Gainza has written a novel about an Argentinian art forger. The narrator is an art critic who hears stories about the mysterious Renee. As the narrator attempts to uncover the story of the mysterious Renee, the reader learns about the fascinating world of art forgery.. interesting and well-written short novel.

I was eager to read this one because it checked a lot of boxes for me: translated literature, writer with an arts background, book about the art world, twisty premise. But it, unfortunately, left me disappointed with its lack of focus.

While on the surface Portrait of an Unknown Lady is about art forgeries, it is really about memory. In particular, the unreliability of memory. A former art critic is holed up in a hotel room, reminiscing about her start in the art world and her descent into a minor obsession with one of the women she encounters. Through a series of vignettes, which mix straightforward narratives with excerpts from other media like an auction house catalog and the records of a trial, we follow the narrator on her quest to uncover the secret life of this forger and write her biography.

I think it was precisely the episodic nature coupled with the length of the book that did not work for me. Just when I would start to get into part of the story, it would take a different turn and I would lose the thread of the characters and the narrator's ultimate goal. The insertions of different narrative styles just felt like an interruption to an already short book lacking in character development. Furthermore, Gainza sidelines the character who is actually the most developed and interesting of them all, killing her off pretty early on.

That said, there are lot of really interesting meditations on art, memory and authenticity in this book that kept me coming back for more.

I am not entirely sure I understand everything I read in this book, but I really loved the writing and appreciate the meta-ness of what the author was trying to do here.

This is a book for those looking for a challenge, and I will recommend it to those readers!

Thanks so much for the review copy!

María Gainza's second novel La Luz Negra published by Anagrama (Spain) in 2018 won the Sor Juan Inés de la Cruz prize. Translated from Spanish into English by Thomas Bunstead, Portrait of an Unknown Lady's release date is March 22nd, 2022.
Thanks to Catapult, Counterpoint Press and Soft Skull Press for providing an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The intriguing book cover art design by Wah Ming-Chang definitely hooks one's interest!

María Gainza is both an Argentinian writer and art critic, this background comes to the fore here inducting us into the world of art forgery in 1960s Argentina. Our female protagonist is incidentally also an art critic in Buenos Aires, although what left the deepest impression on her was working under the tutelage of the country's preeminent art authenticator Enriqueta Macedo when she was young. The third intriguing woman is Renée, an elusive renowned art forger, who specialized in counterfeiting the work of Mariette Lydis. Lydis herself had a variety of identities as well. These women are chameleon-like in their ever changing adaptation to their environment.

I thoroughly enjoyed this immersion into the labyrinthine world of paintings, artists, authentication, art. The novel did have many tangential art references and philosophical musings, these sideway jaunts were enjoyable and informative to me. The trio of women central to the story are complex and nuanced, especially the many facets of Renée that emerged through the search. However as hinted by the jacket art, the true face and person seem to be always obscured. Fighting against the status quo, the group of renegades at Hotel Melancholical are contemptuous of the establishment. The novel exudes a noir detective feel.

Interview with the author in El Pais in Spanish: https://elpais.com/cultura/2019/10/29/actualidad/1572360891_023096.html

4.25 stars, recommended. After reading this, I think I'll go back and give Optic Nerve another go.

Know in advance that there is no straight line narrative in this unusual and challenging novel about fraud in the art world. And other things. The unnamed narrator is in search of Renee, who is the alleged forger of portraits Argentinian VIPS by Marietta Lydis. Who is Renee? Is Renee male or female? Why is Renee forging the paintings? The narrator has been responsible for authenticating paintings for a bank so she's more aware than most of the perfidy of the art business. But she's up front about how this is impressionistic, which means the reader is left to sort things out from what began to feel like a mish mash (court documents?). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Fans of world and literary fiction might want to give this a try.

2.75
thank you net galley, Catapult, Counterpoint Press, and Soft Skull Press for the arc!!

if you are someone that loves to read informative stories, and art is a particular interest of yours, i definitely recommend this book because it is truly made for that audience, but unfortunately, it was not versatile enough to keep me completely satisfied throughout.

the cover was what initially pulled me towards this book, and then i decided i wanted to read it because i love niche art history stories. when i read the synopsis, i thought it would be more of a character study rather than philosophical musings, and this left me rather disappointed.

the writing (and the translation) of this book was amazing and there were many lines that i loved and highlighted (so i will keep an eye on Gainza's other works), but i think the story-telling fell slightly flat for me. for such a short book, i wish that there had been less time dedicated to details that did not push the story forward, because, these sections really tainted the parts of the book i did enjoy. i would have loved more depth to the characters and plot.

The narrator in "Portrait of an Unknown Lady" is an Argentine art critic working in an auction house, affording her the opportunity to conspire in a network selling forgeries of portraits by the celebrated Mariette Lydis. One day the network collapses and she commits to tracking down the mysterious Renée, the legend responsible for conjuring up the counterfeit masterpieces. This investigation sounds intriguing, promising a look behind the scenes of the art world.

Early on, though, the narrator warns off the reader... "the stuff of my tale has slipped through my fingers, all that remains now is a little of the atmosphere; my techniques are those of the impressionist...I have only distrust for historians coercing the reader with the precision of facts..." And like that, anything goes. There are captivating sections and bizarre characters... but there are just as many seemingly unconnected tangents. You might find yourself adrift at times, hoping you have not missed anything in the confusion.

What is authentic, anyway... in art, in a narrative? This question materializes often here. Those selling the forgeries justify what they do-- claiming the real corruption lies in the practices of those controlling the market. The fake work can be just as meaningful as the original. Impressions can be faulty... whether you are appraising the legitimacy of artwork or judging an unnamed narrator whose irregular smile leads you to suspect her honesty.

Maria Gainza has sketched a curious piece of work here. I did not completely understand it any more than I would an abstract painting or the cryptic lyrics of a brilliant songwriter. "Portrait of an Unknown Lady" is an original experience that both dazzles and confounds. Not an exploration for everyone, but I recommend it if you are up for the adventure.

Thank you to Catapult, Counterpoint Press, Soft Skull Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The plot of this novel could probably be condensed into two sentences. The rest is philosophy, art theory and history. I really wanted to like it but, unfortunately, I’m too dense to fully appreciate the content. I couldn’t even follow the story completely, since it’s full of unimportant details. There is a complete list with all the items at an auction, as well as the transcript of a trial that includes even the long Spanish names of the people concerned and who don’t even have anything to do with the plot. The language is beautiful and poetic, and the plot is full of profound ideas, it was just not compelling to me.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Catapult, Counterpoint Press, and Soft Skull Press!

This was not what I was expecting from this book. I love how it subverted my expectations even as I was reading it- thinking it was an elevated caper tale set in the art world, but how it turned into a book about grief, and the passage of time in Buenos Aires. That was surprising but not unpleasant, as the author kept me engaged in the journey and search. I am glad I read it and look forward to going back to read more from this author.


**I would like to thank the publisher for a copy of the digital ARC in exchange for a fair review.**

at last! good sentences! thank god. this novel goes down like a smooth cocktail on a lazy night—slow-moving, warm, and thoughtful. the drifting, piecemeal way that the narrator assembles the facts (or fictions) of the mysterious art forger renée (i believe she calls this method impressionistic) feels like looking back at your own memories through a haze, the way one does after one too many such cocktails: the proxy thrill, the quiet sadness, as if these things had happened to someone else, even a stranger, but a stranger you somehow loved very much. renée <i>is</i> a stranger to our narrator, but not to our narrator's beloved mentor, who prompts her first to go looking. what carries us along here is the intensity of feeling, never exaggerated but simply shown, between the women at the heart of the story. is it gay? sort of. at times PORTRAIT may feel like "a delightful waste of time"—the narrator's words, not mine—but it is delightful, sincerely. at no point was i bored. the final, reflective chapter is a soaring high note, reaching to the untouchable beyond; it elevates what came before it and reminds me that all art is a conversation. in this case, a conversation between women in love. (sort of.)

goodreads review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4532225215

"New York Times Notable author María Gainza, who dazzled critics with Optic Nerve, returns with the captivating story of an auction house employee on the trail of an enigmatic master forger.

In the Buenos Aires art world, a master forger has achieved legendary status. Rumored to be a woman, she specializes in canvases by the painter Mariette Lydis, a portraitist of Argentinean high society. But who is this absurdly gifted creator of counterfeits? What motivates her? And what is her link to the community of artists who congregate, night after night, in a strange establishment called the Hotel Melancólico?

On the trail of this mysterious forger is our narrator, an art critic and auction house employee through whose hands counterfeit works have passed. As she begins to take on the role of art-world detective, adopting her own methods of deception and manipulation, she warns us "not to proceed in expectation of names, numbers or dates...My techniques are those of the impressionist."

Driven by obsession and full of subtle surprise, Portrait of an Unknown Lady is a highly seductive and enveloping meditation on what we mean by "authenticity" in art, and a captivating exploration of the gap between what is lived and what is told."

So yeah, I almost went to graduate school at a prominent auction house because I'm obsessed with art forgery.

This is OK. It reminds me of a lot of French films where basically nothing happens. There are some interesting moments but don't read this seeking a traditional plot.

Thanks very much for the free ARC for review.

This novel contains lovely bits of brilliance. One of my favorite parts is the detailed narrative prepared for the auction of bits and flotsam of the life of an artist. But, this novel, it should be warned, is fairly plotless and the ending does not satisfy entirely.

3 stars *may change

I feel like this is one of those books I looked at very briefly and was like, yeah man I gotta read this without knowing anything about it. It’s kind of hard to describe what’s going on. This narrator is totally obsessed with art history and fake paintings and harasses a bunch of random people to get information on a woman who may or may not be dead (because she’s crazy) (and also has no hobbies) to write her book or something. There’s also an entire chapter written as court testimonies and papers and I was going a little insane trying to read it. This is a really spanish book in that “say a whole lot and say nothing at all” kind of way. Stuff happens, stuff doesn’t happen. I guess read it if you want something quite short to pass the time?