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Anthony M. Amore is the Director of Security and Chief Investigator at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. He is the co-author of Stealing Rembrandts and author of The Art of the Con and provides analysis on issues related to security for the BBC, NBC News, NPR, CNN, FOX, and others. Learn more at mostra'n més www.anthonyamore.com. mostra'n menys

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This is the first examination of the only known woman to mastermind an art heist, Rose Dugdale. No matter if your interest is art, true crime, or biography, this is a fantastic read and you won’t want to put it down. It is the story of how Rose Dugdale, an Oxford-educated woman, and English aristocrat, leaves behind her world of wealth and privilege, to fight for the liberation of Northern Ireland from the English. In doing so, she masterminds one of the more astounding art heists in history.

Rose herself is at once sympathetic and frustrating, which in terms of biography, makes for a fascinating read. You could say that her political leanings were not inherently wrong (to a degree - of course, the Northern Irish deserve to be one with their mother country and of course, religious persecution is a terrible thing). Her methodologies as well as her actions - in promoting violent and intimdating tactics as well staging heists -are sadly inexcusable. But this is the paradox of Rose Dugdale, she is educated enough to understand that her decisions are her own. She is okay with stealing and she is okay with violence.

It is rare to read the biography of a woman who is remembered for her crimes. For that alone, this book is well worth picking up. Dugdale emerges as a fascinating and contradictory figure. The narrative is lively, well-written, and exhaustively researched.
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ryantlaferney87 | Hi ha 1 ressenya més | Dec 8, 2023 |
Rose Dugdale came from a very wealthy, influential family. She chose a different path and became exceedingly involved in the IRA, fighting against England for the rights of the Irish. She notoriously threw her wealth aside after gaining a Ph.D from Oxford. She performed an aerial terrorist attachk and pulled off the largest art theft of her time.

The Russborogh house in Ireland was quite a jewel. A palacial residence containing a trove of outstanding paintings. Rose, with the help of a few hired miscreats broke into this incredible English countryside house and stole 19 art works, including an exceedingly high value of VerMeer's, "Lady Writing a Letter With Her Maid.”

Hailing from an upper class family, Dugdale was schooled in art and knew which paintings were of the highest value. In addition to the VerMeer, she acquired by theft, paintings by Gainsborough, Velazquez, Hals, Guardi, Goya and Rubens.

Her ransom message was clear in wanting a half million Irish pounds and the release of the Price sisters, Dolours and Marian who were on a hunger strike in an English prison. Serving life sentenses for their exploits of bomings in England, they were well known as leaders in the IRA causes.

She was found and the art works were returned, The VerMeer had some water damage, but that was repairable.

Interestingly, a housewife who had physic abilities predicted that the painting would be found in a cemetary. And, that is where it was found.
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Whisper1 | Hi ha 1 ressenya més | Apr 1, 2023 |
I recently bought this book. Previously, I read a lot about the Isabella Stewart Gardner heist in Boston, MA in 1990. Anthony Amore is the security director of that museum. He joined the staff in 2005. He and the other author know quite a lot about Rembrandt's paintings and the constant lure of stealing them for either the joy of keeping them, or the knowledge of the millions that one painting can generate.

Tragically, the paintings taken from the Gardner heist were never found. The jewel taken was the only seascape that Rembrandt painted in his incredibly beautiful painting Christ in the Sea of Galilee.

The fact that this, and many other paintings (another lesser known Rembrandt) were stolen and never recovered is a sad occurrence. Like many, I would love to see this painting, but the selfishness of the people or person who took it, didn't think about the fact that it is gone, off the wall, perhaps never to be seen again is too horrific to think about.

Those in charge of the museum decided to leave the frames empty, perhaps in the hope that one day the painting will be returned, and also the sheer vision of an empty canvas elicits the reality of the steal!

From previous reading, I learned that Rembrandt placed himself in the boat, right next to Christ. The cheeky guy wearing a red tam is him.

The beauty of a Rembrandt painting is awe inspiring. In this painting, the waves are violently pounding the boat. In fact, Rembrandt painted one of the disciples leaning over the boat, vomiting in the water because of the sheer impact of the force of the waves.

When reading this book I became aware that Rembrandt painted 2,000 works! Many were stolen and recovered, others are lost, perhaps forever.

I recommend this book, with the caveat that there is a lot of repetition, and at times the reader feels overwhelmed by all the data. But, if you like me, are very interested in art, then this is a book well worth reading.

Rembrandt had a sad life, early on he owned a beautiful home with a third floor space for his work and paintings. He was deeply in love with his wife who died at an early age. In addition, his son Titus died at a young age. While Rembrandt was beyond a doubt one of the most prolific artists, capable of rendering a brush, paint and a canvas into a masterpiece, he was not adept at handling his finances. He went bankrupt in later years.

He lost his wife, his son and his home. However, many of his works are still in museums, or in private collections. His legacy lives on, and the fact that his paintings are in high demand, costing millions, and so very coveted, enough to be stolen, is indeed a testimony to his works.
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Whisper1 | Hi ha 9 ressenyes més | Jan 20, 2023 |
Narrative summaries of a bunch of art fraud cases from 2000 to 2010. Entertaining enough
½
 
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jcvogan1 | Hi ha 7 ressenyes més | Oct 16, 2021 |

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Obres
3
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392
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#61,822
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½ 3.4
Ressenyes
20
ISBN
13

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