The Art Forger: A Novel

"The Art Forger" by B.A. Shapiro was quite a bit more than I expected. Set in Boston, it explores the world of fine art, including the evaluation of paintings and the politics of gallery shows. It also includes references to the $500 million dollar art theft at the Gardner Museum some 20 plus years prior to the events of this story. The protagonist is Claire Roth, a young artist who has recently received a masters degree and is looking to make a name for herself with her painting. Unfortunately, her former lover was Isaac Cullion, former teacher, and the critics golden boy. When Isaac was creatively blocked, Caire painted a picture for him called "4D," depicting time as a river. The critics loved it, and piled a multitude of praise on Isaac. On the surface, this would appear to be a good thing. However, Isaac became more and more distant and finally could no longer look at her without the guilt for his deception eating him away. Able to stand it no longer, Isaac broke it off with Claire. Feeling like the proverbial woman scorned, Claire went to the museum housing 4D and told the director that she had in fact painted the work being attributed to Isaac Cullion. After a series of tests and comparisons, it was determined that Isaac was indeed the painter of record (although the finding was not unanimous and there were other factors involved.) Claire was dubbed 'the great pretender' and was blacklisted from every major museum. Fast forward three years. Claire is still painting, although still not able to show or sell any of her work. To pay the bills, she paints for online reproductions.com, or repro for short. Repro had sent her to classes where she learned how to paint high quality reproductions. She even became certified in Degas reproductions. Then one day in walks Aiden Markell, owner of the famous Markell G gallery and former broker for Isaac Cullion. He had a proposal for her, although he would not give out all the details until she agreed, which she eventually did. Markell had somehow obtained the original Degas painting "After the Bath," which was one of the paintings stolen from the Gardner museum. He was to pay Claire $50,000 and give her work a private show in his gallery if she would paint a copy of 'After the Bath.' The money was nice, but the real incentive was the private show where she could showcase her work and talent in order to make a name for herself (other than the great pretender.) When Markell dropped his original off, Claire had a gut feeling that something was wrong. The painting just did not look like Degas' other works. As she looked more carefully and performed what non-invasive tests she could, she finally determined that Markell's painting, the one that had hung in the Gardner museum for nearly 100 years before its theft, was indeed a forgery. But who could she tell? Who would believe the great pretender? And besides, how could she tell anyone without revealing she was in possession of stolen goods? So she finished her copy, collected her $50,000, and prepared for her one woman show at Markell G's. Aiden, for his part, was to sell Claire's copy and anonymously return the original (which was really a fake unbeknownst to him) to the Gardner. However, the man Markell sold Claire's copy to was arrested, and Claire became worried that she and Aiden, with whom she had become romantically involved, would not be far behind. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I learned that artists see the world differently than I do, and that neither is any more correct than the other. Yet for a short time, I was allowed a peek into their world, to see how they view this world and what things are important to them. I also learned way more about art forgery than I will ever need to know, since I can't even draw a straight line let alone paint a masterpiece. This is not the typical 'who done it,' but instead more like 'where is it.' I also really felt for Claire as she, despite her wonderful talent, seemed to make one mistake after another. But that is what makes these novels seem real to me, because real people do make mistakes, sometimes the same one over and over again. As I said earlier, this is a different type of mystery, but variety is the spice of life.

I almost invariably have reservations when it comes to the fictional portrayal of artists. Writers, too. But especially artists. I remember not especially believing the character of Gulley Jimson (remember him, in The Horse's Mouth?) at a time when he was the archetype of the fictional artist/protagonist. It seems that the temptation to romanticize a creative character is irresistible. This thought occurred as I finished the best-selling novel by B. A. Shapiro, "The Art Forger", which is otherwise a terrific read. I felt ambivalent about her artist/narrator Claire Roth. But first the good stuff. Shapiro has a great story, and it's well told. She interweaves three narrative threads: Claire's current story, told from her own point of view; her back-story, printed in bold to avoid confusion; and the (fictional) story of (the real) Isabella Stewart Gardner's (fictional) relationship with Edgar Degas, told in epistolary form of (again fictional) contemporaneous letters to her niece. Sounds complicated, but it's really a neat narrative package, and Shapiro juggles the balance between imaginative fiction and historical fact with grace and ease. The three threads involve plenty of skullduggery, centered around the famous, real--and as yet unsolved--theft of masterpieces, including several works by Degas, from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Shapiro writes convincingly about the plight of the artist in a contemporary art world contaminated by celebrity and money, and about the dominant role of elitist museums and galleries. There's just the right measure of suspense, which builds towards the book's slightly unbelievable but delightfully wacky climax. So let's talk about Claire. There's much to like about her. She's off-beat, and vulnerable in the way that artists often are, torn between a stormy emotional life and a dedication to her art; and as a consequence makes the kind of bad decisions that get her into trouble. There's a pattern to her relationship with men, in which she wavers between quasi-childish dependency and a fierce desire to fulfill herself as an independent woman. On the plus side of this character, too, is Shapiro's excellent and thoroughly convincing description of her technical skills. We're really in the studio with her, watching her at work and enjoying every moment of her process. I learned some fascinating detail about paint and canvas, and the forger's craft. My problem--am I being picky?--comes with the professional career path with which the author credits her protagonist. As the personal friend of many artists and a long-time observer of the national art scene, I was skeptical about Claire's rise from art student and mistress of a "Famous Artist" to master-forger to superstar artist in her own right. No matter the obstacles and misadventures, it was a little too glib to be believable to anyone who frequents the underside of the art world, where thousands of truly gifted artists struggle to be included in a group show, let alone leap from nothing more than notoriety and scandal into a big-time gallery that is hyped (fictionally) to the heights of a Gagosian or a Zwirner. The truth is that great forgers are rarely great artists, and great artists rarely forgers. Claire moves too easily, for my comfort and credulity, between the two, and leaves me with that small "yes, but" in the back of my mind just when I want to be unequivocally convinced. But I read. I got hooked. I chuckled, held my breath. And kept turning the pages faster as I neared the end. As I said, "The Art Forger" is a really good read.

Loved this book. Well written, great characters, good pacing, intriguing story about art forgery and art copying...two different things - one legal, one not so much. Shapiro takes a real event, the famous and unsolved art theft on March 18, 1990 at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and weaves a fantastic story involving the theft, the wonderful character of Isabella herself, and a young painter who makes her living copying masterpieces for a fictitious company, reproductions.com, who sells them as high-quality copies - all perfectly legal. There were thirteen artworks stolen in 1990, Rembrandts, a Manet, a famous Vermeer, several Degas and other very valuable pieces. Shapiro writes in the novel about a specific Degas, the last painting in his 'bath' series. The young painter, Claire Roth, is sought out to forge a copy of it for a large sum of money and she is intrigued but afraid. She wants the original returned to the museum and is promised that will happen if she copies it first. But, is it real. When she first sees it, she has doubts. This book is a mystery, historical fiction, a crime novel, a love story and so much more. I have an interest in painting...used to paint myself and I found the descriptions of the actual processes in forging oils to be fascinating. If you have any kind of art background, you will certainly love this book, but even if you don't, you will still be drawn into this great story. It's not dry...quite the opposite. Moves along very quickly. The writing is excellent and you can't wait to turn the page.

Comment for ms shapiro Pg 27: hair dryer (heat &/or air) has no effect on drying process for oil paint as it does for water-based paint. Assume it's oil as you refer to turpentine. Oil paint dries with oxidation. Light helps. Just for your future research. Love the book! JH

Very readable. Enjoyed the plot, pace and language. Worth the read and I even researched the art works and artist!

If you love great art, this literary thriller is for you. If you've tried to paint and wondered how great artists rise above the mundane, then this novel will keep you turning pages late into the night. And if you have ever gazed at a painting and longed to whip it off the wall and run away with it, then you will understand the passion that drives the plot of `The Art Forger'. Claire, the struggling young artist, is eminently believable. Betrayed professionally as well as emotionally, as Claire's situation unfolds it tugs at the heart strings. I felt I was there with her in Boston, seeing the artwork, feeling the passion and frustration, sharing every sleepless night and each anguished moment. I longed for her to find acclaim and some kind of recompense. But the Faustian pact she enters into is fraught with danger - and the kind of twists and turns that make the best of thrillers. Based on the infamous - and unsolved - art robbery at New York's Gardner Museum in the 1990s, the question at the heart of this novel centres on just one painting. Is it a genuine Degas? Certainly its history and provenance are watertight - and if Claire copies it with intent to defraud, that will make her a criminal... Read on!

There were a few gaps in the plot and I found the main mystery predictable. Also I didn’t respect the way the protagonist behaved towards two other central characters, even though her actions were presented as acceptable. I read the book for a book club.

Wonderful mystery with sympathetic characters with a bonus incite into the art gallery world. Had no idea that art copying was so common while art forging is a whole different thing. Restoring art is very complicated and amazing how it was developed.