The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Han van Meegeren | 
 enlarge | Author: Jonathan Lopez
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  16 reviews
Sales Rank: 5336
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6 x 1.3
ISBN: 0151013411
Dewey Decimal Number: 759.9492
EAN: 9780151013418
ASIN: 0151013411
Publication Date: August 15, 2008
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Product Description
It's 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 it's a story that's been believed ever since. Too bad it just isn't true. Jonathan Lopez has done what no other writer could--tracking down primary sources in four countries and five languages to tell for the first time the real story of the world's most famous forger. Neither unappreciated artist nor antifascist hero, Van Meegeren emerges in The Man Who Made Vermeers as an ingenious, dyed-in-the-wool crook--a talented Mr. Ripley armed with a paintbrush, who worked virtually his entire adult life making and selling fake Old Masters. Drawing upon extensive interviews with descendents of Van Meegeren's partners in crime, Lopez also explores the networks of illicit commerce that operated across Europe between the wars. Not only was Van Meegeren a key player in that high-stakes game during the 1920s, landing fakes with powerful dealers and famous collectors such as Andrew Mellon (including two pseudo-Vermeers that Mellon donated to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.), but the forger and his associates later offered a case study in wartime opportunism as they cashed in on the Nazi occupation. The Man Who Made Vermeers is a long-overdue unvarnishing of Van Meegeren's legend and a deliciously detailed story of deceit in the art world.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 11 more reviews...
 No color plates? January 2, 2009
This is a really good book, but I was disappointed that there are no color plates. Also, even though there are a lot of black & white reproductions and really interesting historical photos, the printing quality is not especially good. This is a shame, because the author spends a lot of time discussing paintings and also historical events depicted in the photos. I also read the other book on Van Meegeren that came out this year, which really sucked, especially in comparison to this one, but it did at least include color photos. It seems to me like the publishers got it backwards: the book by the guy who doesn't know anything has color reproductions, but the one by the guy who really understands the subject has only b&w. Anyway, like I said, this book is very good and contains a totally insane amount of research, although the author doesn't necessarily hit you over the head with it, which is nice. One other small criticism: sometimes I think the author gets a little carried away with his vocabulary, and I mention this because this is his first book and he might want to think about this. He often uses big words when small ones would work just as well, and some words I think he made up - like when he refers to the Nazi "kleptocracy." I have no idea what that means.
The story of a man whose lifetime of disappointment led him to become famous for forging Vermeers December 15, 2008
Deserving of ongoing mention is the story of a man whose lifetime of disappointment led him to become famous for forging Vermeers - and whose much-publicized story wasn't true. Author Jonathan Lopez tracked down primary sources in four countries and five languages to reveal the real story of the man famous for forging Vermeers, revealing the real story of his talents and efforts. A 'must' for any art library strong in Van Meegeran's legend and art world deceit.
The Essential faux-Vermeer October 21, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Aside from being the most finely researched and best written study on the spectacular forgery case of Vermeer paintings by Han van Meegeren, "The Man Who Made Vermeers" holds a gem. Perhaps its most far-reaching accomplishment is that for the first time Lopez provides the answer to the central question which has either been tactfully avoided or inadequately addressed by those who has taken up the subject: how could have the most renowned museum curators, art dealers and private collectors been taken by fakes which appear almost laughable today?
Lopez reveals, with unusual perspicacity, that Van Meegeren discovered "first and foremost, that a fake doesn't necessarily succeed or fail according to the fidelity with which it replicates the distant past but on the basis of its power to sway the contemporary mind." Armed with this knowledge Van Meegeren ruthlessly exploited the vanity, greed and visual vulnerability of his time cynically turning them into immense profit.
Time will tell if we have learned more from art history studies and scientific progress than Van Meegeren did from the foibles of his time. Until then, we have been adequately warned.
"The Man who Made Vermeers" is a striking book in most every respect even for someone like myself, who loves Vermeer but has been coldly immune to the case at hand.
Super pleasure reading September 30, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Nicely told, and the story's completely new to me. Gives very nice historical background details and good observations and comments on paintings. Excellent historical photos illustrating the text. Fun book.
Good story, great read. September 29, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I like to read widely in non-fiction, especially in art history and history, but I'm no expert; so I often consult the reviews of other readers. In that spirit, I want to recommend this book I recently finished.
The Man Who Made Vermeers tells the story of an ingenious art forger working in Holland prior to, during and just after World War II. I bought this book because I enjoy reading historical biographies, particularly of "unknown" people living during times of momentous upheaval.
Van Meegeren's life is fascinating and the author of the book gives his readers keen insight on the artist-forger's motivation, mindset and aesthetic savviness. But, reading this book has left me with not only with an interesting biography to consider but also with a far greater appreciation for the political context of life in 1930's-1940's Europe.
For me, it's Lopez's ideas about how forgeries generate their own appeal to their contemporary audiences and how an individual's political ideology pervades his actions and words, regardless of what might seem to be an apolitical activity - painting forgeries for money. The author's analysis provides a lot of meaty food for thought about politics and societies more generally and I look forward to any other books Lopez might write.
Finally, I want to add that the author's congenial writing style made this book a genuine pleasure to read, so even if you aren't sure you are interested in Dutch art history, you will definitely enjoy the experience of reading this book - and come away wiser for it.
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