- Hardcover: 340 pages
- Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH); 1 edition (15 Aug 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0151013411
- ISBN-13: 978-0151013418
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 16.5 x 3.3 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 576,239 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Kirkus, 1 July 2008
First-rate research and narrative skill propel this tale of greed, war and skillful manipulation of the popular imagination. -- Kirkus
Review
Re-spins the van Meegeren saga...in profoundly researched, focused, absorbing depth. -- The New Yorker, October 27, 2008
My advice: Get a copy of Jonathan Lopez's terrific new book, "The Man Who Made Vermeers." It's so jam-packed and nicely written that you'll burn right through it. -- The Los Angeles Times, September 29, 2008
One of the most audacious careers in the annals of art fraud -- a journey superbly etched by Jonathan Lopez in his absorbing history "The Man Who Made Vermeers." -- Salon.com, August 14, 2008
Mr. Lopez is steeped in the literature of the period and it shows to fine effect. -- The New York Sun, August 26, 2008
Lopez has added greatly to our understanding of the subject. -- The New York Review of Books, November 6, 2008
A wonderful book and perfectly done. -- The Compulsive Reader, August 9, 2008
First-rate research and narrative skill propel this tale of greed, war and skillful manipulation of the popular imagination. -- Kirkus, July 1, 2008
A rich trove of reference not only for van Meegeren, but also for the art world between the wars and the forces that shaped opinions and destinies during that troubled period. -- The New Criterion, November 2008
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44 reviews
57 of 58 people found the following review helpful
An Engrossing Story of Painterly Intrigue
31 July 2008
Format:Hardcover
Jonathan Lopez has written a stunning book that sweeps the reader up into the peculiar world of Han Van Meegeren, who spent years creating supposedly "missing" masterpieces by the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. Van Meegeren managed to dupe not only wealthy financiers, such as Andrew Mellon, and important political figures like Hermann Goering, but also major museums, such as the National Gallery in Washington DC. Remarkably Mellon's faux Vermeers hung in Washington until the 1960s, when their questionable and more modern provenance came to the fore. Lopez has deftly managed to write a page turner that also provides the reader with copious amounts of original research. Especially fascinating is the portrait he gives of life in Holland under the Nazi occupation. As Lopez traces out the forger's odd and extravagant life, he also provides insightful conclusions, including the connections he makes between Van Meegeren's strange wartime fake Vermeers and the forger's sinister fascist beliefs. I loved this book and recommend it highly to anyone with an interest in art or history. It's a great read.
40 of 41 people found the following review helpful
Elegant and Authoritative
3 Aug 2008
Format:Hardcover
"The Man Who Made Vermeers" tells the story of Dutch art forger Han van Meegeren in greater detail, with deeper insight, and providing a more compelling sense of historical context than any other treatment I have seen of this subject. The author, Jonathan Lopez, is an elegant prose stylist, and he manages to synthesize an extraordinary amount of original research into a tight and extremely entertaining narrative that combines elements of a real-life mystery story with a wide range of thought-provoking ideas.
At the heart of "The Man Who Made Vermeers" is the notion that forgeries are always in some way "about" the way the present looks at the past. In the case of Van Meegeren, who was an ardent fascist sympathizer, it seems that the forger incorporated, either consciously or unconsciously, the visual repertoire of Nazi culture into the fake Vermeers that he created from 1936 onwards, after his visit to the Berlin summer Olympics. (He had faked other Vermeers in a more 1920s-influenced style before that.) In particular Lopez's discussion of the effect of Nazi Volksgeist painting on these post-1936 "Vermeers" is a tour de force - completely riveting to read and extremely convincing. The way that he ties Van Meegeren's practice as a forger to larger questions of fascist ideology is also quite impressive.
In general, the author's understanding of the historical and culture trends of the era is very solid, as is his knowledge of Dutch art history and of the history of Holland in general (According to the information in the back of the book, he apparently also writes in Dutch, so maybe he is of partly Dutch background.)
As a work of narrative story telling, "The Man Who Vermeers" holds together beautifully. The straightforward structure, swift pacing, and reader-friendly, non-academic tone make for a pleasurable experience from beginning to end. Personally, I found the descriptions of life in Nazi-occupied Holland particularly gripping and really well done. This is an excellent book, highly recommended for readers with an interest in art, criminal enterprises, or World War II history. It is likely to be the definitive book on the subject for many years to come.
At the heart of "The Man Who Made Vermeers" is the notion that forgeries are always in some way "about" the way the present looks at the past. In the case of Van Meegeren, who was an ardent fascist sympathizer, it seems that the forger incorporated, either consciously or unconsciously, the visual repertoire of Nazi culture into the fake Vermeers that he created from 1936 onwards, after his visit to the Berlin summer Olympics. (He had faked other Vermeers in a more 1920s-influenced style before that.) In particular Lopez's discussion of the effect of Nazi Volksgeist painting on these post-1936 "Vermeers" is a tour de force - completely riveting to read and extremely convincing. The way that he ties Van Meegeren's practice as a forger to larger questions of fascist ideology is also quite impressive.
In general, the author's understanding of the historical and culture trends of the era is very solid, as is his knowledge of Dutch art history and of the history of Holland in general (According to the information in the back of the book, he apparently also writes in Dutch, so maybe he is of partly Dutch background.)
As a work of narrative story telling, "The Man Who Vermeers" holds together beautifully. The straightforward structure, swift pacing, and reader-friendly, non-academic tone make for a pleasurable experience from beginning to end. Personally, I found the descriptions of life in Nazi-occupied Holland particularly gripping and really well done. This is an excellent book, highly recommended for readers with an interest in art, criminal enterprises, or World War II history. It is likely to be the definitive book on the subject for many years to come.
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Nazi sympathies laid bare
23 Aug 2008
Format:Hardcover
Not only is "The Man Who Made Vermeers" a great introduction to Han Van Meegeren and his notorious Vermeer forgeries, it serves as an excellent window into Nazi-controlled Holland during the war. It is Lopez's examination of Van Meegeren's Nazi sympathies--and his deft analysis of how Van Meegeren's faux Vermeers sprang from the same 20th-century Nazi iconography as contemporary propaganda paintings--that really sets the book apart. A devasting reappraisal of the man who "fooled" Hermann Goering and a good read for anyone interested in art, World War II, or how the two intersected.
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