“The Art Forger” by B. A. Shapiro – Honorable Thieves

In 1990 one of the most grandiose museum heists in history took in place in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. A Number of works of art were stolen, and they include The Concert by Vermeer, The Storm on the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt five drawings by Degas, and a few more. 

Unfortunately, the culprits were never apprehended, even though the FBI claims to know their identities. While in the real world such crimes seldom lead to exciting conclusions, in the domain of fiction things can change radically, and so it happens in The Art Forger by B. A. Shapiro.

In The Art Forger, we get a fictional continuation of the heist, as twenty-five years after the theft, one of the Degas drawings gets returned to the studio of a young artist living in Boston. At the same time, a woman named Claire Roth enters into an agreement with a powerful gallery owner to forge a copy of the Degas drawing in exchange for giving her the opportunity to set up an exclusive show. 

However, when Claire starts working on the forgery it becomes more and more apparent to her that the real painting, the one that has been hanging in the museum for years upon years, is a forgery as well.

Though it may sound like the book is a mystery revolving around a good old-fashioned art theft, the book strays from its original calling and becomes a painting in itself. To explain it in other words, it’s not the characters nor the story that will keep you drawn in, but rather the beautiful and detailed descriptions of the city and many works of art. 

The Art Forger by B. A. Shapiro (Book cover)
In addition, the way I saw it, one of the book’s main draws was the depth in which Shapiro explored the art of painting and forgery. Though in a couple of instances the wording is a bit awkward, you will learn a lot about making paintings, the techniques famous artists such as Degas used, and the meaning behind them.

All in all, I would describe it as a very detailed and novelized guide on paintings and forgeries. Though there certainly is a smooth storyline for you to follow and a few notable characters, you probably won’t like it unless you are interested in learning about visual art in the form of paintings.

B.A. Shapiro (Author)

B.A. Shapiro


Personal site

B.A. Shapiro is an American author currently living in Boston, and she is the kind of writer who began her career later into her life, though it hasn't stopped her from publishing multiple novels, screenplays and a non-fiction book, many of which have garnered her a rather decent amount of praise. Some of her better-known books include The Safe Room, See No Evil and Shattered Echoes.



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