Staff Recommendations
The Art of the Con by Anthony M. Amore
"Anthony Amore's The Art of the Con tells the stories of some of history's most notorious yet untold cons. They involve stolen art hidden for decades; elaborate ruses that involve the Nazis and allegedly plundered art; the theft of a conceptual prototype from a well-known artist by his assistant to be used later to create copies; the use of online and television auction sites to scam buyers out of millions; and other confidence scams incredible not only for their boldness but more so because they actually worked."
Stealing Mona Lisa by Carson Morton
"The charming Eduardo de Valfierno makes a very respectable living in Argentina fleecing the nouveau rich--they pay him to steal valuable pieces of art, and Valfierno sells them flawless forgeries instead. But when Eduardo meets the beautiful Mrs. Hart on his latest con, he takes a risk that forces him back to the city he loved and left behind--Paris. There he assembles his team of con artists for their final and most ambitious theft, one that will enable them to leave the game forever: The Mona Lisa"
"Gabriel Allon, art restorer and occasional spy, searches for a stolen masterpiece by Caravaggio. Sometimes the best way to find a stolen masterpiece is to steal another one."
The Woman Who Stole Vermeer by Anthony Amore
"The extraordinary life and crimes of heiress-turned-revolutionary Rose Dugdale, who in 1974 became the only woman to pull off a major art heist." -- Amazon.com.
Art: A Visual History by Robert Cummings
"A chronological book features information on the history of more than 650 artists, as well as details on the major schools and movements of the art world, from Ancient Greece to Pop Art, as well as an extended, detailed focus on 22 masterpieces." --Publisher's description
The Joy of Art: how to look at, appreciate, and talk about art by Carolyn Schlam
"Written by a practicing artist, this book decodes and maps the basic elements of visual art, leading the reader to a greater understanding and appreciation."
Fiction
"Walter Keane became a worldwide celebrity and talk show fixture in the 1950s after he pioneered the mass production of prints of big-eyed kids, and used his marketing savvy to sell them cheaply."
"The life of artist Frida Kahlo, from her humble upbringing to her worldwide fame and controversy that surrounded both her and her husband, Diego Rivera."
"Seventeen-year-old Griet becomes a maid in the house of Johannes Vermeer, where she gradually attracts the master painter's attention."
"Famed but tormented artist Vincent van Gogh spends his final years in Arles, France, painting masterworks of the natural world that surrounds him."
"The life and controversial death of Vincent Van Gogh told by his paintings and by the characters that inhabit them. The intrigue unfolds through dramatic reconstructions of the events leading up to his death. "
Non-Fiction
"Reveals how the first big artistic discoveries were made and how they have cascaded down the centuries to define the look of the present day."
Girl With A Pearl Earring
At Eternity's Gate
