marginaliant's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing! Wonderful! Exciting!
I haven’t had such a good time with historical nonfiction in a long time, thank you Lopez. This story dives deep into van Meegeren’s story, it goes in from many angles and illuminates dark corners that those of us who have heard of the case in passing previously hadn’t even heard of. Lopez paints the forged against the backdrop of art history, the Holland contemporary art market in the early 20th Century, and the looming threat (and eventual arrival) of the Nazis. All of this comes together in a fascinating way, the story unfolding in a captivating way. I don’t think it could have been better done.
Best quote: “But in the end, no professional ban against Van Meegeren was ever announced because the forger, with his characteristically perfect sense of the moment, died before it could happen.”
Genius.
I haven’t had such a good time with historical nonfiction in a long time, thank you Lopez. This story dives deep into van Meegeren’s story, it goes in from many angles and illuminates dark corners that those of us who have heard of the case in passing previously hadn’t even heard of. Lopez paints the forged against the backdrop of art history, the Holland contemporary art market in the early 20th Century, and the looming threat (and eventual arrival) of the Nazis. All of this comes together in a fascinating way, the story unfolding in a captivating way. I don’t think it could have been better done.
Best quote: “But in the end, no professional ban against Van Meegeren was ever announced because the forger, with his characteristically perfect sense of the moment, died before it could happen.”
Genius.
annm1121's review against another edition
4.0
I've been interested in this topic ever since I saw an exhibit on art forgers in Florida. This was the first book I got around to reading, and that also means this was the easiest book to find on the topic. It's well written, and it gives an interesting view of what the Netherlands were like during the Holocaust. the revelations about the art world were also intriguing, and approached with a cynical sense of humor. I recommend this book for anyone with an interest in Dutch art, or art forgeries.
the_naptime_reader's review against another edition
2.0
So I added this to my to read list 10 years ago when I saw it on a library display. My parents were living in the Netherlands at the time, and I had just traveled there for the first time, I think if I had read it then, when I was super interested I may have liked it better. At this juncture I don’t think I needed the level of detail of a whole book, and would have been satisfied with a well written article. Interesting that he was able to fool so many with his paintings though.
antonio_dlr's review
4.0
Successful art forgery stories have always been an interest of mine and for that reason this book, being about the best Vermeer forger to the date, was a sweet read.
The author walks us through the process that drove Han Van Meegeren into becoming one of the most renowned and successful art forgers of the world, taking us from the shitty-quality paintings to the pieces starring in millionaire art auctions.
The book unfolds in a really grasping mode, allowing the reader to get involved in the process of setting an art-piece up in the European mid 20th century art market; comparing as well the regular art market system for legit pieces and how incredibly interesting it gets for fake art works.
Really enjoyable and informative book as it analyses how a man's criminal stigma was turned into a national hero label.
The author walks us through the process that drove Han Van Meegeren into becoming one of the most renowned and successful art forgers of the world, taking us from the shitty-quality paintings to the pieces starring in millionaire art auctions.
The book unfolds in a really grasping mode, allowing the reader to get involved in the process of setting an art-piece up in the European mid 20th century art market; comparing as well the regular art market system for legit pieces and how incredibly interesting it gets for fake art works.
Really enjoyable and informative book as it analyses how a man's criminal stigma was turned into a national hero label.
blueranger9's review
4.0
Having first read The Forger's Spell a number of years back (and let's face it, wanting to really believe everything happened as I imagined), I was initially skeptical that this book would undo all the interest I'd gained in art forgery and the Han Van Meegeren story. Thankfully, not only did it not discourage my interest, it actually made me all the more curious as it really unpacked and unraveled some knots in previous tellings of this legend.
I will admit it was a little hard to follow at times with the introduction of so many similarly named Dutch characters, but the important element - getting to the heart of the truth - kept me glued. What I particularly like is that I feel the incredibly researched back story doesn't take away from other books I've read on the subject, rather it gives me a clearer picture of how Van Meegeren was able to achieve such a feat. More than anything it really helped explain a long-held question I had by providing much-needed historical context and analysis: how could these images possibly have fooled anyone?
Highly recommend this book for anyone interested in this particular story, and kudos to Jonathan Lopez for the in-depth investigative work.
I will admit it was a little hard to follow at times with the introduction of so many similarly named Dutch characters, but the important element - getting to the heart of the truth - kept me glued. What I particularly like is that I feel the incredibly researched back story doesn't take away from other books I've read on the subject, rather it gives me a clearer picture of how Van Meegeren was able to achieve such a feat. More than anything it really helped explain a long-held question I had by providing much-needed historical context and analysis: how could these images possibly have fooled anyone?
Highly recommend this book for anyone interested in this particular story, and kudos to Jonathan Lopez for the in-depth investigative work.
emmastia's review
4.0
I found this whole story fascinating and one I knew nothing about before reading this book. I was amazed and awed by how Van Meegeren was able to turn himself into a folk hero in the Netherlands just after WWII despite his life as a forger, philanderer and Nazi collaborator. The story of his life was a great read, but the timing of his trial and how he continued to masterfully manipulate people was the part that was most interesting to me.
irishcontessa's review
4.0
When we think of WWII, we think of concentration camps, Hitler, and the invasion. The war crimes that happened were so brutal, so enormous that they obscure almost everything else. This book does an amazingly good job of showing one such crime and one such criminal and how the war aided and abetted his crimes. It was a fascinating look inside art forgery and the innovation the forgers went to in order to pass off fakes as authentic. I often find art history books to be to dry and textbook like but this one was engaging and entertaining.
More...