The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro takes
the reader into the world of painters, famous and not, museums, curators and
collectors. The story centers on a struggling artist with a shady past. Claire Roth
is an accomplished artist trying to make ends meet while trying to outrun a
questionable reputation. She makes a living working for an organization called
Reproductions.com. She is quite talented in reproducing famous artworks but the
pay barely enables her to scrape by.
A powerful,
well-known gallery owner, knowing her past and her ability, approaches her with an
altruistic proposal. The gallery owner, Aiden Markel, has possession of a famous
painting called After the Bath by
Edgar Degas. This painting was stolen along with several others in the actual,
famous heist of the Isabella Stewart Gardner
Museum. The thieves were never caught and the paintings until now, never
recovered.
Markel
wants Claire to copy the original painting, sell the copy to his buyer, and
return the original to the museum. In exchange, he will give Claire a show in
his gallery which will kick-start her floundering career. Conflicted but
intrigued, Claire agrees to this Faustian bargain.
Shapiro
interweaves the story of Isabella Stewart Gardner, her possible relationship
with Degas and how she may have come to possess the painting. Shapiro’s novel makes
a commentary on human nature and examines the lengths people will go to get
what they want, the rationalizations they use and the unforeseen outcomes of
such choices. Shapiro skillfully blends fact and fiction into an entertaining
read.
No comments:
Post a Comment