Caveat Emptor: The Secret Life of an American Art Forger

By: Ken Perenyi

Narrated by: Dan Butler

Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

The true story of America's greatest art forger!

Ten years ago, an FBI investigation was about to expose a scandal in the art world that would have been front-page news in New York and London. After a trail of fake paintings of astonishing quality led federal agents to art dealers, renowned experts, and the major auction houses, the investigation inexplicably ended, despite an abundance of evidence collected. The case was closed and the FBI file was marked “exempt from public disclosure”.

Now that the statute of limitations on these crimes has expired and the case appears hermetically sealed shut by the FBI, this audiobook, Caveat Emptor, is that artist, Ken Perenyi’s, confession. It is the story, in detail, of how he pulled it all off. Unlike other forgers, Perenyi produced no paper trail, no fake provenance whatsoever; he let the paintings speak for themselves. And that they did, routinely mesmerizing the experts in mere seconds.

©2012 Ken Perenyi; 2012 AudioGO

Forgery brought to the level of art

This was a really interesting story for somebody like me who knows about nothing about art. Although the author has deceived many and earned money by replicating what others have created, what really transpires in the book is the real efforts taken to understand each painter. Ken Perenyi spent great amount of time analyzing a painter's style, the type of old canvas and materials used and then matching the painting to a corresponding frame. The technical process used for ageing pictures was also very interesting, including how he managed to fake fly droppings.

I was expecting the story of a scam master, but Ken Perenyi is a real researcher and gifted artist. Now, he is also a true story teller. This book alternates entertaining developments with scientific explanations, which allows the reader to learn and have fun together.

Fascinating and involving

I couldn’t stop listening to this book. It was an eye opener and a great inside story of the art world. A real “ page turner” that makes me want to label every art transaction Buyer Beware!. Crime can pay.

Riveting!

I absolutely loved this book; I found it an exciting page-turner through the world of art forgery and antiquities. As a rare books librarian, I really appreciated the attention to detail in the descriptions of restoration techniques and the layout of the pieces, it really made everything come to life visually. Very well written, and beautifully captivating.

Fabulous

This book was well written. A very interesting story for art lover and beyond! This book was excellent on all counts!!!!!

Art Schemes

So very good and I want more of the inner workings of the art thievery that is rampant both in the US and Europe. If you love art you will like this book and the details of how an art forger perfected said forgery at the highest echelons of the art world. The narrator is perfect for this book. So very interesting

Hilarious and fun.

Ken is a great artist and writer. The book was delightfully written and the stories were transmitted live-like. A lot can be learned about the life and the way of an extraordinary person from this book.

Riveting. Couldn't wait to finish i

kind of like a mystery. A lot of suspense. It reads like a biography . Has lots of true facts. You don't know how it will turn out until the end.

Forgery to Story Telling

In the last paragraph of the book, the author, a self professed forger and con-man, states that pressure from the FBI has persuaded him to give up forgery and that he is looking forward to his next 'project'. I think he found it in writing the book and that is was not a far leap from his previous 'profession'. Multiple accounts of cranking out huge numbers of forgeries from different artist with different styles in relatively short periods of time (weeks) and doing it with such quality so as to fool multiple experts, were simply hard to fathom in the realm of reality. Add to these his accounts of multiple relationships with elite dealers and rich collectors who befriended him from the first encounter and you have a fairly well written (and well performed) story that is extremely interesting but leaves you wondering if the classification of non-fiction was a mistake. But the aspect of the book that left me scratching my head the most was the author's pride in the quality of the painting while referring to them as 'pictures'. I don't know a lot of artist and I am not an art collector, but aren't pictures- photos? Had I bought one of his forgeries I would have at least had something to cover the wall. With the purchase of the book, I just feel duped. The 2 stars for the story helps me feel a little better.

Fascinating look inside the mind of a grifter.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

it is a story about a talent, a skill....albeit put to illegal purposes. An engaging moral conundrum.

Which scene was your favorite?

Sale of a forgery for $700K

If you could give Caveat Emptor a new subtitle, what would it be?

The Art of Larceny

Hang on for a great ride!!

If you could sum up Caveat Emptor in three words, what would they be?

Spellbinding! Entertaining!!! Wonderful!!!

What did you like best about this story?

Great story flow with a great narrator!!

Which scene was your favorite?

The first encounter with the F.B.I.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No. The entire book was just great!

Any additional comments?

The audio brings the story to vivid life. Spellbinding.