room dividers & panel screens
the man who made vermeers unvarnishing the legend of master forger han van meegeren
its a story that made dutch painter han van meegeren famous worldwide 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 making a mockery of the nazis . and its a story thats been believed ever since . too bad it isnt true . p jonathan lopez has drawn on never before seen documents from dozens of archives to write a revelatory new biography of the worlds most famous forger . neither unappreciated artist nor antifascist hero van meegeren emerges as an ingenious dyed in the wool crook who plied the forgers trade far longer than he ever admitted a talented mr. ripley armed with a paintbrush . lopez also 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 powerful dealers and famous collectors such as andrew mellon but he and his associates later offered a case study in wartime opportunism as they cashed in on the nazi occupation . p the man who made vermeers is a long overdue unvarnishing of van meegerens legend and a deliciously detailed story of deceit in the art world . p