Exhibiting Authenticity

Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive and Enjoyable
Review: There are a number of books on the topic of authenticity, and in my view this is one of the best. Although Phillips focuses on the problems associated with authenticating art in particular, his book raises key issues that are relevant to more general questions about authenticity. The book systematically addresses the authenticity problem from a number of angles, including the question of how to define authenticity in the first place. It also examines the difficulties associated with attributing works of art to particular artists and time periods. Throughout, Phillips illustrates his points using a number of great examples and anecdotes (including from his own experience conserving art). One chapter delves into technical matters associated with dating paintings (i.e., spectrography) but Phillips presents this information as simply as possible and uses it to show that even technical aspects of authentication are open to problems of interpretation. Covers all the bases and is well written.

Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive and Enjoyable
Review: There are a number of books on the topic of authenticity, and in my view this is one of the best. Although Phillips focuses on the problems associated with authenticating art in particular, his book raises key issues that are relevant to more general questions about authenticity. The book systematically addresses the authenticity problem from a number of angles, including the question of how to define authenticity in the first place. It also examines the difficulties associated with attributing works of art to particular artists and time periods. Throughout, Phillips illustrates his points using a number of great examples and anecdotes (including from his own experience conserving art). One chapter delves into technical matters associated with dating paintings (i.e., spectrography) but Phillips presents this information as simply as possible and uses it to show that even technical aspects of authentication are open to problems of interpretation. Covers all the bases and is well written.