February 2014 Featured Book
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by Jonathon Keats '94
A stimulating, well-written, and highly readable consideration of the blasphemous proposition that many fakes are actually better than the originals.
– Shelf Awareness
- Listen to a conversation about the book between Jonathon Keats '94 and Alexander George, Rachel and Michael Deutch Professor of Philosophy.
- Read an excerpt and a review.
- Learn more about the author.
- Visit Amherst Reads on Goodreads and start a discussion.
According to Vasari, the young Michelangelo often borrowed drawings of past masters, which he copied, returning his imitations to the owners and keeping originals. Half a millennium later, Andy Warhol made a game of "forging" the Mona Lisa, questioning the entire concept of originality.
Forged explores art forgery from ancient times to the present. In chapters combining lively biography with insightful art criticism, Jonathon Keats profiles individual art forgers and connects their stories to broader themes about the role of forgeries in society.