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Hot Art: Chasing Thieves and Detectives Through the Secret World of Stolen Art
Hot Art traces Knelman's five-year immersion in the shadowy world of art theft, where he uncovers a devious game that takes him from Egypt to Los Angeles, New York to London, and back again, through a web of deceit, violence, and corruption. With a cool, knowing eye, Knelman delves into the lives of professionals such as Paul, a brilliant working-class kid who charmed his...more
Paperback, 360 pages
Published
March 6th 2012
by Tin House Books
(first published March 1st 2010)
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A well-researched and fascinating read.
Page 14:
It was just after midnight when the phone rang.
A stranger's voice said, "It's -, You've been looking for me."
The name he'd given me clicked. Yes. I'd been looking for him.
"I thought you were in jail," I said.
"I was," he replied. "Now I'm out."
Then the art thief lised off a few details about my education and professional life. He told me he knew where I lived, and proved it by reciting my address.
"I've done my research," he said.
He agreed to a meeti...more
Page 14:
It was just after midnight when the phone rang.
A stranger's voice said, "It's -, You've been looking for me."
The name he'd given me clicked. Yes. I'd been looking for him.
"I thought you were in jail," I said.
"I was," he replied. "Now I'm out."
Then the art thief lised off a few details about my education and professional life. He told me he knew where I lived, and proved it by reciting my address.
"I've done my research," he said.
He agreed to a meeti...more
I really enjoyed this more or less straight ahead journalism of the world of art theft. It's a story well-told, and Knelman talks to some pretty interesting people, thieves (or at least one thief) as well as police, and it's a fascinating story. I don't think it's incredibly mind-blowing or anything-- it's no Orchid Thief, let alone a book by D'Agata, but that's not what I wanted. I was mostly curious about what thieves do with art once they've got it, and how they are caught, and this book answ...more
Art crime reality in one lengthy, but interesting read.
Although Joshua Knelman can get a bit repetitive in his writing, I am aware it is to drive his point home. In a culture consumed by glamourized media and fancy Hollywood portrayals, the real world of art crime becomes buried under the romanticized fluff that we all have become accustomed to. It is no wonder that he wants to get the message clear- reality is far from The Thomas Crowne Affair yet none of us are aware. The art crime scene is m...more
Although Joshua Knelman can get a bit repetitive in his writing, I am aware it is to drive his point home. In a culture consumed by glamourized media and fancy Hollywood portrayals, the real world of art crime becomes buried under the romanticized fluff that we all have become accustomed to. It is no wonder that he wants to get the message clear- reality is far from The Thomas Crowne Affair yet none of us are aware. The art crime scene is m...more
This was an interesting look at the world of stolen and smuggled art and antiques. The author really loved to mention The Thomas Crowne Affair at least once per chapter, mostly to stress how the reality of this underworld is nothing like the fantasy of that film. That being said, I liked the bizarre characters that he encountered and the information he uncovers. It does amaze me that there are so few members of law enforcement that actually police this kind of crime around the world. I suppose y...more
A good investigating piece of journalism on the very grey and mucky waters of the Art World. Knelman went on the hunt and interviewed most of the important players in the cat and mouse chase between the law and the criminals.
The art world is one of the last area where a hand shake and cash are the normal currency. The games played between the thieves, the art dealers, the auction houses and the clients are grey at best.
This is an informative and well written book, easy to access for the neophy...more
The art world is one of the last area where a hand shake and cash are the normal currency. The games played between the thieves, the art dealers, the auction houses and the clients are grey at best.
This is an informative and well written book, easy to access for the neophy...more
I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway. Thanx!
This book starts out introducing us to a few keys players in the art theft world, on both sides of the law. It does an excellent job of taking us into the world of the thief and the detective s well as lawyers and sellers.
It paints a very good picture of exactly what is stolen, why, and what happens to it.
But... after about 100 pages or so, we have the idea. There aren't that many ways to steal and get rid of stolen art. They are covered very well in t...more
This book starts out introducing us to a few keys players in the art theft world, on both sides of the law. It does an excellent job of taking us into the world of the thief and the detective s well as lawyers and sellers.
It paints a very good picture of exactly what is stolen, why, and what happens to it.
But... after about 100 pages or so, we have the idea. There aren't that many ways to steal and get rid of stolen art. They are covered very well in t...more
Well, this book ruined art heist movies for me-- it turns out that once you've stolen a piece of art, making money off of it is pretty easy, considering the largely unregulated art and antiquities market and the lack of coordinated effort by competing and underfunded law enforcement jurisdictions. The book is well-written and interesting, and is a decent introduction to the black and grey markets, and the law enforcement challenges they pose.
Missing from several of the art heist books on the book shelves is the sense of community and connections in the world of stolen art. usually the stories are about one case (Isabella Stewart Gradner, for example) or one group (The Italian police trying to stop grave robbers), but Hot Art connects the dots and shows how illegal/ stolen art makes the rounds. An interesting read for anyone interested in the art world.
Excellent content and an extremely interesting look into the work of art and art theft.
Art is being treated as a commodity and people are stealing it to pay for drugs or other debts, while organized crime is using it to launder (EXTREMELY successfully) drug money/illicit funds. Knelman delves into the world of art theft and speaks with people on both sides of the law and around the world. They are all saying the same thing: art theft is on the rise, values are increasing, but the amount of time/...more
Art is being treated as a commodity and people are stealing it to pay for drugs or other debts, while organized crime is using it to launder (EXTREMELY successfully) drug money/illicit funds. Knelman delves into the world of art theft and speaks with people on both sides of the law and around the world. They are all saying the same thing: art theft is on the rise, values are increasing, but the amount of time/...more
Though generally skeptical of such claims as "spellbinding", this is the kind of narrative journalism that makes me want to throw such claims around. It's smart, thoughtful, fascinating, and an excellently told story. It's a page turner, but it's not just a page turner.
Hot Art offers a very thorough examination of the fastinating world of stolen art and antiquities. The scope of the black market for art truly shocked me and I will now think twice when visiting galleries and art shows. The book reads like a true crime novel and many of the bizarre anecdotes Knelman shared will stay with me for a long time. If you're interest in art or in true life detective stories you will definitely enjoy this book.
An insight into a very different world for the majority of us. A story that spans continents in the world of art theft. It tells how it was then and what is is like now. One of the men interviewed has been a successful thief his entire life.
Great book. I am fascinated by the art world and collecting - this book opens up the shadowy world of art dealers and exposes how a lot of art scammers and thieves operate. Good to know if you are a collector and a fascinating read.
The world of art theft is not as glamorous as films like "The Thomas Crown Affair" portray it. Few police departments have any interest in pursuing the crimes, even if they concern valuable art works, because there is so little cooperation from galleries, museums, and the art world in general. Author Knelman interviews crooks, cops, and other experts on the world of art theft around the world.
Informative! I have a new perspective on art galleries, auction houses and antique dealers. The percentage of the inventory of these types of businesses which is stolen is startling!
I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in the subject of art theft. It's a good overall survey and has some interesting information in it. It can be a bit redundant at times, however, I and thought it would have had a more compelling narrative to it if he had picked one case/person/team to focus on and included the rest as background and side info.
Read this for my Gloucester book club. Interesting, a bit repetitive. Well written. The characters are drawn effectively.
Turns out the art world is corrupt and nobody (i.e. rich folks that buy art) aren't particularly interested in doing anything about it. Not shocking, but enlightening nonetheless.
A thrilling, gripping read. Well-told story of the inner workings of a secret world of stolen art operating in plain sight.
Opened my eyes to a subject I knew little about, and made me pretty mad about the failings of the industry!
The writing was ok if a bit repetitious and with a fair amount of "padding" but the material was very, very interesting.
This fast-paced non-fiction account of high-end art theft reads like fiction. It's not just a who-dunnit but also a how, why and, often times, for whom. Engrossing and interesting.
Accessible: 5
Kept Attnetion: 5
Well-written: 3
Must Read: 3
Important: 3
Kept Attnetion: 5
Well-written: 3
Must Read: 3
Important: 3
This is an interesting topic that made me want to know more about world of art theft. The book is long on interviews and short on the individual theft information. The subject is worth reading but I didn't enjoy this author's writing. Pictures of the art mentioned would have been nice. We read this for book club and had a good discussion. There was lots of google searches; Paul still has his blog and Detective Lazarus is worth searching.
This book really illustrates how the art market has become a big money laundering machine for thieves. Interesting, but sad. I was most interested in the tales of recovery of stolen art by the few art detectives we have. I enjoyed it, but not as much as "The Rescue Artist".
The beginning of an exciting new obsession...
The art thief was a enjoyable character and the whole investigation was a fascinating one.
I read this as research for Delta Green roleplaying. It presents a good basic overview of art and antiquities theft along with portraits of some of the key players on the law enforcement end. The most interesting character is the art thief/middleman of course.
Very interesting stuff, and part of the reason I never wanted to show art in a gallery (assuming they would even want my things ha!). The whole system of art as a business is so flawed as to be disgusting, but, imperfect people will never create a perfect world. Knelman does a great job of taking a step back and letting the stories tell themselves, almost as if the book had written itself. Obviously that is not true, credit is due to him for making sense of the chaos and threads of each crime's...more
I really enjoyed Knelman's sweeping look at the shockingly dirty world of art and antiquities dealing. His research spanned several continents and years, calling upon the expertise of law enforcement agents, thieves, and collectors alike. As one of his more colorful sources says, "Once you start thinking about this subject, you will never be able to stop thinking about this subject." Knelman proves that to be true in under 350 pages.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art Crime: Hot Art: Chasing Thieves and Detectives Through the Secret World of Stolen Art | 1 | 2 | Aug 05, 2012 04:59am | |
| Factual errors in book? | 1 | 4 | Apr 11, 2012 11:02am |
