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    I Was Vermeer: The Rise and Fall of the Twentieth Century's Greatest Forger
    I Was Vermeer: The Rise and Fall of the Twentieth Century's Greatest Forger
    I Was Vermeer: The Rise and Fall of the Twentieth Century's Greatest Forger
    Ebook285 pages4 hours

    I Was Vermeer: The Rise and Fall of the Twentieth Century's Greatest Forger

    By Frank Wynne

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Frank Wynne's remarkable book tells the story of Han van Meegeren, a paranoid, drug-addicted, second-rate painter whose Vermeer forgeries made him a secret superstar of the art world. During van Meegeren's heyday as a forger of Vermeers, he earned the equivalent of fifty million dollars, the acclaim of the world's press, and the satisfaction of swindling Hermann Göring himself, trading the Nazi commander one of his forgeries in exchange for the return of hundreds of looted Dutch paintings. But he was undone by his very success, thriving so noticeably during World War II that when it ended, he was arrested as a Nazi collaborator. His only defense was to admit that he himself had painted the Old Masters that had passed through his hands-a confession the public refused to believe, until, in a huge media event, the courts staged the public painting of what would be van Meegeren's last "Vermeer."
    I Was Vermeer is a gripping real-life mystery that exposes the life and techniques of the consummate art forger; the fascinating work of the experts who try to track down the fakes; and the collusion and ego in the art establishment that, even today, allow forgery to thrive. Wry, amoral, and plotted like a thriller, it is the first major book in forty years on this astonishing episode in history.
    Frank Wynne is a writer and award-winning literary translator. Born in Ireland, he has lived and worked in Dublin, Paris, Amsterdam, London, and Buenos Aires, and currently lives in San José, Costa Rica. He has translated more than a dozen novels, among them the works of Michel Houellebecq, Frédéric Beigbeder, Pierre Mérot, and Ahmadou Kourouma. A journalist and broadcaster, he has written for the Sunday Times, the Independent, the Irish Times, Melody Maker, and Time Out.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBloomsbury USA
    Release dateJan 15, 2011
    ISBN9781608196555
    I Was Vermeer: The Rise and Fall of the Twentieth Century's Greatest Forger
    Author

    Frank Wynne

    Frank Wynne is a literary translator. Born in Ireland, he moved to France in 1984 where he discovered a passion for language. He worked as a bookseller in Paris and again when he moved to London in 1987 , he translated and published comics and graphic novels and from 1996-2001 he worked in online media. He began translating literature in the late 1990s, and in 2001 decided to devote himself to this full time. He has translated works by, among others, Michel Houellebecq, Frédéric Beigbeder, Ahmadou Kourouma, Boualem Sansal, Claude Lanzmann, Tómas Eloy Martínez and Almudena Grandes. His work has earned him a number of awards, including the Scott Moncrieff Prize and the Premio Valle Inclán. Most recently, his translation of Vernon Subutex was shortlisted for the Man Booker International 2018.

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    3.5/5

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    • 4/5
      Having already read Edward Dolnick's account of the Dutch WWII Vermeer forger Han van Meegeren called The Forger's Spell, I was pleasantly surprised to note that the two books complement each other well. Wynne's book is filled with famous one-liners such as "Of the 2,500 authentic works painted by Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, 7,800 are in American collections alone". Museums and art collections have every interest not to reveal that their precious items are not originals. Thus, the longer the pedigree of a forgery the higher the chance it is accepted into the canon. The recent documentary about the authenticity of the newly discovered Leonardo da Vinci La Bella Principessa pointedly shows how much of such a decision rests in convincing a small number of insiders, turning a 22,000 USD painting by a German 19th century artist into a 100,000,000 USD masterwork (or not).One important finding is that the forgery has to match current taste. Thus, today, van Meegeren's works look hopelessly old-fashioned and completely unlike those of Vermeer. In his time, however, they were what the buyers expected and craved for (at least until van Meegeren got lazy). A quick fun read.
    • 4/5
      This is the fascinating story of Han van Meegeren, a 20th century art forger. He was born in 1889 in the Netherlands to a middle class family.His father refused to support his art studies and insisted that he study Architecture. Along the way he marries, has two children, lives a life of debauchery and poverty, divorces his wife and woos and marries Joanna Oolerman, the wife of a prominent art critic.Van Meegeren painted in the style of the Dutch masters which was considered passé compared to emerging styles such Impressionism and cubism. Unable to prosper, he decided to launch a career as a forger. His chosen artist was Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) who seemingly had painted only 30 or more canvasses. He realized there was a gap between young Vermeer and old Vermeer paintings and painted a masterpiece called The Supper at Emmaus which would bridge both time periods. His methodical approach included purchasing a 300 year old canvas, mixing pigments that imitated Vermeer's, perfecting the craquelature with a combination of formaldehyde and heat, and adding Vermeer's signature. He presented himself as an art agent for a wealthy family down on their luck and through an intermediary sold the Vermeer to the Boijman's museum in Rotterdam. He was so successful in duping prominent critics and art historians that he continued with several other forgeries and amassed a fortune. In the summer of 1945 he was arrested not for his forgeries but because a painting for which he was a sales agent wound up in the collection of Field Marshall Goring. He was charged with collaborating with the Nazis. At the ensuing trial he pleaded guilty to the charges of forgery instead of aiding and abetting the enemy.Great story

    Book preview

    I Was Vermeer - Frank Wynne

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