False Impressions

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but falls a little short
Review: Thomas Hoving seems to know his art, and doesn't have any qualms about sharing his knowledge. He may be a premier fakebuster, but as a writer, he could use a little more practice. While the subject matter was interesting, Hoving had a slightly difficult time keeping my attention. He seemed to jump around alot, and made a lot of assumptions regarding my knowledge of the art world. False Impressions is filled with all kinds of interesting tidbits about the world of art forgery and fakebusting. Unfortunately, it can be somewhat difficult to separate fact from opinion. As a novice to art appreciation, I found much of the material to be "above my head". Perhaps after a few years of study, I will be in a better position to fully benefit from all Hoving offers. Probably the simplest and most effective thing he could have done to improve the book would be to include more pictures, perhaps even some color photos, and have them more logically located in the chapters in which the pieces are discussed, as opposed to having a group of plates three-quarters of the way through the book. At the very least, the text could have referenced the plate section. Unfortunately, every time a new piece is mentioned, the curious reader has to flip to the plate section and hope that the piece is represented there. Overall, I would say that if you are really interested in fine art, you will find this book enlightening. But it's not something one would read just for fun.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but falls a little short
Review: Thomas Hoving seems to know his art, and doesn't have any qualms about sharing his knowledge. He may be a premier fakebuster, but as a writer, he could use a little more practice. While the subject matter was interesting, Hoving had a slightly difficult time keeping my attention. He seemed to jump around alot, and made a lot of assumptions regarding my knowledge of the art world. False Impressions is filled with all kinds of interesting tidbits about the world of art forgery and fakebusting. Unfortunately, it can be somewhat difficult to separate fact from opinion. As a novice to art appreciation, I found much of the material to be "above my head". Perhaps after a few years of study, I will be in a better position to fully benefit from all Hoving offers. Probably the simplest and most effective thing he could have done to improve the book would be to include more pictures, perhaps even some color photos, and have them more logically located in the chapters in which the pieces are discussed, as opposed to having a group of plates three-quarters of the way through the book. At the very least, the text could have referenced the plate section. Unfortunately, every time a new piece is mentioned, the curious reader has to flip to the plate section and hope that the piece is represented there. Overall, I would say that if you are really interested in fine art, you will find this book enlightening. But it's not something one would read just for fun.

Rating:
Summary: Good stories about fakes and analysis of how and why
Review: While Hoving's tone becomes a bit irritatingly self aggrandizing at times, the book as a whole is an enjoyable excursion into the world of art fakes and into the psychology of both fakers and victims. Many times over, we learn that when a commodity is in high demand and scarce supply, the fakers are only too happy to improve the supply. Perhaps one of the most stunning stories is told almost offhandedly near the end, about Brigido Lara, a man who faked virtually an entire civilization by creating more than 3500 works. Recommended as a good way to put the art world into perspective.

Rating:
Summary: Good stories about fakes and analysis of how and why
Review: While Hoving's tone becomes a bit irritatingly self aggrandizing at times, the book as a whole is an enjoyable excursion into the world of art fakes and into the psychology of both fakers and victims. Many times over, we learn that when a commodity is in high demand and scarce supply, the fakers are only too happy to improve the supply. Perhaps one of the most stunning stories is told almost offhandedly near the end, about Brigido Lara, a man who faked virtually an entire civilization by creating more than 3500 works. Recommended as a good way to put the art world into perspective.