BOOK REVIEW
‘The Forger’s Spell’ by Edward Dolnick
The tale of the Dutch painter who fooled the Nazis and most of the art world with his fake Vermeers.
By Martin Rubin, Special to The (L.A.) Times
June 24, 2008
When it comes to forgery and its ability to fascinate, the bigger the better, and the greater the audacity the more compelling. In the story of a two-bit Dutch painter, Han Van Meegeren, who had the nerve to take on that most rarefied of his artistic compatriots, Johannes Vermeer, author Edward Dolnick has hit the mother lode. And as if this tale of unparalleled chutzpah were not good enough, it takes place amid the tumult of the Nazi occupation of Holland and the competitive plunder of its—and much of Europe’s—art treasures by Adolf Hitler and Hermann Goering. Dolnick more than does it justice, drawing on his knowledge of a wide range of subjects, including scientific process, politics and the gullibility and herd-instinct of the art market.
For Martin’s complete review, click here or visit www.latimes.com.