I Was Vermeer: The Rise and Fall of the Twentieth Century's Greatest Forger

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I Was Vermeer: The Rise and Fall of the Twentieth Century's Greatest Forger

3.73 of 5 stars 3.73 · rating details · 273 ratings · 33 reviews

Frank Wynne’s remarkable book tells the story of Han van Meegeren, a paranoid, drug-addicted, second-rate painter whose Vermeer forgeries made him a secret superstar of the art world—and along the way, it reveals the collusion and ego that, even today, allow art forgery to thrive. During van Meegeren’s heyday as a forger of Vermeers, he earned 50 million dollars, the accla...more

Hardcover, 276 pages

Published October 3rd 2006 by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

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Nov 23, 2012 Dan rated it 5 of 5 stars

In 1945, in the waning days of the second World War, a cache of paintings was discovered in an abandoned salt mine in Austria. They were artworks that the occupying German forces plundered for the personal collection of the Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering. One of them was a signed painting by Vermeer, a priceless work by one of the greatest Dutch painters of all time. The sale of this national treasure to the Nazis was traced to an obscure painter and art dealer named Han Van Meegeren, who was a...more In 1945, in the waning days of the second World War, a cache of paintings was discovered in an abandoned salt mine in Austria. They were artworks that the occupying German forces plundered for the personal collection of the Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering. One of them was a signed painting by Vermeer, a priceless work by one of the greatest Dutch painters of all time. The sale of this national treasure to the Nazis was traced to an obscure painter and art dealer named Han Van Meegeren, who was arrested by the Dutch authorities and charged with treason. He faced the death penalty.

In confinement, he came out with an implausible story. The painting that he sold to the Nazis was not a 17th-century classic at all. It was a worthless forgery created by Van Meegeren himself. And in exchange for the fake Vermeer, Goering traded hundreds of original Dutch paintings that he had captured during the war, thereby keeping the many real Dutch artifacts from the hands of the Nazis. If true, this story would transform Van Meegeren from a Nazi collaborator to a Dutch national hero.

His story went further, however. Van Meegeren claimed that aside from Goering's Vermeer, he had also forged several other Vermeer paintings, including one that was considered to be one of the best of Vermeer's works and which had been hanging for years in the main art museum in Rotterdam, the centerpiece of an exhibition.

As far as stories to save one's neck go, it was ludicrous, of course, since the paintings he was claiming to have forged had been certified as authentic by the foremost art critics in in the world. The authorities decided to give him a test. In order to prove that he was capable of having done what he was claiming to have done, over the next few months Van Meegeren would have to produce a brand-new forgery, another Vermeer, under the watchful eyes of the police. If he could produce a painting that art critics would hail as equal to a Vermeer, the treason charges would be dropped. Van Meegeren would be painting to save his life.

This fascinating book covers the rise of the clearly talented Van Meegeren from a struggling penniless artist, to an aspiring forger spending years trying to perfect his craft, to a fabulously rich criminal (and "one of the largest landowners in the Netherlands"), and covers his downfall and trial that shocked the art world (including the almost-Hollywood ending to the story).

Moreover, it also raises serious questions about what makes a masterpiece -- is it the work itself, or is it what the art critics say about the work? Are we in awe of the Mona Lisa because it is a great painting, or because we know we should be in awe of the Mona Lisa? It also exposes the conflicts of interest inherent in certifying an art piece's provenance -- few people in the art world have an incentive to expose forgeries. Those fakes that the famous artists never painted but that bear their signatures? Some of them are almost certainly hanging in your nearest prestigious art museum.

Incidentally, the book mentions that Goering learned that his treasured Vermeer was a forgery while awaiting trial at Nuremberg and quotes a contemporary account: "[Goering] looked as if for the first time he had discovered there was evil in the world."(less)

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Aug 20, 2012 Carl Rollyson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Art history is a matter of provenance; art collecting an affair of prestige. Commerce in art is the ineluctable confluence of provenance and prestige. Han van Meegeren (1889–1947), a talented painter who despised the work of modernists such as Picasso, understood that he could only succeed as an artist by obliterating himself and becoming his 17th-century avatar, Vermeer.

To Han, as Frank Wynne calls him throughout this lively biography, "I Was Vermeer: The Rise and Fall of the Twentieth Century'...more

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Jun 30, 2012 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I don’t know how much of the truth was ever revealed by the man who fooled experts and collectors for decades, but it was a lively, engaging story. Han van Meegeren may have been placed into that perfect span of years when a person with certain skills and knowledge could effectively create paintings that the world accepted as 17th Century Dutch.

What follows is a synopsis of some of this book. I suppose that it could be considered a “spoiler”, but in this c...more I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I don’t know how much of the truth was ever revealed by the man who fooled experts and collectors for decades, but it was a lively, engaging story. Han van Meegeren may have been placed into that perfect span of years when a person with certain skills and knowledge could effectively create paintings that the world accepted as 17th Century Dutch.

What follows is a synopsis of some of this book. I suppose that it could be considered a “spoiler”, but in this case I think it is just more “incentive” to read the book, which I suggest you do. It is at least a “4.5” in my estimation.

Although not formally trained (mostly) as an artist, it was always his dream. He spent years “apprenticed” to a man who taught him how all of the pre-mass-produced paints and pigments were created. Before he painted his first fake he was able to grind and mix the colors that would have been used by those artists he cherished and loved. He was a clever man and read about how forgeries could be detected using chemical and x-ray analysis. As he painted in his teens he developed the skills necessary to produce various types and styles of brush strokes. In learning to paint he showed that he could ape the mannerisms of artists long since dead.

As the world moved from Impressionism to Cubism and other “modern” styles and methods, Han was increasingly frustrated and angry. He saw experts as men who produced opinions that were essentially uniformed, but self-reinforcing: if one pronounced a painting to be by so-and-so then the others (even if they had misgivings) would fall in line and either stay quiet or join in the acclaim. Ultimately, he decided that he would create a painting that would convince the great experts of its authenticity and then prove them charlatans by exposing it himself.

In this book we learn how he created the techniques that generated a good facsimile of the age of true paintings from the 1600s. Using his not inconsiderable expertise and understanding of materials he combined a modern material that made his paints pass the casual tests and appear to have been aged for the requisite amount. He “defended” against x-rays by using actual canvases from the correct century and then (at least at first) removing all of the prior painting. To make it “fit” as an unknown Vermeer he postulated a phase in the painter’s oeuvre that could be filled be with certain subject matter and with certain echoes of prior and later works.

When he completed this “Trojan horse”, he took it to the self-proclaimed greatest expert (who had helped to bring Vermeer back into vogue) and watched while he ‘discovered” the cues that were intended to convince him of its origin. Except for a couple of dissenting voices all went as planned. The painting was accepted and eventually it was placed in a Dutch Museum as a piece of national heritage.

At this point everything had gone according to plan. Han had even gotten paid. Ultimately it was the money that destroyed him. He never revealed the forgery as planned. It and others were hung as originals for years while Han grew wealthy.

I won’t go into any more about Han, his life, or his fakes. You should pick up this superb book and read it for yourself.

Note: After reading the book and writing this review (except this note) I looked over a few of the goodreads comments. Thanks to a couple of readers for identifying other books. I'll be looking up "Drawn to Trouble" and "The man who Made Vermeers".
(less)

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Mar 18, 2013 Eddy Allen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arts-and-historical

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Jul 27, 2010 Tim Hulsizer rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: art nerds

This enjoyable tale chronicles the life and times of Han van Meegeren, a Dutch art forger who taught himself to create authentic old style oil paints using "ingredients" they used in Vermeer's time. He also created his own ovens to help bake the paintings to produce the craquelure (cracked texture) of old paintings. He was so good that certain of his paintings are still believed to be genuine despite his protestations, and other acknowledged Vermeers are under suspicion despite his denials. He w...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Akin added it

Fascinating! An enthralling read. Not sure if he was the 20th century's greatest forger - the honours for that really belong to Dali - but this tale of the forger's disillusionment, pride, avarice and talent is excellent. Of course, it is also somewhat topical now - I understand that there is a book about some woman with a pearl earring or necklace...

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Mar 16, 2008 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: art lovers, anyone who loves a good attempt at a complicated hoax

Recommended to Sara by: Andrew

Shelves: nonfiction, history, art

This true story of Han van Meegeren, a Dutch forger creating and selling "genuine" Vermeers in the 1930s and 40s makes a great book jacket summary. That's what drew me in. The writing is good and there are glossy illustrations so readers can see Vermeers and van Meegerens side by side.

The book jacket summary sketches out the arc of the story, but for me, the actual text didn't really match up. The agonizing decision to admit to forgery seemed to come pretty easily and things wrapped up pretty q...more

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Apr 05, 2010 Converse rated it 3 of 5 stars

How the Dutch artist Hans van Meegeren passed off a number of his paintings as Vermeers and fooled many an expert into recommending their purchase. He was active, in this sense, in the 1930s and 1940s. As I recall, he apparently demonstrated his technique during his trial in the late 1940s.

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Feb 27, 2010 Topher rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Last book I entered was about a counterfeiter; this one was about a forger (of Vermeer paintings) in WW2 era Holland.

Clearly, I had something on my mind when I went to the library that day.

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May 06, 2011 Teddy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, bio, historical, misc-non-fiction

I enjoyed this one. The pace is quick but doesn't sacrifice detail, and the writer manages to keep you interested in a pretty unlikeable protagonist without glossing over his many faults.

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Jan 28, 2013 Andy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Superb and nicely economical story of Han van Meegeren, the Dutch forger who bamboozled the art world - and the Nazis- with his fiendish renderings of supposedly lost Vermeers.

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May 21, 2012 Ke Huang rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This nonfiction work reads like a complex novel. I think the author did a great job conveying Van Meegeren's character and motivation.

My only complaint would be the ending, because it was a bit repetitive.

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Sep 07, 2010 Lisa Van Oosterum rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

Fascinating book about a man who brilliantly forged paintings and sold them as newly found Vermeer paintings. I learned a lot and got to read it while I was in The Netherlands.

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Jun 02, 2008 PC rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great book - usually I don't go for non-fiction in specialized subject matter, but this was a great read. Wynne has really done his research, and he includes many factoids on forgery along with the major narrative of Van Meergeren's life. His writing is fast-paced but never sacrifices detail. It's interesting to consider how subjective art really is, and how hypocritical the art world can be - I went to the Natl Gallery to look at the 5 Vermeers displayed there, and I couldn't stop thinking abou...more

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Sep 12, 2011 Jonathan Burt rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am very much enjoying this read. it is outside of my comfort zone (as I know nothing of 16th century art), but I am enjoying the mystery. And the deception!

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Apr 26, 2010 Peter Vincent rated it 4 of 5 stars

A fascinating read about one of the 20th centuries greatest art forgers. Reads like a good psychological novel

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Jan 11, 2009 Leilani rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a very interesting book. It's got a lot of art and biographical facts in it. Two genres I love.

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Sep 08, 2010 Aaminah rated it 2 of 5 stars

I've nearly finished this and feel quite bored of it, despite initially finding the subject matter fascinating. Like Han, I have lost enthusiasm for spending time on his forgeries. Update - never bothered with the last ten pages. The author is very talented at making something interesting seem so dull.

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Apr 29, 2008 Eileen Phillips rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people into art forgery, or art, or Dutch history

Shelves: history, biography

I. Love. Art. Forgery.
I love it! I may obsess over it for a while!
Actually, I'm probably going to try to get ahold of a copy of Drawn to Trouble by Eric Hebborn, which is an autobiographical account of his art forgering exploits. I also have to get ahold of a dvd of Incognito which was what lit the spark of attraction between me & art forgery to begin with, waaaay back, sometime in the 90's.
Anyway! Enough of the geek-out. I liked this book a lot. It was delicious & I ate it up.

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Sep 24, 2009 Jim marked it as to-read

just started

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Sep 20, 2008 Abbey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: art-and-art-history

Self-promoting and a bragging tone spoil much of the book, but I loved it when he sold fakes to the Nazis.

UPDATE:

Oh, no!! According to "The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger" - I completely fell for the myth that Han van Meegeren sold a painting to Goering as a way to mock the Nazis. He was a complete con man, unable to tell the truth even in his autobiographical details that were supposedly tell-all.

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Aug 20, 2009 Alexandra rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

A fascinating story -- easy to read about a forger who created "seventeenth century" Vermeers. Interesting science about how he tried to do it getting original seventeenth century canvasses and in the chaos of the war period critics believed they were genuine. A good book for anyone interested in art/art history/art process.

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Dec 22, 2011 Warren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Excellent

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Dec 13, 2012 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, biography

Fascinating true story of art forging. Explains in detail the process of making a painting appear old and pass the analysis. Makes you wonder what else is fake in museums and no one knows... Very good details of Holland at the time of WWII and the art world.

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Dec 06, 2010 Cynthia rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: couldn-t-finish

It takes talent to take a topic this interesting and turn it into a book this boring. To be honest, I could only make it through the first couple chapters but it was so poorly written and so plodding and full of so much boring detail that I couldn't go on.

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Jul 30, 2008 Meg rated it 4 of 5 stars

I keep meaning to return to this book. I read it so fast, I can't remember exactly how it happened...all I can remember is thinking, "Really? These pieces of crap passed for Vermeers? People are retarded!" This will be a Damforst book club recommend!

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May 27, 2008 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

I don't read a lot of non-fiction that isn't a "how-to" book, but I did enjoy this one. Vermeer is my favorite painter, and this is the first book I've ever found that discussed his techniques at any length, even if they were used by a forger.

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Jan 29, 2009 Pat Jourdan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This mixes the forger's career with details and analysis of Vermeer's own work. It brings back our training in oil painting, the textures and smells. It is also a who-done-it, written in a solid narrative.

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Feb 10, 2008 shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: loved

I love books about art heists, forgeries, museums, anything. This one is fascinating - sharply written, well researched and you just couldn't make this stuff up!

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Mar 18, 2010 Julia Boechat Machado rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, art

Antes de contar a história de van Mergeerer, Wynne enumera os estereótipos sobre falsário. Contraditoriamente, ele cai nesses estereótipos logo em seguida.

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About Frank Wynne

Frank Wynne was born in 1962 and grew up in Strandhill, Co. Sligo. His father - with T R Henn and others - was among the founding members of the Yeats Summer School in Sligo in 1959, and was President of the school until his death. Through the Summer School, Wynne was introduced to literary figures (whose lectures he recorded with a tape recorder), among them Richard Ellmann and Seamus Heaney
He wa...more Frank Wynne was born in 1962 and grew up in Strandhill, Co. Sligo. His father - with T R Henn and others - was among the founding members of the Yeats Summer School in Sligo in 1959, and was President of the school until his death. Through the Summer School, Wynne was introduced to literary figures (whose lectures he recorded with a tape recorder), among them Richard Ellmann and Seamus Heaney
He was raised "in the dark depths [of] Irish Catholicism". Apart from the summer school, he describes his childhood as a standard 1970's Irish childhood, of "single-channel television. Pop radio was Luxembourg [radio], which came through faintly at night through the static. The first gig I saw was Eric Clapton at the Baymount hotel when I was 14." He attended Sligo Grammar School and later Trinity College Dublin, where he read English and Philosophy, although he left after two years. It was in Dublin that he first connected with the gay scene, through the Hirschfeld Centre. He also began working the graveyard shift on Chris Carey's pirate radio station Radio Nova.
Comic book years
In 1984 he moved to Paris, where he stayed for three years. He moved to London in 1987, at first managing a small French bookshop in Kensington, which sold, among other things, graphic novels. Wynne became involved in the bandes dessinées movement in London and was hired to work on Revolver. From there he moved to Crisis before becoming managing editor of Deadline magazine, home of Tank Girl.
AOL and subsequent literary career
After the demise of Deadline in 1994-5, in part through the badly received film version of Tank Girl, he worked for a time as editorial director of AOL UK.
"I was employee number seven in AOL UK. I went from being the youngest person in every company I had worked for to being the second-oldest person in AOL.”
After he left AOL, he began translating the works of Michel Houellebecq. He now dedicates his time fully to writing and translations.
He describes himself as being of "no fixed abode", having lived and travelled widely in Central and South America, the Netherlands, Hungary, Turkey, Ireland and the UK.
He has worked as a literary translator for many years translating the novels of Michel Houellebecq. He jointly won the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award with Houellebecq for Atomised, his translation of Les Particules élémentaires. He has subsequently translated Houellebecq's novels Platform and Lanzarote, together with novels by Pierre Mérot, Frédéric Beigbeder and the late Ivoirian novelist Ahmadou Kourouma.
His translation of Frédéric Beigbeder's Windows on the World, a novel set in the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York during the September 11, 2001 attacks, won the 2005 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. He also won the 2008 Scott Moncrieff Translation Prize for his translations of Beigbeder's Holiday in a Coma and Love Lasts Three Years.
Wynne also translated a number of French bandes dessinées, including graphic novels by Enki Bilal, Lorenzo Mattotti, Max Cabanes and Édika.
His first non-fiction book, I Was Vermeer, a biography of Han van Meegeren was published by Bloomsbury in August 2006. Between 1938 and 1944 van Meegeren forged seven paintings, passing them off as lost masterpieces by Vermeer. The works were authenticated by some of the finest art critics in Europe, among them Abraham Bredius, who acclaimed Van Meegeren's forgery The Supper at Emmaus as "one of - I would go so far as to say * the* masterpiece by Johannes Vermeer of Delft". Wynne's biography, I was Vermeer has been serialised as the BBC Radio 4 "Book of the Week" (read by Anton Lesser) for August 7–12, 2006.(less)

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