[ebooks] Elliott Smith's XO (33 1/3) by Matthew LeMay at Arts-Photography

Review

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. An art world thrillerBy exurbaniteA large number of books have been published in recent years on the subject of fraudulent art. A few are autobiographical accounts; some are biographies; and many are academic studies on what motivates fakers; their techniques; and how they inject their phony works into the market. John Drewe; the central figure around whom the story of this book is built; is a uniquely clever and industrious con-man. As the title suggests; his complex swindle involved creating a bogus provenance for the fraudulent works he had commissioned. He insinuated himself into museum archives where he secretly inserted the forged documentation. It was a scheme that fooled much of the art establishment for years. Worse; he so debased the archives that they could never be entirely relied upon again. Provenance is a real life thriller and detective yarn; a factual account of a singular and elaborate scam. It provides a knowledgeable glimpse into the shady machinations; the greed and dangers of a secretive art world in which huge amounts of money change hands daily. It also delves into the strange world of John Drewe; a highly intelligent; inventive; but totally corrupt figure; a sociopath and pathological liar whose life is driven by falsehoods and fantasy. Provenance is a smoothly written and well researched book; a true account of remarkable events; one that is both instructive and pleasurable to read.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Excellent read!By Bernard . PuckerPublished in 2009 after the death of one of the couple of authors this in depth presentation of an extraordinary series of art and documentation forgeries ever.Years of research were required to effectively present the deeds or misdeeds of John Drewe who seem to become the characters he pretended to be - a physicist; an heir to a remarkable art collection; a Mossad agent; a consultant to the British Atomic Energy Commission and the list goes on. All the while cleverly documenting and selling "modern masterpieces" to the leading dealers in London and elsewhere.John Myatt - failed painter is swept into this whirlwind of activity and doing a reasonably good job of creating masterpieces by Ben Nicholson; Roger Bissiere; Braques and Giacometti; Graham Sutherland et al.Drewe prepared an "authentic" provenance for each work and then used "runners" to present and sell them to the likes of Leslie Waddington; Daniel Stern; Peter Nahum among many others. Upwards of 200 works were made and sold.Drewe parlayed each meeting and relationship into a probable sale.Eventually he was caught and convicted but it took hard work; chance and luck to bring him down. He was never repentant and was also not out to embarrass the art world. Rather his success was aided by the lax standards where greed is involved.Although it is a tale related to the modern art world it seems more a story of the disintegration of moral and ethical standards in our world. The authors simply and clearly describe the facts and the events but the take away for me seems much more tragic and universal.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Worth the Slow StartBy D. BochneakI found this book to start a little slow; prodding; but I couldnt put the book down after the halfway point. I kept finding myself thinking; "this cant possibly be true;" but you are assured by the extensive endnotes that indeed; it is. Once I finished the book; I appreciated the time the author took to setup the psychology and industry standards; which helps makes sense of the way things wrapped up. I recently read The Art Forger: A Novel by B. A. Shapiro; and it was interesting to see the intersection of truth and fiction (The Art Forger used many technical details actually practiced by the team explored in Provenance). I recommend this book; though it takes some time to become absorbed; it is well-written and carefully researched; and what a tale!