If you love art and scandal you'll love this book.
579756
This book the art forger was a fun romp through the what if's of art forgery. It was well written and fast-paced with a little romance thrown in to keep it juicy. The author has a great imagination and good knowledge of the art world.
2488604
If you like history or politics, you gonna love this book.
4651847
This is a lavishly illustrated art book and an engaging written piece of scholarship. It gave me many insights into the artists prickly personality and what he was striving for in his art.

There were many surprises: like the contention that Czanne had a traditional idea of portraiture, even though his portraits were unlike anything that had been done.

The text follows Cezannes portraits from the early aggressive impasto through his famous constructive brushstrokes to his thinly painted, subtly nuanced surfaces. In addition to the great numbers of vibrant reproductions, there are dramatic close-ups of seminal portraits that invite the reader to examine Czanne s brushwork.

The chapters are mostly organized around a Cezannes subjects.  This becomes very interesting. We get a more objective view of Madame Cezanne, who has been unjustly vilified for being a sourpuss. We explore the drama that ensued when Cezanne painted Parisian intellectuals (he was far more comfortable painting family members and country people). We meet his favorite people, like the gardener who did so much more for Cezanne than garden. And we hear about the challenges of modeling for Cezanne, who required absolute stillness and sometimes over a hundred sittings.

There are short biographical sketches of Cezannes subjects, including himself.  Theres a good chronology, and even this section is rich in reproductions. The text is seeded with fun quotes from Cezanne that bring his complex character to life.

I cant get to the London exhibit of these portraits, so Im grateful to have the book.
2548999
This book is well-written and well researched. It also is nuanced in describing the difficulty in establishing provenance, greed, and theft at the art museum level. This book read like a good mystery.
761353
I loved this book.  Felt as though I learned a bit about art, artists and forgers while greatly enjoying the story.
1457225
Worth Getting in Bed For? Yes. This was a wonderful chronicle of the Authors quest to locate her great-grandfathers art work, lost in the holocaust. The charm of the story is that he was an ordinary artist where his artwork wasn't worth millions, but worth so much more. This has it all, mystery, intrigue, history, art references and family love. Rynecki is making a documentary while she is writing the book which I would love to see. The difference between searching as a claimant versus an historian is highlighted. The Book will appeal on many levels. Highly recommended.
Copy provided by publisher and NetGalley.
2429772
Author Monica Bohm-Duchen delves into eight famous works of art, and the lives of their creators, for "The Private Life Of A Masterpiece." She explores here the popularity of these masterworks. What has caused them to move so many viewers so deeply? The stories behind their creation and the history of each one, along with corresponding information about their respective artists, are also discussed. Dating from 1501 to 1950, the artworks selected are: Michelangelo's "David"; Leonardo's "Mona Lisa";  Francisco de Goya's "Third of May, 1808," Edouard Manet's "Olympia," Vincent Van Gogh's "Sunflowers," Edvard Munch's "Scream"; and two 20th-century paintings, Pablo Picasso's "Demoiselles d'Avignon" and Jackson Pollock's "Autumn Rhythm." In all, there are 150 black and white photographs and 10 line illustrations in this 240 page book - a real gem for any art lover to treasure. The principal commonality in the pieces chosen for the publication, apart from being well known art icons, is that all eight strike resounding chords within viewers worldwide.

Each painting, and the "David," have their own, in-depth biography. Ms. Bohm-Duchen's rich analytical narrative is what makes this volume so special. This is not a dry text at all. As a matter if fact, I found it to be a real page-turner. The author has thoroughly researched every piece, and writes fascinating commentary on their creation. I was especially intrigued by the text documenting the various methods the artists used to prepare and execute their work. Also, of particular interest are the historical art reviews - how the finished masterpieces were received by the public. For example, when Manet's painting "Olympia" was hung in the Salon of Paris in 1865, it was met with jeers, laughter and disdain by art critics, the public, and the newspapers. Manet was rebelling against the art establishment of the time, and Ms. Bohm-Duchen explains that by painting a real woman, a courtesan at that, instead of an idealized version of  "woman," and by disregarding the paths forged by the great masters, Manet greatly shocked viewers. Tidbits like these may not be absolutely necessary for an understanding of art, but the wealth of material the author provides certainly enhanced my appreciation and enjoyment.

Beautifully written and presented, I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys fine art.

JANA
2708231
Skillfully written, very interesting and enjoyable - hard to put down. Lot's of insights into the art world as well as life and relationships.
3136067
Make no mistake. This book is more about history than art. (Or the history of art, as I was taught it in college, where images cannot be separated from the artist and the times that produced them.) As someone who majored in art history in college, I found its blend of art, context and personality utterly compelling. But if you're looking for lavish illustrations of Monet's celebrated water lily paintings, as one reviewer lamented, you won't find them. (The Internet has scads of images of them, of course.)

If, however, you're interested in a detailed, comprehensive and incisive account of Monet the man and the circumstances that led him to create his water lily paintings, or Grande Decoration, as he envisioned them, you'll find that in spades. And In my book, it's the only way they have any real meaning, and why I found the book so interesting.

Author Ross King is a skilled, fluent writer, who brings the people and their era to life. He's done so much research that w=much of the book reads almost like fiction, with strongly defined characters and the kinds of details that grab your attention. (Monet's fondness for food, for instance, and the famous lunches he'd serve his guests.) The horrors of World War I, which was the backdrop behind many of Monet's water lily paintings (they helped serve as a distraction for him) are vividly depicted. And Monet's beloved home in Giverny is as much a character as his close friend, the statesman and journalist Georges Clemenceau and his family members, especially his stepdaughter, daughter-in-law and helpmate, Blanche. While Monet's Impressionist colleagues are dying (or have died), he remains robust for his age, even while the infirmities of old age are taking their toll, especially cataracts that make it harder and harder for him to see the colors and landscapes that led to his fame and fortune.

In the end, this is a detailed snapshot of a period in the life of one of the world's greatest and most beloved artists, made possible through King's exhaustive research and skillful writing.

If I have one gripe, it's that at times it seems as if the book is a bit too long, which is why I've deducted one star. But rest assured, if you're interested in late 19th/early 20th century art and the events and people who produced it, this is an exceptionally good read.
3909578
It was fascinating to get an inside look of the lives of the Vice Presidents. The inside stories of the families made them feel so much more real to me.  I initially got into this book just to read it, but found that it is also a great book just on the pictures alone.  The photographs really were lovely. This would make a good gift for anyone, but especially for someone who is into history or politics.  Its a hefty book, making it a truly terrific coffee table book.
911960
The author intertwined a story with some actual facts about an art heist that really took place. The book made me want to search out artwork by Degas besides his ever famous ballerinas
2410219
If you like public art and if you like New York, buy this book. It's a fascinating history of an organization that has, for four decades, been at the forefront of this field. This book is beautifully done by Princeton Architectural Press and the several year effort by director Anne Pasternak and her staff is really quite amazing. The 300 plus projects they have sponsored are chronologically presented with beautiful color photography and interspersed with essays and interviews by some fascinating people. Also, this book is going to be a collector's item because each cover is a distinct numbered print generated by a machine recording the sights and sounds of NYC. You can either skim the surface by focusing on the projects alone, or you can delve deeper into the minds of the people who have created and presented these projects.
3247228
This book takes you into the rarefied world of elegance that typified the Gilded Age (1880-1920).  Sargent has done an excellent job in portraying the lives of affluent individuals, especially the women.  The men are portrayed as strong and stable.  Women are painted as ultrafeminine reflections of their father's or husband's wealth and power. The Gilded Age represent the possiblities of upward mobility as exemplified by Andrew Carnegies, the Guggenheims, the Rockefellers, and the Browns(as in Molly Brown, whose husband struck rich out west in the 1890's).  I recommend those who are interested in the artworks of the Gilded Age to read this book, it's interesting.
9298
Well done and very interesting. I'm happy I read this book. I enjoyed researching the artist and the woman behind the painting further once I finished.
4398848
Very interesting and entertaining book.  Great art.
4194108
A completely wonderful book filled with beautiful images and even better content. The book displays a variety of artwork from various artists, the backstories of these artists, and their methods of teaching/learning in a way that will have you flipping through this book more than once. I know I did.
1416752
This was a great read in terms of character development and for vivid picture painting.  I was swept up in the story from start to finish.  It was like a well made work of art versus a quickly made poster.  Rich in detail and feeling.