Clifford Irving

FAKE! is an incredible tale of three rogues who swindled oil tycoons, movie stars, top art galleries and great museums, and almost caused the collapse of the international art world. It was the inspiration for filmmaker Orson Welles' last major movie, "F For Fake," now a cult classic. Where? - London, Paris, New York, Texas, Tokyo, and the decadent, sunny Mediterranean island of Ibiza, now the disco capital of Europe. Who? -- Elmyr de Hory: an elegant Jewish aristocrat whom World War II had stripped of everything but his genius at imitating Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani, Renoir, and other great painters of the 20th century. Fernand Legros: a ruthless Egyptian who decreed that museums, art galleries and millionaire collectors should finance his love of luxury and pretty boys. Reál Lessard: an Adonis-like Canadian youth who began as Fernand's protegé and in the end out-dueled the master in cunning. When? - 1946 to 1976. The Chicago Tribune called Fake! "The wild, true story of three men who raped the art world . . . one of the most sophisticated suspense sagas of our time." "A delightfully vicious book, a joy to read and contemplate." -- Pablo Picasso "A story to remember and revel in." -- St. Louis Globe-Democrat BONUS: This 2014 edition includes a freshly updated 30 page Author's Postscript.