Product Description

This shocking blow-by-blow account chronicles the rise and fall of international art dealer Tod Volpe who, at the height of his success, had a clientele that included such stars as Andy Warhol, Barbra Streisand, Bruce Willis, and Jack Nicholson. He is known as the man behind the Mission arts and crafts craze of the 1970s. Volpe details how his life spiraled out of control in the 1990s and erupted in the scandalous fraud accusations that earned him two years in federal prison. This revelation into the shadowy world of art dealing exposes how high culture and civility conceal boardroom swindling, illegal pricefixing, and money laundering.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #122151 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Even in a world of endless high-flying corporate scandals, with the "perp walks" of accused miscreants a beloved staple of TV news, the systemic chicanery of the art and antiques business can still inspire jaw-dropping awe. This self-told tale from Volpe, a kid from Yonkers who rises from mortuary college to the mansions and ateliers of Hollywood and subsequently descends to the concrete cubicle of a medium-security prison, is compelling and cautionary reading. Afflicted from early youth with an unquenchable desire for fine objects, he eventually parlays a few well-chosen tchotchkes into a thriving business. In describing his dizzying ascent, Volpe also depicts a world in which naked ambition, aesthetic impulse and nouveau riche pretension intermingle, where sticks of furniture purchased for tens of dollars are resold for thousands, where major institutions conspire with dealers to jack up prices, where the rich and famous amass collections only to sell them at a profit and start again. But whether describing his part in the virtual invention of "Mission" as a collectible category or delivering a dozen rocking chairs for Harvey Keitel to choose from, Volpe's enthusiasm is infectious. While greed, vanity and larcenous ambition play their part in his story, Volpe's delight in the trappings of success (30 illustrations not seen by PW) and the company of the rich and famous are conveyed with such unembarrassed exuberance that one is inclined to forgive. The law didn't, and despite stalwart support from friends like Jack Nicholson, Volpe ended up going to prison for fraud. Emerging bloodied but unbowed, Volpe offers both a detailed look at the art world and a celebrity-studded gossip fest that should be a Hamptons bookstore staple.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
This true tale of a man of humble beginnings, spurred by a love of beauty and the scars left from his parents' bitter fights over money, who secures a degree in art history and succeeds beyond his dreams, is irresistible. When the art dealer to such stars as Jack Nicholson and Madonna tells all, he reveals a high-powered world of deals-within-deals to keep a delicately balanced mix of cash infusions, inventory, and payments afloat, all to create and maintain a market, and all leading, in the manner of Greek tragedy, to his fall from grace. An equally dangerous mixture of high living, drugs, and booze helped him maintain his image, so when the feds come knocking, we know from headlines as well as heroic tradition that a jail cell can't be far off. Volpe reinvented himself in New York, Los Angeles, and now in the pages of a book wherein he repents and comes to realize that people, not things, matter. The TV movie can't be far behind--with Volpe as producer, no doubt. Whitney Scott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Tod Volpe is the author of Treasures of the American Arts and Crafts Movement, 1890-1920. He lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

other reviewers have missed the point
I picked up this book, out of curiosity and to know more about this interesting figure I had first seen in the Documentary "Who the %$#@ is Jackson Pollock?". However, I was amazed to find this to be one of the most amazing books I have ever read. I was therefore surprised to find other reviews ranting about a misspelling of an artist (Tod is a crappy speller, so what?) and about Tod's allegedly self-serving tone. I find this to be a Catch-22 because he is brutally honest about all of the deception in which he himself was engaged and he gives us a very detailed, richly painted (pun intended) picture of the rise and fall of a kid from Yonkers. It is a classic rags to riches story but maybe because the protaganist is not a sympathetic figure, the other reviewers got offended? I find that to be very hypocritical. I am recommending this book to all of my friends and associates because 1) it is an eye-opening book that tells us truths we may not know or want to know about the art world or the material world in general 2) it is an interesting story and 3) it is well-written, providing imagery that I can easily visualize which is usually something I find most difficult to do. I actually feel like I am in the scene with him as I am reading. Whether or not Tod is a changed person who will use all of these incredible talents, connections and experiences to now do good and pay it forward, is a book yet to be written. That however should be considered separately from this book which is a must-read.

Self-Indulgent Rambling
This is one of the worst books I have ever read. It's a shame because the author has an inside perspective on an industry that would be fascinating to peek inside The beginning of the book is promising, but it quickly descends into a long, boring, self-aggrandizing ramble full of vague generalities, cliches, and very few facts.

To make matters worse, he spends the entire book talking about how he lied and cheated people and then has the nerve to whine about how vindictive people are because they put him in prison for it. By the end of the book, I had absolutely no respect for him as a person, much less an author.

Don't waste your money or your time.

Insights into Hollywood stars Nicholson and Streisand
Volpe provides a series of insights into Hollywood stars Jack Nicholson and Barbra Streisand that are more astute than you'll find in a slew of biographies of either actor. Nicholson in particular seems like a true mensch, though he's ready to move on if you're in a jam. Streisand also gives as good as she gets.

The problem with the book is that it is horridly written and gives us no idea of what crimes Tod Volpe committed to find himself in a jail and dead broke. You'd think he'd be able to give detailed descriptions of what frauds he committed, but he is not able to, I suppose if he confessed everything his life wouldn't be worth a penny, and also many collectors would discover that the objects that are the jewels of their collections are faked or faked up, and this would ruin the art market for everyone. The only thing of interest is Volpe's account of the way in which he and a few other enthusiasts (not yet crooks) built up a new market foor the previously underrated American Renaissance furniture like Gustav Stickley. Otherwise he is too discreet, he won't even name the Hollywood actress to whom he was engaged, perhaps not wanting to embarrass her any further. In one anecdote he tries to escape customs duties by bringing in a number of Cartier watches by concealing them between the cheeks of his ass. All you can think of is, how many watches is that?