The Life and Crimes of the World's Greatest Art Forger
Starred review from August 22, 2022
Tetro, one of the most prolific art forgers of the 20th century, paints his own life story with flair in this cinematic memoir. Coming of age in Fulton, N.Y., during the 1960s, Tetro started by freehand drawing from examples in his mother’s photo magazines, and over time taught himself techniques from art books. As a teen dad (his girlfriend got pregnant when he was only 16), he’d stay up late making elaborate copies of the greats—Rembrandt, Renoir, Picasso. When his young family relocated to Southern California, he took low-paying jobs but also discovered museums. He dabbled in forgeries offered at auction in the early ’70s, selling a faked Chagall sketch to a local art gallery. Chasing clients and commissions, he learned to print serigraphs and developed methods to create provenance or realistic history to the paintings (for example, smudging cigarette ash on the back of a faux Dalí). What followed were fancy cars, lavish parties, and traveling the world. But soon, the law would catch up to him and his art forgery empire crumbled. Written in a colorful, conversational voice and blending memoir, art history, and true crime, Tetro’s account takes readers on a turbulent, fast-paced, high-stakes roller-coaster ride. This is the art world’s The Wolf of Wall Street. Agent: Jeff Kleinman, Folio Literary Management.
Starred review from October 1, 2022
Tetro may have been an art forger, but his story is unique. Told with the help of investigative journalist Ambrosi, who followed Tetro's story for 20 years, this account starts with Tetro's 1989 California arrest and takes readers through his life, from his becoming a New York high school dropout with a pregnant girlfriend, to California furniture salesman, and later to master art forger and high roller. This book shows that as long as a work appears original and has a suitable faked certificate of authenticity, many wealthy customers and art dealers are happy to acquire it due to the potential profit. Readers will learn about his highly skilled art forging techniques, which won't work now, and how he became wealthy as a result, although he squandered much of it on drugs, travel, women, and Ferraris. The chapter on how his forged paintings ended up in Prince Charles's residence is priceless. With a companion documentary slated for release early next year, the entertaining book is a must read. VERDICT Art and true crime lovers will likely devour this tale of Tetro's escapades.--Harry Charles
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
October 1, 2022
A successful, prolific art forger tells his remarkable story. As a forger, Tetro made a fortune by making and selling fake works, and his memoir, co-authored by journalist Ambrosi, explains his spectacular rise and dramatic fall. Though he showed artistic flair at an early age, his attempts to sell his original paintings went nowhere--not due to a lack of quality but because he was an unknown figure. He fell into forgery by accident and found there was good money in the business even though a lot of it went to dealers. Tetro realized that the best plan was not to copy paintings by famous artists but to emulate their style and then make up a story about how the piece had been found in a dusty attic or forgotten collection. A key part of the forgery process was the creation of fake certificates of authenticity and other paperwork. He learned how to make a painting look pleasingly aged and which artists were the bestsellers. Chagall, Dal�, and Mir� were fairly easy. Picasso and Caravaggio were more difficult, but Tetro eventually worked out their methods. He even forged a Ferrari car. He was proud of his achievements, but eventually, the authorities closed in. Though he was convicted on a variety of charges, he was given probation and community service, which involved creating safety posters and painting neighborhood murals. It was a long way down, but he eventually managed to recover, finding some recognition as a painter of acknowledged fakes. The irony is not lost on him, and he has amusing things to say about people who have too much money and not enough sense. He also notes that forgery is a dying art, as the verification technology has become too sophisticated to fool. Tetro tells his rollicking story well, and the result is a unique narrative. An entertaining account that shines a light onto a shady world as well as a personal story of hubris and redemption.
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Starred review from October 1, 2022
Art forger Tetro is known for his virtually perfect copies of works by such artists as Rembrandt, Dali, and Rockwell. Charged in the late 1980s with more than 40 counts of forgery, he eventually pleaded no contest to a drastically reduced number of charges. Tetro, born in 1950, is a self-taught artist, who, in his early years, copied famous paintings (often from library books) and put them up for sale at art fairs. But nobody wanted them, and he figured he knew why: he signed them with his own name. Inspiration struck when he read Fake!, Clifford Irving's 1969 book about the notorious art forger Elmyr de Hory. As Tetro tells us, he thought, "I could do this." And he did--better, perhaps, than anyone before or since. His memoir, cowritten with investigative journalist Giampiero Ambrosi, is absolutely fascinating, full of the kind of evocative writing and precise detail that brings an autobiography to life. He might have been doing something illegal, but it's awfully hard not to like Tony Tetro. Like reformed con artist Frank W. Abagnale (Catch Me If You Can), he seems straightforward, open about his crimes, and just a bit proud of his success as a crook. A welcome addition to any true-crime shelf.
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