or Fortune’, I was thrilled to find this book. The art world is filled with many characters, stories, mysteries, and, yes, even frauds and fakes. This book takes the reader through a fascinating journey into that world. I didn’t always appreciate the complex and variety of skills required by art dealers, historians, or researchers. A fun read on many levels. Strongly recommended.
piperclover's review against another edition
Nothing bad, just not what I thought it would be and the writing is a little too verbose to for me
pjaye_2000's review against another edition
3.0
I think this book's title is somewhat misleading.
I was expecting a book on international art scandals, and this isn't quite it.
A better title would have been "Some Interesting Stories from My Life As An Art Dealer".
That's what this book is, an art dealer who tells us about some of the interesting things that happened to him in his career. It's a perfectly fine book and I still enjoyed it, but the title over-hypes it as having a much broader spectrum than it actually has.
I was expecting a book on international art scandals, and this isn't quite it.
A better title would have been "Some Interesting Stories from My Life As An Art Dealer".
That's what this book is, an art dealer who tells us about some of the interesting things that happened to him in his career. It's a perfectly fine book and I still enjoyed it, but the title over-hypes it as having a much broader spectrum than it actually has.
pqlibrarian's review
4.0
I received a free copy from First Reads for review. Mr. Mould begins his book by recounting a not so stellar moment in his career. Even experts make mistakes. But it sounds like this will be a very educational (and interesting)book. He states that you would be hard pressed to find a painting in major museums in New York and London that haven't been negatively affected by restoration work.
I thought this would be more technical, but it is an easy read.
I thought this would be more technical, but it is an easy read.
roguefire's review
4.0
Some of the stories I enjoyed more than others, but I think that's more personal taste. Fascinating look at the art world, and reads like a fiction mystery novel. I'm in search of the BBC special now regarding the Winslow piece.