Scientist And The Forger, The: Insights Into The Scientific Detection Of Forgery In Paintings Kindle Edition

Are you like me an admirer of Leonardo da Vinci ? Do you want to know more about the existence and authenticity of two other Mona Lisa? Did you know that his Salvatore Mundi, lost for decades, reappeared in 1900, to be first declared a fake, then hailed as genuine in 2005 ? Were you aware that Van Gogh’s Still Life With Meadow-Flowers And Roses was painted over muscled wrestlers mentioned by the artist in a letter to his brother Theo? Had you realized that Manet’s admiration of Velasquez prompted him to produce an Infanta that fooled everybody for a century? Then, like me, you will be kept breathless reading The Scientist and the Forger …However Dr. Ragai ’s book is not only an impressively well documented thriller, summarizing the exciting events that in the past century have occurred on the International Art Scene ; it is a scientific book describing the latest and most up to date techniques used in authenticating art works . It also provides the reader with an insight on the psychological set up of viewers and that of forgers and introduces us to the back and front stage of courts of law where decisions affecting the Art History of the world are being decided. Most important it reflects on moral issues that concern us all: the dilemma of conscientious, but unspecialized judges, of impartially meticulous, scientists, of knowledgeable, but sometimes emotionally involved connoisseurs, having to decide whether they are confronted with the hitherto unknown work of a great master or with that of an unscrupulous, brilliant forger.Shahira Mehrez, Researcher, collector and Promoter of Traditional Arts and Crafts

This book is fascinating, authoritative and scientific in its discussion of some of the most recent and newsworthy forgeries which rocked the art world. It cleverly delves into the mind of the forger to uncover the elusive answer to the question of what motivates and drives a forger, and illustrates the great lengths to which these forgers will go to perpetrate their deception. It masterfully navigates the intersection between art and science, highlighting the rapidly growing role of science in the authentication process, while at the same time acknowledging the importance of, and need for ongoing collaboration between scientists, art connoisseurs and art historians. If you, like me, are an art lover who is fascinated by the scandalous headlines in the art world, and are curious about the state of the art techniques used to uncover the fraud and preserve the integrity of the art market and art world, then this book is for you! It is very well written and thought provoking.

I greatly enjoyed reading this book. The writing is clear, concise, and reflects an unusual clarity of thought. The description of the cases is suspenseful even when you already know the outcome. The explanations of the scientific techniques are thorough and should be easily understood by anyone with some knowledge of science. As has been mentioned by other reviewers, the inclusion of sections on the psychological aspects of art forgery makes the book unique among those of its kind. This book should be especially useful to people that work in art museums, as it will acquaint them with the range of techniques available to detect forged paintings and with what each technique is capable of doing.

Un libro corto e interesante sobre el fraude en el arte y los metodos cientificos para analizarlo y descubrirlo. Demasiado lenguaje técnico como defecto.

as a person who knows a lot about the subject I find it great but each scientific method could have been backed by a real caae, that would have made it brilliant

Ha cumplido mis expectativas

A book that would interest art lovers. Very informative and complements nicely the information provided in "The Art of Forgery" book by Noah Charney. It tackles how art and science meet in a way very well clarified to all sorts of readers, specially when introducing the scientific bases. This book opens new scopes to explore art and artists, as well as the motivating psychology in the world of forgery. It is definitely worth reading.

This very well written book provided me with several hours of very pleasurable reading in the world of art and the scientific techniques used to detect forgeries. The techniques discussed are introduced on a need to know basis and in language that is easily accessible to a non-specialist. Interestingly, this book provides the reader with a glimpse into the psychology of the art forger, the art collector and connoisseur highlighting the impact of art forgery on the art milieu. Rich with its many intriguing examples of forgeries, some of well-known works and involving a wide variety of different styles of painting, this book was a true joy to read.