The Last Vermeer
Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Han van Meegeren
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3.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
“A grand yarn of twisty deceit, involving prestigious dupes and scads of money, with a sensational trial at the finish.” —The New Yorker
It’s a story that made Dutch painter Han van Meegeren world-famous when it broke at the end of World War II: A lifetime of disappointment drove him to forge Vermeers, one of which he sold to Hermann Goering in mockery of the Nazis. And it’s a story that’s been believed ever since. Too bad it isn't true.
Jonathan Lopez has drawn on never-before-seen documents from dozens of archives for this long-overdue unvarnishing of Van Meegeren’s legend. Neither unappreciated artist nor antifascist hero, Van Meegeren emerges as an ingenious, dyed-in-the-wool crook. Lopez explores a network of illicit commerce that operated across Europe: Not only was Van Meegeren a key player in that high-stakes game in the 1920s and ’30s, landing fakes with famous collectors such as Andrew Mellon, but he and his associates later cashed in on the Nazi occupation.
Nominated for an Edgar Award and made into a film starring Guy Pearce, The Last Vermeer is a revelatory biography of the world’s most famous forger—a talented Mr. Ripley armed with a paintbrush—and a deliciously detailed story of deceit in the art world.
Includes photographs
“His pioneering research on van Meegeren’s early life gives us further insight into what motivates deception, a subject that will never cease to fascinate as long as art is bought and sold.” —ARTNews
“Brings hard light to van Meegeren’s machinations and (very bad) character.” —The New Yorker
“Fascinating . . . Lopez’s writing is witty, crisp and vigorous, his research scrupulous and his pacing dynamic.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A terrific read.” —Houston Chronicle
“It’s hard to imagine improving on Lopez’s gem of a tale.” —Los Angeles Times
Previously published as The Man Who Made Vermeers
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this engaging study, art historian Lopez examines as did Edward Dolnick's Forger's Spell, published in June the fascinating case of Han van Meegeren, a notorious Dutch art forger. Van Meegeren, who sold Hermann Goering a fake Vermeer, was convicted of collaboration; he became a folk hero for duping the Nazi leader. But according to Lopez, van Meegeren was a successful forger long before WWII, and contrary to van Meegeren's claim that he was avenging himself on the art critics who had scorned his own work, Lopez says he was motivated by financial gain and Nazi sympathies: "What is a forger if not a closeted bermensch, an artist who secretly takes history itself for his canvas?" Lopez asks provocatively. The author gives a vivid portrait of the 1920s Hague, a stylish place of "mischief and artifice" where van Meegeren learned his trade, and brilliantly examines the influence of Nazi Volksgeist imagery on van Meegeren's The Supper at Emmaus, part of his forged biblical Vermeer series. Lopez's writing is witty, crisp and vigorous, his research scrupulous and his pacing dynamic. 88 b&w photos.
