Tag Archives: art

** A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor

Great museums can be overwhelming and I recall fondly a visual treasure hunt I once hastily put together at the British Museum for my daughters that had us tramping through its many galleries in search of just ten objects, trying … Continue reading

Leave a Comment

Filed under Non fiction

* 1/2 Stealing Rembrandts by Anthony Amore & Tom Mashberg

Perhaps if I had not read The Gardner Heist or The Forger’s Spell I would have enjoyed Stealing Rembrandts more, but I thought that the analysis of a variety of art heists (some involving Rembrandts, such as the Gardner heist, … Continue reading

Leave a Comment

Filed under Non fiction

Vanished Smile by R.A. Scotti

In August 1911 the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre museum in Paris. Vanished Smile recalls the theft, police investigation, and eventual recovery of the painting from the Italian thief who thought he would become a national hero by … Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under Non fiction

The Gardner Heist by Ulrich Boser

The Gardner Heist recalls a famous, almost 20-year old and still unsolved theft of a gorgeous Vermeer (and a terrible, in my opinion, Rembrandt, and other assorted masterpieces) from the Gardner Museum in Boston. The theft exposes the weak link … Continue reading

2 Comments

Filed under True story

Loot by Sharon Waxman

If you enjoyed The Forger’s Spell and The Billionaire’s Vinegar, you’ll like Loot, a captivating, if unhinging look at trafficking in art and antiquities. The author starts with well-known dilemmas: should the Parthenon marble frieze (the Elgin marbles) be returned to … Continue reading

2 Comments

Filed under Non fiction

The Forger’s Spell by Edward Dolnick

Who knew that a book about art forgery could read like a mystery? The Forger’s Spell tells the story of a second-rate Dutch painter who faked a number of Vermeers and other paintings that were stolen by the Nazis and who … Continue reading

5 Comments

Filed under Non fiction

The Music Lesson by Katharine Weber

The Music Lesson’s main character is an Irish-American art historian who falls for an IRA member who is also a distant cousin of hers and, inspired by a romantic love of Ireland (which she has never visited before the story … Continue reading

Leave a Comment

Filed under New fiction