Noah Charney (1)

Month of November 2022 - The Thief Books

“The Art Thief: A Novel” by Noah Charney (2007) 290 pages.

Setting: Rome, Paris and London

2.5 stars rounded up - I would consider this a historical novel because a lot of the art, and the places, he mentions is real. Also, the author, who is well educated in the arts and is the founding director of the Association for Research into Crimes Against Art (ARCA), lets you in on the behind scenes in novel form of how they keep track of the most famous artworks throughout time (provenance), how they are stored and, especially, how art theft, which is an art in itself, is conducted and may be solved…sometimes. And, I also feel, he is making in fun of the ridiculousness of how pretentious millionaires value art and how easily they can be fooled into paying millions for reproductions.

Unfortunately, it’s just not that interesting of a subject to me. Plus, there’s a lot of Italian names, words and even sentences that you have to brush over. You will still understand what’s going on, but it’s just annoying. I don’t speak Italian.

ROME: Father Amoroso is awakened a couple of times each night by the small Baroque church’s alarm, at about 3:30 am, only to find the alarm has faltered…he believed.

But, on the second morning after having his coffee, and dealing with the faulty alarm again, he later headed to the alter to pray and reflect, only to discover that the Caravaggio alterpiece was missing.

PARIS: The Suprematist White on White 1918 painting by Kasimir Malevich [a real painting, in real life, held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York] turns up missing just hours after being purchased for 6.3 million British pounds. The painting was to be revealed at an exhibition: What Is Not There: The Beauty and Eloquence of Minimalism.

Link to the real White on White painting:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_on_White

Personal opinion…It is hard to believe this is considered ”art”.

These two thefts merge into each other in the end.

The different kinds of art critics:
- Those who study history and understand and can read into all the symbolisms the artist presents. They have a true appreciation for art.
- Those who know the value of art and steal for exchange of money or drugs, a large racket among drug lords.
- Those who know what they like and will steal art just for the glory of possessing such a find…but it is forever hidden, never to be seen again.
- Then, there is me…I have never seen a million dollar artwork that I even liked. I like what I like, and that could be a $2.00 piece I found at a garage sale or a $150 framed print I ordered online, or a piece of artwork created by my grandchild. If my eyes hit it and I fall instantly in love, then that’s the art for me. No deep thought process involved. Ha!

So, what is artwork actually worth? Whatever price you’ll pay. It could be one dollar or it could be a million dollars. That’s its value!… (more)