Product Description

As riveting as a World War II thriller, The Forger's Spell is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art.

It was an almost perfect crime. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. But, as Edward Dolnick reveals, the reason for the forger's success was not his artistic skill. Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist. His true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling both the Nazis and the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life.

ARTnews called Dolnick's previous book, the Edgar Award-winning The Rescue Artist, "the best book ever written on art crime." In The Forger's Spell, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the villains are blacker.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #253077 in Books
• Published on: 2008-07-01
• Released on: 2008-06-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 368 pages

From Bookmarks Magazine
“‘Idiots!’ he yelled. ‘You think I sold a Vermeer to that fat Goering. But it’s not a Vermeer. I painted it myself!”’ With lines like that, it’s clear Dolnick has found the nonfiction equivalent of a Vermeer, buried under other (and more hackneyed) tales of World War II. Critics had nothing but praise for this book, noting that Van Meegeren raised a number of questions about the value of art, especially when the same art critics who had clasped the fake Vermeers to their chests later mocked them as obvious, ugly fakes. At a time when art museums are taking in record crowds, The Forger’s Spell will undoubtedly cause many a viewer to squint a bit closer at the “masterpiece” hanging on the wall.
Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

From Booklist
How we love stories of audacious con artists, and doesn’t Dolnick love to tell the tales. His art-theft chronicle, The Rescue Artist (2005), won an Edgar Award, and now he vividly portrays a staggeringly successful Dutch art forger. Han van Meegeren was a “dreadful” painter, and yet he managed to fake Vermeer, the most sublime of artists. Between 1938 and 1945, when Van Meegeren was caught, his Christ at Emmaus was “the most famous and the most admired Vermeer in the world.” Van Meegeren’s “Vermeers” are actually hideous and trite, yet this dapper, cunning, and patient man bamboozled top critics and museum directors and swindled the world’s most monstrous collector, the Nazi Hermann Göring. How to explain this mass delusion, the “forger’s spell”? Dolnick covers it all, from Van Meegeren’s technical brilliance to his shrewd choice of subject matter to his extraordinary manipulation of egos and perceptions. Dolnick’s zesty, incisive, and entertaining inquiry illuminates the hidden dimensions and explicates the far-reaching implications of this fascinating and provocative collision of art and ambition, deception and war. --Donna Seaman

Review
"Dolnick.tells his story engagingly and with a light touch. He has a novelist's talent for characterization, and he raises fascinating questions." (New York Times Book Review )

"Dolnick brilliantly re-creates the circumstances that made possible one of the most audacious frauds of the 20th century. And in doing so Dolnick plumbs the nature of fraud itself . . . an incomparable page turner." (Boston Globe )

Mesmerizing account. . . . Dolnick brings his expertise in art theft, criminal psychology and military history to a scintillating portrait. . . . Polished, fast-paced narrative. . . . Compelling prose. . . . Energetic and authoritative. (Kirkus Reviews (starred review) )

Vividly portrays a staggeringly successful Dutch art forger. . . . Dolnick covers it all. . . . Dolnick's zesty, incisive, and entertaining inquiry illuminates the hidden dimensionsand explicates the far-reaching implications of this fascinating and provocative collision of art and ambition, deception and war. (Booklist )

"This is the first book on art forgery that really gets to the bottom of the Han van Meegeren tale of chicanery and double dealing. A spirited and provocative read." (Thomas Hoving )

Who can resist the story of a great scam--especially when the markis art-greedy Hermann Goering and the author is an Edgar winner? (Publishers Weekly (Staff Picks) )

"The Forger's Spell is an excellent read, a swift and astute narrative written from many complex perspectives to great effect." (Chicago Sun-Times )

"Pacing and prose as gripping as those of the best mystery novelist. . . . The Forger's Spell is simply spellbinding." (Philadelphia Inquirer )

"This account by Dolnick.is especially strong in plot development and characterization. It also has a unique point of view" (Library Journal )

"When it comes to forgery and its ability to fascinate . . . Edward Dolnick has hit the mother lode. . . . Dolnick more than does it justice, drawing on his knowledge of a wide range of subjects." (Los Angeles Times )

"Riveting new art thriller. . . . Likely to captivate not just readers moved by war, art, and the art of deception, but anyone interested in human vanity and our sometimes baffling ability to see only what we want to see." (Christian Science Monitor )

"Dolnick weaves a lot of fascinating information into a highly readable narrative. . . . The Forger's Spell is a terrific story." (Newsday )

"Gripping historical narrative. . . . Dolnick, a veteran science writer, knows his way around a canvas. . . . The Forger's Spell has raised provocative questions about the nature of art and the psychology of deception." (Washington Post Book World )

"An engaging and highly amusing account of a clever craftsman. . . . On all those levels this is a delightful foray into art history and psychology" (St. Louis Post-Dispatch )

"A fascinating analysis of the forger's technique and a perceptive discussion of van Meegeren's genius at manipulating people. . . . Compelling look at how a forger worked his magic." (Publishers Weekly (starred review) )

"Edward Dolnick's Forger's Spell gives us a well-researched and highly readable account of the underworld of forgers, corrupt dealers, and collectors in Nazi occupied Europe. . . . Wonderful theater, full of fascinating stories, this is a great cautionary tale for all in the art world." (Lynn Nicholas )

Customer Reviews

Not as good as the Rescue Artist
When I saw this book mentioned in the New York Times, I went out and bought a copy because I had really enjoyed Edward Dolnick's previous book, The Rescue Artist. I wasn't anywhere near as impressed with The Forger's Spell. What made The Rescue Artist so good was the way Dolnick described the detective Charlie Hill on the hunt for a stolen painting. Hill was a really great, quirky character that Dolnick made come to life on the page. In The Forger's Spell, there's no character like that. The forger, Hans Van Meegeren, is interesting for what he was able to do - sell a forged Vermeer to Hermann Goering - but you never get much sense of who he was. Dolnick presents Van Meegeren as a greedy, second-rate painter who managed to fool a bunch of art experts and rich people because they were stupid and easy marks. It's not so compelling, and there's way too much padding here - a lot of chapters that don't advance the plot, and are pretty easy to skip. I would recommend buying Tom Hoving's book, False Impressions, which is a really good book about forgery. The Forger's Spell is nowhere near as good or interesting

interesting story, disappointing book
I am a fan of Edward Dolnick's book The Rescue Artist, but I have to say that I was disappointed in The Forger's Spell. I bought it as soon as it came out because I was interested in the story of Han Van Meegeren. Van Meegeren was a fascinating crook who figured out how to fool people into seeing what they wanted to see. But I had already read Van Meegeren's story in John Kilbracken's book The Master Forger and, unfortunately, I didn't learn anything new in Dolnick's book. Anyone interested in Van Meegeren should look at Kilbracken's book, which does a better job of bringing the story to life. I wouldn't recommend The Forger's Spell.

Spell?
Interesting, but many parts are boring. Seems to repeat the same things over and over again.