Travis Simpkins: Anthony Amore

Showing posts with label Anthony Amore. Show all posts

Sunday, April 24, 2016

"Artful Deception: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbery" by James J. McGovern

"Artful Deception" by James J. McGovern

Long Point Publishing, 2012

Brief Review by Travis Simpkins

Written and released in an effort to draw attention to the case, Artful Deception by James J. McGovern is a work of historical fiction centered on the 1990 robbery of 13 masterpieces from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. While serving with the United States Attorney's Office in 2006, McGovern was given the opportunity to re-examine the evidence in the cold case. The background of the theft remains true to the case, but fiction enters when McGovern offers a plausible solution… one involving corruption and cover-ups within the top echelon of FBI investigative authority in Boston during the late 1980's and early 1990's.

Because of the fictional elements, the names of the characters were changed, but those familiar with the case will find them easy to decipher (Jimmy "The Tooth" Kelly is Whitey Bulger, Kyle Condon is Myles Connor, Jay Fager is Ray Abath, Willie Lewis is William Youngworth, William "Slick" Feldman is George Reissfelder, David Mercer is David Turner, Bryan Mullen is FBI Agent Geoff Kelly, Anthony Fenore is Anthony Amore, etc.).

All in all, Artful Deception is an enjoyable work offering a literary edge to one of Boston's most enduring mysteries and one of the art world's greatest tragedies. McGovern's straightforward writing style compliments the real-life noble efforts of those still working to solve the case and return the artworks to the walls of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Artful Deception. James J. McGovern. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbery

Artful Deception. James J. McGovern. Gardener Museum Heist. Police Composite Sketches

Artful Deception. James J. McGovern. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbery. Rick Abath

Artful Deception. James J. McGovern. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbery

Artful Deception. James J. McGovern. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbery. Rick Abath

Artful Deception. James J. McGovern. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbery. William Youngworth

Artful Deception. James J. McGovern. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbery. Rembrandt

Artful Deception. James J. McGovern. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbery. Miles Connor

Artful Deception. James J. McGovern. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbery. Manet

Artful Deception. James J. McGovern. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbery

Artful Deception. James J. McGovern. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbery. Whitey Bulger

Artful Deception. James J. McGovern. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbery. Rick Abath

Artful Deception. James J. McGovern. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbery. Geoff Kelly

Artful Deception. James J. McGovern. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbery. David Turner

Artful Deception. James J. McGovern. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbery. George Reissfelder

Artful Deception. James J. McGovern. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbery

Artful Deception. James J. McGovern. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbery. Anthony Amore

Artful Deception. James J. McGovern. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbery. FBI

Artful Deception. James J. McGovern. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbery. Anthony Amore

Artful Deception. James J. McGovern. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbery

Artful Deception. James J. McGovern. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbery. Vermeer

News Coverage: Gardner Museum Heist

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Anthony Amore, Director of Security at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. by Travis Simpkins

Anthony Amore. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Anthony M. Amore

Director of Security and Chief Investigator at

the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

by Travis Simpkins

Anthony Amore: Gardner Museum Heist

For more info, please visit:

anthonyamore.com

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Sketches by Travis Simpkins

Anthony Amore. by Travis Simpkins. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Thursday, September 17, 2015

"The Art of the Con" by Anthony Amore

"The Art of the Con" by Anthony M. Amore

Palgrave Macmillan, 2015

Brief Review by Travis Simpkins

In the realm of art forgery, it is not so much the quality of the fake art that fools victims, but rather the sneaky backstory that comes along with the bogus pictures. In his book, The Art of the Con: The Most Notorious Fakes, Frauds and Forgeries in the Art World, Anthony M. Amore presents some intriguing examples of artful deceptions... and explains how many artists, collectors and hopeful investors have fallen for stories too good to be true.

Divided into eleven chapters, the book expertly relays tales both well-known and semi-obscure… including the colorful forgeries of Wolfgang Baltracchi, Pei-Shen Qian and the downfall of the prestigious Knoedler & Company, Larry Salander and his double-crossing scam to rip off his own celebrity friends, Brian Ramnarine's unauthorized Flag sculptures by Jasper Johns, fake John Singer Sargent paintings, the theft and complex recovery of 7 works (including a Cezanne) stolen from Michael Bakwin's Stockbridge home in 1978, Ely Sackhai's sweatshop assembly of copied mid-level works, Tatiana Khan and a fake Picasso pastel, the family of Leon Amiel and forged signatures on fake prints, Kristine Eubanks' bizarre telescam and the pitfalls of eBay.

While a great deal of the text focuses on the criminals who perpetrate the frauds, equal measures are afforded in giving deserved credit to the hard-working law enforcement officials who expose and quell the collateral damage brought on by the scams. LAPD Art Theft Detective Don Hrycyk, Julian Radcliffe, Art Recovery International's Chris Marinello and FBI Special Agent Geoff Kelly are praised along with organizations like IFAR and the Art Loss Register, whose efforts serve to aid the investigations into Art Crime.

Well-versed in the field of art recovery and security, Anthony Amore offers keen insights into the investigative process that most other Art Crime authors tend to miss. The Art of the Con is well worth the cover price, providing an unvarnished look at the fraudulent side of the Art World.