SCIENTIST AND THE FORGER, THE: PROBING A TURBULENT ART WORLD (SECOND EDITION) - Hardcover

Jehane Ragai

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1786344203 ISBN 13: 9781786344205

Publisher: World Scientific Europe Ltd, 2018

Synopsis

In The Scientist and the Forger: Probing a Turbulent Art World the author draws upon an enthralling range of case studies, from Botticelli to Leonardo, Campendonk to Pollock and Chagall to Freud, equipping the reader with a holistic understanding of an art world shaped by fast-moving trends, and increasingly permeated by science. We are taken on a gripping journey, becoming witness to the attempts currently being made to safeguard a partly complicit art market virtually under siege.

How can we determine whether it was Leonardo's hand that created Salvator Mundi? How can we prove that a suspected Pollock is a forgery? And how can Man in a Black Cravat be seemingly incontrovertibly attributed to Lucian Freud, despite this artist's adamant refusal to recognize it as one of his own? This book reveals how art historians and scientists collaborate conclusively to authenticate paintings or demonstrate that they are forgeries, and as the enigma of La Bella Principessa continues to baffle, the question remains: do we have enough reason to hope that we shall one day know her true story? Building on the first edition, a more in depth look is taken at some of the greatest scandals to date — with an interpretation of the psychological behavior of Ann Freedman the former president and director of the Knoedler Gallery.

Readership: A general interest book for general readers, curators, art connoisseurs, art historians, psychologists, scientists and financiers.

About this title

Review

"This second edition is rendered even more fascinating by the inclusion of case studies that illuminate the complexities, tensions and ambiguities of the fast-expanding international art market." -- Martin Rees (Lord Rees of Ludlow) OM, FRS, FREng, FMedSc, Astronomer Royal, Former President of the Royal Society and Former Master of Trinity College, Cambridge

"Jehane Ragai incisively opened all the fascinating, unexpected worlds behind her subject — science, sleuthing and skulduggery. Surely there is no more thorough and entertaining scrutiny of the art of forgery." -- June Mendoza AO, OBE, RP, ROI, HonSWA, Member of the Royal Society of Portrait Artists

"Even the seasoned art historian will learn much from this informative book." -- Jean Michel Massing, Professor of History of Art, King's College, Cambridge

"There is a richness in details from a selection of cases, and the author is a good story-teller. The book has an important educational role in the professional authentication of art — the book includes a discussion of the most pressing problems today and indicates a possible future development." -- Prof Bengt Norden, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

"Art forgeries is an industry that is growing in size with the increasing value of fine art. Jehane Ragai’s new book is highly recommended for those who want an insight into this obscure fascinating field." -- Krister Homberg, Former President of the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences, Gothenburg, Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences

"This is a book that explores both chemistry and chicanery, the pleasures and pitfalls of collecting, and perhaps most interestingly, the psychology of lying, self-deception, and discovery... Whatever the reader’s involvement or perspective on recent events and controversies, the stories recounted here so artfully, along with the scientific techniques explained with such clarity and care, together make for a terrific read." -- Professor Robert Switzer, The American University in Cairo

Edition details

• Publisher: World Scientific Europe Ltd
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1786344203
• ISBN 13: 9781786344205
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 276