Framed: Hollywood's Dealer to the Stars Tells All

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Summary: You Think The Man Would Know How To Spell Georgia O'Keeffe
Review: But alas he does not. (And I checked the index, to see whether it was just a typo. It's not.) And he tried to go against some federal prosecutors and the FBI? The sloppiness of the book and the ego on display makes for pretty easy insight on how he wound up in prison. Spend your money on a book about either art or business, or even about criminal justice, but not this-- it misses a mark on all three.

Rating:
Summary: You Think The Man Would Know How To Spell Georgia O'Keeffe
Review: If ever there was an argument for the appointment of a ghost writer this book is it. An interesting tale told appallingly and in a self serving cringe enducing manner. If you feel you must purchase the tome wait for the paperback edition. The book and its contents will not have mellowed with time but you will save a few dollars

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Summary: Unmasked
Review: If ever there was an argument for the appointment of a ghost writer this book is it. An interesting tale told appallingly and in a self serving cringe enducing manner. If you feel you must purchase the tome wait for the paperback edition. The book and its contents will not have mellowed with time but you will save a few dollars

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Summary: Here we go again, a convicted felon justifying his crimes
Review: Pleas spare us the details. Who cares about a failed art dealer's escapes. One who is truly in awe with himself. What's so glamarous about stealing from the very rich, and losing all his money on stupid things and then going to jail.
The man is very self centered.

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Summary: Gossipy, scandalous, absolutely fabulous
Review: This man clearly deserves diva status. He started out as a mortuary's assistant and ended up borrowing 600,000 bucks from none other than Jack Nicholson, which put him in the cooler. Other than the fact that this is a book clearly written for film - so vivid in its description that it leaves nothing to the imagination, it's also an incredible eye-opener - the fast-living, the drugs, the scams, the so-called 'respected' institutions of the art world - all exposed in a manner that delights in its own retelling, and ends up charming you in that raised-eyebrow sort of way. Harold Robbins, Sidney Sheldon, Barbara Taylor Bradford wrote about the same thing, but it was fiction. This, amazingly, is reality.

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Summary: Insights into Hollywood stars Nicholson and Streisand
Review: Volpe provides a series of insights into Hollywood stars Jack Nicholson and Barbra Streisand that are more astute than you'll find in a slew of biographies of either actor. Nicholson in particular seems like a true mensch, though he's ready to move on if you're in a jam. Streisand also gives as good as she gets.

The problem with the book is that it is horridly written and gives us no idea of what crimes Tod Volpe committed to find himself in a jail and dead broke. You'd think he'd be able to give detailed descriptions of what frauds he committed, but he is not able to, I suppose if he confessed everything his life wouldn't be worth a penny, and also many collectors would discover that the objects that are the jewels of their collections are faked or faked up, and this would ruin the art market for everyone. The only thing of interest is Volpe's account of the way in which he and a few other enthusiasts (not yet crooks) built up a new market foor the previously underrated American Renaissance furniture like Gustav Stickley. Otherwise he is too discreet, he won't even name the Hollywood actress to whom he was engaged, perhaps not wanting to embarrass her any further. In one anecdote he tries to escape customs duties by bringing in a number of Cartier watches by concealing them between the cheeks of his ass. All you can think of is, how many watches is that?