Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art
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Filled with extraordinary characters and told at a breakneck speed, Provenance is the astonishing true story of one of the most far-reaching and elaborate cons in the history of art forgery. Stretching from London to Paris to New York, investigative reporters Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo recount the tale of infamous con man and unforgettable villain John Drewe and his accomplice, the affable artist and vulnerable single dad John Myatt. Together they exploited the archives of the upper echelons of the British art world to irrevocably legitimize the hundreds of pieces they forged, many of which are still considered genuine and hang in prominent museums and private collections today.The Washington Post - Steven LevingstonIf you've ever been had by a con man, as I once was at a cash machine in Salem, Mass., you know the odd aftermath of emotion. First, you're befuddled, then enraged and finally consumed by visions of revenge. But there's another sentiment that can sneak up on you. I was reminded of it while reading Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo's well-crafted tale of British con artist John Drewe. I'd expected to despise the psychopath at the center of what Scotland Yard called the biggest art fraud of the 20th century. But somehow, from the first page, he got me to drop my guard. Drewe, for all his odious ambitions, is ingenious, persuasive, even brilliant. As I was pulled deeper into his deceptions, I couldn't help admiring this creep.
Dramatis Personae xiiiPrologue 11 "I Want a Nice Matisse" 72 Canvas Greed 153 Art for Sale 254 Crossing the Line 335 Mibus Wants His Money Back 386 Self-Made Man 457 Wreckers of Civilization 558 At the Easel 649 The Fine Art of Provenance 7210 Full Speed Ahead 8211 After Giacometti 9112 A Sinister Message 10013 The Bookworm 10714 The Paper Trail 11515 Falling Off a Log 12216 The Bow Tie 13017 Into the Whirlwind 13618 Standing Nude 14619 The Pond Man 15020 Myatt's Blue Period 16021 The Chameleon 17022 A Loaded Briefcase 17823 The Auschwitz Concert 18524 Extreme Prudence 19425 We're Not Alone 19926 A Slow Burn... 20327 The Art Squad 21128 The Macaroni Caper 21829 Nicked 22630 Aladdin's Cave 23231 The Fox 24832 Drewe Descending 26233 South 27334 The Trial 281Epilogue 291Authors' Note 307Acknowledgments 309Bibliography 313Index 317
