The Medici Conspiracy: The Illicit Journey of Looted Antiquities--From Italy's Tomb Raiders to the World's Greatest Museums
by Peter Watson, Cecilia Todeschini
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Book Summary Information
Author: Cecilia Todeschini, Peter WatsonEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-04-24
ISBN: 1586484028
Number of pages: 408
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Book Reviews of The Medici Conspiracy: The Illicit Journey of Looted Antiquities--From Italy's Tomb Raiders to the World's Greatest Museums
Book Review: Captivating account
Summary: 5 Stars
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about stolen antiquities. It reads like a thriller - it does have a lot of details, as others have mentioned, and the authors do become very indignant at times, but I believe this is because the book was published a few years ago, when museums still dragged their feet to send looted art back to Italy, and it was not yet clear in the media whether the Italians had a case or were just being annoying.
I first heard about the controversy in ARTNews, which takes pride in unbiased reporting, and even then, it was difficult not to feel at the beginning that the Italians were asking for too much because they were targeting so many American museums. Watson and Todeschini set out to present the Italians' case to the readers and needed an extensive description of the paper trail to avoid the appearance of bias. This might be unnecessary now that so many museums have caved in and returned art to Italy, but it was definitely important to include all these details in 2006 when the hardcover edition of the book was published in the States.
I was impressed by the flowing, accessible style, and the authors' ability to make protagonists come to life. The book has left me with a better understanding of the current art scene, especially regarding dealers and curators, and of the issues surrounding looted antiquities. A tour-de-force.
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