Caveat Emptor: The Secret Life of an American Art Forger Kindle Edition

Assuming no hyperbole on the part of the author, this tale is nothing short of amazing. It's hard to imagine that the art world is as subjective as it is portrayed here, but it's even harder to imagine that art that is beautiful and loved and valued by some can be deemed worthless strictly based on who painted it. This is an inside look at how a talented artist is more seduced by money than by creativity. But it's also an examination of how art has no intrinsically defined value beyond the pleasure of the viewer. Is art worth what someone will pay for it? Or is art worth a predictable amount based on the artist and the palette and the innovation of the style? In some ways the best forgers of original work are geniuses. They create works "in the style of" with technical expertise that can fool the experts into believing a "master" created each original piece. Could this particular genius be put to successful, lawful, professional use? It's a fun read which ultimately begs everyone, and certainly every art lover, to consider what they love about art - is it the signature? Or the transcendence?

The topic of a the life of an art forger sounded completely intriguing. The way the story was told was lackluster. What Perenyi did well in the story was elaborate on how he learned the art of forgeries and provided insights on what an original, uncleaned painting looked like.Perenyi writing style is a little disjointed or poorly edited. Sometimes it was hard to follow. But the story worked when he elaborated on the several instances of getting caught.In the end, Perenyi is an unapologetic sleazeball who should stick to painting. Writing is not is forte.

Really enjoyed this book, although the beginning was rather boring and the author was too self-absorbed. I am a retired art historian and former art dealer and was initially attracted to purchasing this book because of the subject and the fact that the cover depicted the back of a conserved oil painting -- in fact it looks likes the back of paintings that we sold after they were conserved. Well, yes, it was really the case because the conservation work was -- according to the author -- was by the same conservator that we used most often! What I enjoyed was once I waded through the initial chapters, I realized that I knew the people the author was discussing -- and had dealt with many of them 30 years ago. His tales confirmed my long-held suspicion that a lot of what was going on was not quite on the up-and-up! It was this shady side of the art business that prompted us to close our gallery and pursue other paths. We simply got tired of having to constantly be on the look-out for fakes and pastiches and having to always filter out the "bad" so we could be truly legitimate and ethical dealers. Still, it was fun to "revisit" old haunts and now deceased former colleagues, clients and associates.

I'm not overtly interested in fine art, but that's merely because I have other priorities at this time in my life. Still, I love to read about art and artists. This is a great book and it is very informative and entertaining - on many levels. Is it great literature? No. By the author's own admission, he was terrible in school and upon graduating, "good for absolutely nothing." Is it utterly fascinating? Assuredly, yes.I recommend the book unreservedly.I would like to point out that the reviews for this book are themselves very insightful... they run the gamut between people who laud the author as a genius to those who think he's a "psychopath" (though they may be confusing that with sociopath). Mr. Perenyi seems to be quite polarizing !

As well as an artist selling my own work to Interior Designers, Architects and Galleries, I found this the very best of all the books about the subject of the multi-billion dollar trade in faked, forged and stolen art I have ever read. As the author of my own mystery novel about this fascinating subject, DE$IGNED To DECEIVE, and several more on the art of selling Art (see BestBooksOfAll.com) I could not put it down. Beside being an absolute page turner, it's a virtual textbook on art forgery. But don't think of starting your own business turning out fakes unless you have the incredible talent with brush or word as the author! He is a master at both!

I started this book sometime ago and wasn’t enjoying it so I quit. Finding it on my Kindle not finished I thought I’d give it another shot. I love a good heist/swindle story and the premise (a real life forger) is very intriguing.I lasted one chapter. The writing is simply terrible. I checked out some other reader reviews after bailing and even people recommending the book complained about the quality of the writing.If you can read through the amateurish, self congratulatory, first person prose there may be some interesting stuff here. I could not press through.Instead I recommend watching a couple episodes of White Collar. There you will find fun clever writing about an American forger. Bonus, you get to watch Matt Boomer.

Interesting techniques and insights detailed within but the guy's not particularly likeable. Worth buying if you're interested in learning more about how people con the art world, but not very engaging otherwise.

This is a great read ,,, I got through it is one day ,, couldn't put it down ,,,, I am passionate about faking and art theft and art dealing in general ,,, this is a great addition ,,

Great read. Well written, interesting and informative.

I know that this story was panned by some, but I did enjoy it thoroughly. I think that was to do with the style of writing and the flow of the story. I was intrigued by his utter lack of scruples, something that I just cannot understand. The truth is stranger than fiction, if the story is to be believed in its entirely.The fact that the investigation is sealed is very disturbing. Revelations would upset the elite art world and blow the cover on a system of deceit and corruption. Very happy it is not my world, but at the same time, sad to see wealth being manipulated, squandered when so many people in the world are suffering in ignorance and poverty.

I really enjoyed reading this book on several levels. It's a great adventure that Ken had, meeting famous people, working with various oddball characters, becoming a highly skilled art forger, learning his trade and gaining a lot of knowledge and a real appreciation of artists and painting. It reads well, (so yes, maybe it was ghost written or "forged?) Ken is generous with sharing his secret knowledge of craquelure, how to age frames and paintings, and despite the fact that he "cheated" many people, he exposes a lot of art world trickery, and how some auction houses avoid responsibility for what they sell. You can read it as fiction, as an exposé...or as an entertaining memoire, a remarkable tale of a highly skilled trickster. Yes, Ken is unapologetic...judge him if you wish.