Han Van Meegeren was a frustrated artist who, in the 20s and 30s, produced some rather janky forgeries of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age that inexplicably sold for vast sums, passed off as long-lost masterpieces by Vermeer et al. Van Meegeren earned a small fortune, but then found himself in deep trouble at the end of WW2 because he'd sold Dutch "cultural heritage" to leading Nazis like Hermann Goering and so was put on trial. All of a sudden Van Meegeren's fate depended on him being able to convince others that these paintings really were forgeries—he hadn't collaborated with the Germans, he'd duped them.

Edward Dolnick's account of Van Meegeren and the contexts within which he worked is at times an interesting one, but choppy and oddly structured. It didn't feel like Dolnick had quite enough to say to justify the book's length. Lukewarm recommendation. ( )

An interesting story, though not quite as gripping as dolnick's rescue artist, which I highly recommend. I particularly enjoyed the details of how the forgeries were done, the section about magicians and the monuments men parts. ( )

True story of a Dutch forger who fooled many in the art world with his "Vermeer's". The book slowed down in the middle pages ... seemed to get repetitious. But overall, it was an informative and interesting read. ( )

Not being an art person, I wasn't sure how I would like this, but i absolutely loved this book. I learned so much about the world of art forgery that I'd never heard before. The book does get a little tedious towards the end, but it is still well worth reading. ( )

The author clearly did a lot of research for this book. Interesting detail into the efforts by the forger to get his materials - certain hues of oils, the canvases, etc. - to be able to pass muster. It's a bit of a choppy read, getting all this incredible information together - but I found it well worth the effort. If you appreciate art as well as a good WWII story, you'll enjoy it. ( )