Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art

A tautly paced investigation of one the 20th century?s most audacious art frauds, which generated hundreds of forgeries?many of them still hanging in prominent museums and private collections today

Provenance is the extraordinary narrative of one of the most far-reaching and elaborate deceptions in art history. Investigative reporters Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo brilliantly recount the tale of a great con man and unforgettable villain, John Drewe, and his sometimes unwitting accomplices.

Chief among those was the struggling artist John Myatt, a vulnerable single father who was manipulated by Drewe into becoming a prolific art forger. Once Myatt had painted the pieces, the real fraud began. Drewe managed to infiltrate the archives of the upper echelons of the British art world in order to fake the provenance of Myatt?s forged pieces, hoping to irrevocably legitimize the fakes while effectively rewriting art history.

The story stretches from London to Paris to New York, from tony Manhattan art galleries to the esteemed Giacometti and Dubuffet associations, to the archives at the Tate Gallery. This enormous swindle resulted in the introduction of at least two hundred forged paintings, some of them breathtakingly good and most of them selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many of these fakes are still out in the world, considered genuine and hung prominently in private houses, large galleries, and prestigious museums. And the sacred archives, undermined by John Drewe, remain tainted to this day.

Provenance reads like a well-plotted thriller, filled with unforgettable characters and told at a breakneck pace. But this is most certainly not fiction; Provenance is the meticulously researched and captivating account of one of the greatest cons in the history of art forgery. more

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Recent Reviews

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Aug-05-2009; An intricate love story; A wonderful book which I could not put down. The chief scammer reminded me of Bernie Madoff, only with a different vehicle for scamming...art instead of cash. This great book is awash with greed at many levels, and the love of the...; read full review | report as inappropriate

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Aug-04-2009; Fantastic; This book is keeps you hanging in there begging for more. It's a real page turner. I've never read a non-fiction book that I couldn't put down. As soon as I finish one chapter I HAVE to read what happens next.It's clear that a great...; read full review | report as inappropriate

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Jul-28-2009; An exciting look at the darker side of the art world; Provenance is a finely paced, tense look at the art world and one of the most massive art frauds perpetuated in recent history on reputable galleries and museums. The story runs from 1986 to 1995 and spans several countries. It reads...; read full review | report as inappropriate

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Jul-27-2009; Thrilling read, I couldn't put it down!; I picked this book up because I enjoy reading non-fiction and know little about the art world-- and my knowledge of "provenance" is limited to the explanations given on antiques roadshow. After reading the editorial review on how well...; read full review | report as inappropriate

Selected Reviews

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Aug-05-2009; An intricate love story; A wonderful book which I could not put down. The chief scammer reminded me of Bernie Madoff, only with a different vehicle for scamming...art instead of cash. This great book is awash with greed at many levels, and the love of the...; read full review | report as inappropriate