November 2017

Fiction Brings Art History to Life

During my most recent visit to Chicago, I decided to visit the Art Institute.  Founded in 1879 and located in a historic building on Michigan Avenue in Grant Park, the Art Institute of Chicago is one of the oldest and largest museums in the United States.
 
While wandering the gallery and admiring the paintings of Paul Cézanne, I was reminded of a book that I recently checked out from the library, “Chasing Cézanne” by Peter Mayle. You may recognize this author’s name from his work “A Year in Provence.”
 
In this light read, the protagonist André Kelly is sent to Cap Ferrat to photograph homes of wealthy art collectors.  While on assignment, he happens to witness a Cézanne being removed from a collector’s home. Kelly becomes suspicious when the owner of the house is nowhere to be found and the painting is driven away in a plumber’s truck. Read about the fun adventures of Andre Kelly, as he tries to solve this mystery of the stolen Cézanne.  
 
When I thought about this book, I recalled how much I enjoy reading novels about artists and works of art. If you have similar interests, you might enjoy these titles: 
 

• Lisette’s Lists, by Susan Vreeland. Lisette is determined to recover paintings by Pissarro and Cezanne that belonged to her father-in-law.  André, Lisette’s husband, hid the paintings to keep them safe from the Nazis.  During her search for the hidden treasures, she meets Marc and Bella Chagall and gains a new appreciation for art.  

 

• Cooking for Picasso, by Camille Aubray. Céline, a makeup artist who lives in Hollywood, travels to the Côte d’Azur to confirm that her grandmother Ondine really cooked for Pablo Picasso.

 

• The Art Forger, by Barbara A. Shapiro.  If you like a book that has twists and turns, you will enjoy “The Art Forger.”  Claire Roth, a struggling young artist, agrees to reproduce a Degas for a wealthy gallery owner in exchange for a one-woman show.  She learns that she is reproducing a fake Degas, not the original that was stolen from a museum.

 

• The Marriage of Opposites, by Alice Hoffman.  This novel focuses on Rachel, the mother of Camille Pissarro, and his early life growing up on the island of St. Thomas. Rachel recognizes that her favorite son has talent. Despite opposition from family, she is determined to send him to Paris to study art.

 
Most of these titles are available from the Yavapai Library Network in various formats:  regular print, large print, audiobook on CD, e-book, and Playaway.  Please contact the library if you need assistance placing hold.
 
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