Book Log 2013 #6: Caveat Emptor by Ken Perenyi

This book caused a minor stir when it came out earlier in the year, as in it the author covers what's been a lifetime of forging paintings by mid-level artists, a profitable sideline (though often not that far to the side) to his legitimate work as an antiques dealer and restorer.

An indifferent student, Perenyi found his way into a branch of New York's art scene in the 1960s, and while his interests were more contemporary, his mentor steered him into reproducing older paintings as a way to develop technique. His mastery of technique, coupled with the influence of some less than savory characters, led him down the path of forging paintings for fun and profit (and some outright stealing to boot).

As regretful as Perenyi may sound at times, you do get the sense that he feels like the art world got what it deserved by stamping so many of his fakes as originals. Can't say I go along with that - as incompetent as some of the buyers were, it's still fraud - but it does strike me as a fitting point of view from someone who was marginalized from the "legitimate" art world.

All that aside, I did find the book interesting for its depiction of the New York art scene in the 1960s and '70s, and for the technical details of how Perenyi developed his techniques. It does descend into name-dropping at times - Andy Warhol merits multiple mentions, even though the two never met - and at times gets a little breezy for my taste. Overall, though, it's one of the better general audience books about art forgery I've read.