The Last Vermeer

“A grand yarn of twisty deceit, involving prestigious dupes and scads of money, with a sensational trial at the finish.” —The New Yorker

It’s a story that made Dutch painter Han van Meegeren world-famous when it broke at the end of World War II: A lifetime of disappointment drove him to forge Vermeers, one of which he sold to Hermann Goering in mockery of the Nazis. And it’s a story that’s been believed ever since. Too bad it isn't true.

Jonathan Lopez has drawn on never-before-seen documents from dozens of archives for this long-overdue unvarnishing of Van Meegeren’s legend. Neither unappreciated artist nor antifascist hero, Van Meegeren emerges as an ingenious, dyed-in-the-wool crook. Lopez explores a network of illicit commerce that operated across Europe: Not only was Van Meegeren a key player in that high-stakes game in the 1920s and ’30s, landing fakes with famous collectors such as Andrew Mellon, but he and his associates later cashed in on the Nazi occupation.

Nominated for an Edgar Award and made into a film starring Guy Pearce, The Last Vermeer is a revelatory biography of the world’s most famous forger—a talented Mr. Ripley armed with a paintbrush—and a deliciously detailed story of deceit in the art world.

Includes photographs

“His pioneering research on van Meegeren’s early life gives us further insight into what motivates deception, a subject that will never cease to fascinate as long as art is bought and sold.” —ARTNews

“Brings hard light to van Meegeren’s machinations and (very bad) character.” —The New Yorker

“Fascinating . . . Lopez’s writing is witty, crisp and vigorous, his research scrupulous and his pacing dynamic.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A terrific read.” —Houston Chronicle

“It’s hard to imagine improving on Lopez’s gem of a tale.” —Los Angeles Times

Previously published as The Man Who Made Vermeers

© 2023 Mariner Books (Ebook): 9780547350622

Release date

Ebook: 18 August 2023