Art

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel - Book Review

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The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession By Michael Finkel Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9780525657323
Availability: Click Title for IN STORE Location
Published: Knopf - June 27th, 2023

Perfect for both the lovers of art and of true crime mysteries!!
From the author of the equally fascinating “The Stranger in the Woods” comes a true story of perhaps the world’s most prolific art thief. Between 1995 and 2001 Stéphane Breitwieser, along with his girlfriend, (and parents who turned a blind eye to his activities) carried out robberies of more than 200 objects from 172 museums, castles and cathedrals all over Europe. What makes him even more unique is that he never stole for money but instead was an obsessed art addict who collected for the thrill of ownership, often on the spur of the moment and in broad daylight. What makes this book so enthralling is how meticulously the author researched Breitwieser’s life, delving into the many psychological theories about his mental and emotional state and personality; and covering the many investigations and court cases upon Breitwieser’s spectacular fall. The author also includes many first person interviews that bring the reader even more deeply into the life and psyche of this truly unique human being. You’ll be astonished, angry, sad, and stunned all at the same time. Loved it!! ~ Reviewed by Tambra Johnson Reap


The Upside-Down World: Meetings with the Dutch Masters by Benjamin Moser - Book Review

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The Upside-Down World: Meetings with the Dutch Masters By Benjamin Moser Cover Image
$39.95
ISBN: 9781324092254
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Published: Liveright - October 10th, 2023

An exquisite, stirring appreciation of art. Enraptured by the Dutch masters, Moser discovers that those with opened eyes and a receptive heart may discover, as he has, art's transcendent effulgence. ~ Reviewed by Mike Hare


The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel - Book Review

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The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession By Michael Finkel Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9780525657323
Availability: Click Title for IN STORE Location
Published: Knopf - June 27th, 2023

Finkel's excellence in crafting nuanced, non-judgmental portraits of societal renegades shines throughout this gem. The obsessive art thief thought he'd never be caught, while his bounty, displayed on the walls, tables, shelves, and floor of his attic room, appeared as inviolable as the museums from which it was plundered. ~ Reviewed by Mike Hare


Julia Margaret Cameron: Arresting Beauty by Lisa Springer - Book Review

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Julia Margaret Cameron: Arresting Beauty (V&A Museum) By Lisa Springer, Marta Weiss Cover Image
$35.00
ISBN: 9780500480861
Availability: Click Title for IN STORE Location
Published: Thames & Hudson - April 4th, 2023

Every few years the art world rediscovers the poetry, romanticism and the technical wizardry of Julia Margaret Cameron, a woman who was at the crossroads of art, literature and photographic technology in the 19th century. Cameron is most well known for her illustrative photographic edition of Tennyson's "Idylls of The King". What always amazed me was no matter how soft or romantic her work looks, there is a subtle edginess in her dexterity of subject and medium. This book reaffirms all of that. ~ Reviewed by Maeve Noonan


Thunderclap: A Memoir of Art and Life and Sudden Death by Laura Cumming - Book Review

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Thunderclap: A Memoir of Art and Life and Sudden Death By Laura Cumming Cover Image
$32.50
ISBN: 9781982181741
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Published: Scribner - July 11th, 2023

Part memoir, part speculative biography of 17th Century Dutch painter Carel Fabritius, but mostly a meditative homage to the glory of art. Cumming lyrically conveys how paintings can transport us to other centuries and cultures, while enhancing our awareness not only of the world, but ourselves. ~ Reviewed by Mike Hare


The Madman's Gallery: The Strangest Paintings, Sculptures and Other Curiosities from the History of Art by Edward Brooke-Hitching - Book Review

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The Madman's Gallery: The Strangest Paintings, Sculptures and Other Curiosities from the History of Art By Edward Brooke-Hitching Cover Image
$35.00
ISBN: 9781797221762
Availability: Click Title for IN STORE Location
Published: Chronicle Books - March 7th, 2023

Strange, stimulating, and startling, this eye-opening gallery bursts with some of the oddest art ever created. Gorgeously illustrated, written with verve, and spanning multiple millennia, these images, and their stories, showcase art's endless capacity to challenge and captivate. ~ Reviewed by Mike Hare


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