Warhol after Warhol Secrets, lies, & corruption in the art world

The art world has a dark side that has nothing to do with charcoal or pigment. Dorment found that out when he was contacted by an art collector named Joe Simon. He'd been told by the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board (a private corporation) that two works by Warhol--Red Self-Portrait and an untitled work, "a meticulous arrangement of crisp one-dollar bills pasted onto a small canvas"--in his collection were fake, and he wanted to know why. Simon's neighbor, who just happened to be David Hockney, thought that Dorment, an art historian and former chief art critic for the Daily Telegraph, could help. At first reluctant to get involved, Dorment became intrigued and took up the cause. This is his account of some 10 years of court cases, bitter debates in print, questionable business practices, and backroom deals, all swirling around a series of artworks by an iconic American artist. Dorment writes with purpose and passion backed by impeccable research. This fascinating story will interest art lovers and fans of courtroom dramas.

Former Daily Telegraph art critic Dorment's fascinating debut chronicles his yearslong investigation into the Andy Warhol Foundation's certification process. Joe Simon, an American film producer and art collector, was livid when the foundation's board stamped "denied" on the back of his Red Self-Portrait in 2002, a work he bought from Warhol's executor shortly after the artist's death. Dragging his friend Dorment into the fight, Simon came to believe that the foundation was bent on controlling the market for Warhols. Among other accusations, Dorment claims the foundation used intimidation tactics--including hiring investigators to follow Simon and attacking Dorment's character in the press--to maintain their power, and deliberately denied authentication to legitimate Warhol works so they could prioritize their own holdings in the market, even though some of those pieces were inauthentic. Nearly broke, Simon eventually gave up his lawsuit against the board in 2010, but Dorment's muckraking articles from 2009 to 2013 alleging fraud and cover-ups eventually led the foundation to change its authentication processes. Dorment nimbly balances an entertaining account of Warhol's late-'60s Factory days with a gripping, well-researched true crime narrative about the art world's shady dealings. This is an entertaining eye-opener. Agent: David Godwin, David Godwin Assoc. (Dec.)