The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro

Reviewed by Charlotte

In 1900, $500 million worth of art was stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.  This is the largest unsolved heist in history.

Aiden Markel approaches artist Claire Roth to paint an exact replica of a real Dega painting that was stolen during the Gardner Museum heist.   She agrees to paint in exchange for a show at his gallery and cash payment.  As she starts to paint, she begins to suspect that the painting Aiden has brought her is not the original as suspected, but a forgery.   She is very into research and finds the ways to prove it is not a true Degas.  If this is not the real Dega, where is the real one?   As Claire searches for answers she discovers there is more going on with the painting, the heist, and with Aiden than she originally thought.

I will admit that art is a subject I don’t have much knowledge of, but I found The Art Forger easy to read and understand.  Even not having art knowledge I was able to follow the terms and descriptions of the techniques that Claire was using to replicate the Degas.  Every chapter flowed easily into the next, keeping the drama going.  The suspense of having to know what Claire would discover next kept me reading late into the night.

 

I loved reading of her past relationship with Isaac and the drama that surrounded it.  Seeing how Claire dealt with the people in the art world who doubted her talent due to the relationship with Isaac was great.  Claire managed to stay strong and convince others around her to believe as she did, even if it was a struggle at times.   Shapiro did a great job weaving Claire’s past and present into one amazing story.

As the end was coming I had no clue as to how the novel would pan out, but was happy with the ending.  There was humor, love and sex, drama, and intrigue in the novel and I totally enjoyed it from beginning to end.  I highly recommend The Art Forger to any art lover.

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