A man who says he was an expert forger and lived a life of extravagance to prove it or show for it. At first, I was skeptical about the story having grown up with a professional artist and taken around to so many galleries. But his story at times rings true and makes sense at least for the period he is speaking of. I have also read of forgeries over the years from galleries all over the years that have just been discovered that have gotten some people fired for the amount of money that they paid for them, especially the ones from private holdings without having them checked first. A very good story.

Working backwards, Con/Artist weaves the narrative of Tony Tetro's rise to and brief time spent as a professional art forger in the 80's. Though he tried to present the story of a humble man driven to crime by the very same society he meant to swindle, Tetro always felt a shade removed from his own memoir.

Was he a good man? A bad man? A prevalent forger? Peer to the greats? Accomplished? Down on his luck?

Ultimately, I failed to relate to the trials of a recreationally drug abusing white man who chose passion over responsibility and then languished over the whole affair after a little more than a slap on the wrist. I find it hard to believe that his image is as sterling as the portrait he's painted of himself (pun intended) and while the book had its moments, I took little away from it. The highlights were the discussions of technique and art history rather than the life of the man whose lens we are learning it from.

By the last page I was left asking myself: is this grandstanding Tony Tetro's latest con?

I picked this novel because I find the art world and forging super interesting (potentially because of the TV show Psych, but not sure). I can say that I did indeed find this novel interesting! I found myself really interested in Tony Tetro's life and I'm glad that I decided to read this.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Tony Tetro writes with a matter of fact prose that reads like you’re listening to an old friend recalling his wild story. I enjoyed his candor throughout the book some people may be offended by his use of language. He lived his life in excess, fast cars, lavish vacations drugs. What stuck with me was Tony’s reverence for the famous artists his paintings emulated. What set him apart from other art forgeries was the detail that he applied to each and every one of his paintings. He meticulously crafted each painting through hours of studying each artist’s techniques and with experimentation you’d be hard pressed to tell the real painting from Tony’s forgeries..He admits to todays scientific advancements in would reveal his works of art to be forgeries, but he had a long and successful run throughout the 70’s and 80’s. This non-fiction story reads like something straight out of Hollywood, making it an insightful and entertaining read.
I would like to thank Hachette books and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

It was just okay. The life story was quite interesting but I thought at times the author got too carried away with bits and pieces that were less important to the narrative and lost the reader a bit.

Working-class kid from a New York state mill-and-factory town with an eye for art lights out for California to seek his fortune. And boy, does he find it - for a couple of decades. Tony Tetro had a gift for drawing copies of pictures: he could make copies so precise his brother accused him of tracing them… until Tony pointed out his own version was bigger than the original. Settled in a cheap apartment in southern California, working as a furniture salesman to support his teenaged wife and baby daughter, Tony haunts museums, and practices making perfect copies of Rembrandt, Monet, and Picasso. He truly reveres Caravaggio. He cold-calls on galleries in swankier parts of town with them (signed as Tetros), and gets nowhere. Then, inspired by a chance discovery of Clifford Irving’s bestseller Fake! on a grocery store rack, he painstakingly creates a fake Chagall drawing, signing it with the name of Irving’s master forger, Elmyr de Hory. With a story of a dead grandfather, he offers it to a dealer, who smiles knowingly and writes him a check, asking if his grandfather might have anything else in store. Tony hawks a fake Modigliani to another dealer, who falls for it… at first. When the dealer finds out he’s been had, he comes back with an offer: “You’re gonna work for me now.” He shows him a couple of kitschy landscapes that could be found hanging on every late 60’s motel in America and says, “Think you could do some of these?” He can. He does. He’s on his way.

He churns out Chagalls, Dalis, whatever the market will bear. The prices go up. He’s got all the work he can do. The money rolls in. He has all kinds of friends and connections. All-night parties at swank restaurants? Check. Gallons of booze; bushels of cocaine? Check. Breathtakingly expensive Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Maseratis? Check. (Did you know you could actually forge a Ferrari? Tony Tetro does, and he did it.) A long string of women lining up at the bar? Check.

What’s amazing is how easy it all was, to hear Tony tell it. When he needed a pro to help him solve a technical printing issue, he calls a local printer out of the phone book and presto! He has two willing experts who help him fake hundreds of images, up to and almost over the brink into some serious currency counterfeiting. Need a builder for a secret room in your condo to paint your forgeries and store all the fake documents in? A few phone calls and he has one - who also helps him empty and strip the room after a police search failed to find it…. If you had any doubts about how utterly corrupt, greedy, dishonest, and self-serving the art market is, this book will erase them. And Tony Tetro benefited from, nay, enjoyed every minute of it. He doesn’t sound the least bit sorry. And it wasn’t all easy - he loved doing the paintings, but says the really hard part was fabricating the provenance and documentation necessary to convince a dealer, a curator, or a customer about authenticity. His research is serious and detailed in developing the plausible, corroborated stories needed (with a little help from faked certificates, forged signatures, even art books with illustrations sliced out and replaced with his versions).

Till - of course - it all falls apart. One stupid mistake by one dealer spreads in the media to wash up against others; a second stupid mistake by Tony’s dealer sinks him. The tale becomes one of downfall, confession, and reformation. Broke, gutted, he spends 9 months painting traffic safety posters for LA County, and teaches city kids how to paint murals. Under minimal security, he genuinely liked the kids - coulda been worse. After all, when he says he barely had enough to eat, he just sold off that $3000 watch sitting in a drawer. And now he’s gone straight. Now he jets around the globe painting “legitimate” copies for obscenely wealthy and egregiously creepy billionaires, appears on “Fake or Genuine?” TV shows, and vacations in Costa Rica at will. Plus he's famous (though he regrets all the dough he lost on that forged Ferrari). His website is replete with side-by-side pictures of his versions of famous original works (and a LOT of comments like: “Hey! Tony! Remember me! We used to hang out at [insert bar here]!”) He gets paid to do what he truly does love to do - paint. So, see, it all kind of turned out okay.

An odd and roistering mixture of honesty and self-serving, and a really ugly look at the world of art dealing. Even high priests of top-flight art historical study and major museums are not immune - not that they ever were. Fascinating in a queasy way. But definitely recommended for anyone with an interest in art, art history, and a curiosity as to how the fakers do their tricks.

Tony Tetro, a renowned art forger, exposes the corrupt art world in his revealing memoir. This is like if Martin Scorcese directed an art textbook. It's a drug fueled thrill-ride mixed with serious lessons in art history. One of the most fascinating books you'll read all year.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Books for accepting my request to read and review Con/Artist.

Author: Tony Tetro; Giampiero Ambrosi
Published: 11/22/22
Genre: True Crime

I'm not sure people will understand how much I enjoyed this book. A good book checks all my emotions. I was not disappointed. The synopsis is clear. In a nut shell, where there is big money, there is corruption.

Tetro took his painting talent to work. The book shows how forgery is more than painting. I did enjoy how techniques of aging were done then versus now. Now with computers, Tetro states more than once his techniques would not work today. Tetro painted well, researched and practiced to master all the techniques he needed to make a sale.

There were good times, bad and lean times with cash. He didn't make the job glamorous.

There is a lot of profanity. I would give 3.5 stars, but not rounding up. The story is good; the profanity limits the audience.

Delightful and engaging, the world of Tony Tetro's criminal activity is full of humor as he gives us a peek inside the world of a professional forger. Con/Artist is a snapshot of life - not just a life of crime - in mid century America. Tetra had the talent and desire to paint, but it was certainly the easy-money gallery owners of Los Angeles who set him on the path to his illicit career. Fans of art (who knew that to imitate early Picasso you'd use house paint), as well as crime fiction will enjoy this tale.

This story is told by the author Tony Tetro as you will see has a very special talent. Tony came from a working-class neighborhood in Fulton New York that had both Italian and Irish immigrants, the community was known has little Chicago due to its underworld ties. Now Tony was a normal kid who did average in school, he loved baseball, cars and girls. Even with the underworld figures in his neighborhood his heroes were Enzo Ferrari and Leonardo Da Vinci you might figure and rightfully so that he was pretty good at art. He even got in trouble once for drawing up one of the nuns from school as a Vargas pin-up girl. His ultimate goal was to be a pool hustler and as you will read, he was pretty good, but he did not have the stones when money was involved. Due to a family trip, he fines in time that he moves his young family to California for the sun and beaches. With little extra money he would occupy his time trying to paint copies or Picasso, Renoir and Rembrandt and one he really to like a liking to Caravaggio. He self-taught himself and it is amazing to read the dedication he had to research how the different masters made their art. He starts out selling some paintings at art and craft fairs, but these people did not want to pay what he was asking for. Eventually he starts to take his paintings to various galleries and starts to catch individual's eyes with his copies and they all realize that they could start making money at a profession that really no one is getting in trouble for. It is amazing to see how many so-called experts were willing to get their hands dirty for a buck and in time some real big bucks. It makes you wonder at the time how many paintings were fakes. This is an intriguing story all the way through.

A light and entertaining memoir about life as a con and art forger.

I think con memoirs have gotten kind of played out, mostly because they’re all the same for the most part, and this one is no different. Forgers’ memoirs allow for a bit more variety and potential for originality, though this one is pretty stock in terms of both content and structure.

I always hope for more technical details with these books (tell me more about HOW you created this, not more about for whom of what they paid). Tetro does a little better than average in this regard when he’s speaking of Caravaggio, though what he’s sharing isn’t new information if you’re familiar with the artist’s work.

That said, I like low stakes true crime like this if it’s paced well and if the subject is either likable or interesting. Tetro isn’t particularly unlikable, but he’s also not as charming or noble as he seems to think he is, and he does a lot of superfluous name dropping that is alternately irritating and maybe petty, considering how frequently we get a full name and personal details about someone who doesn’t appear to have wronged Tetro in any way or committed any great crimes against humanity.

He’s *sort of* an interesting character, if a bit predictable, and if you’re new to art, there’s some solid basic information in here that is presented in an entertaining manner.

I really really enjoyed reading this one. I couldn’t put this book down. I was hooked from beginning to end. The author did an excellent job writing this book. The whole story was good. I highly recommend everyone read this book

I've always thought that my reading mood changes with the season, and that's certainly been true this month. I've mostly put down my usual thrillers in favor of more non-fiction titles. The latest to catch my eye is Con/Artist by notorious art forger Tony Tetro and his co-author Giampiero Ambrosi. Tetro's publisher was kind enough to send me a review copy of the book just ahead of its publication today. I was instantly intrigued by the idea of learning about the dark underworld of the art world. I was surprised to learn just how much crime permeated that field.

No one sets out to be a criminal. Certainly, the idea never crossed young Tony's mind. He grew up in small-town New York, the kind of place that's heyday was way behind it. He had an affinity for art, honing his skills through school and practice. Still, he never saw art as a viable career option. Real life came at Tony fast. By the age of 16, he was a father. He married soon after and was ready to try to make something out of his life. This yearning saw him move to the west coast. Tony did odd jobs like selling furniture, but this just wasn't enough to support his young family.

It started innocently enough, the mere spark of an idea that would go on to shape the rest of Tony's life. He turned to his art, crafting a small sketch modeled in the style of a lesser-known artistic master. Armed with this simple drawing and a story about cleaning out his late grandfather's attic, Tony sold the sketch to an art dealer. From that moment on, Tony's life would never be the same. He would go on to meticulously forge are in the style of some of the best-known artists to ever touch paint to canvas. Along the way, he would become filthy rich and have to grapple with all the nefarious implications of criminally obtained wealth.

Con/Artist reads like a classic gangster movie. Think Goodfellas mixed with Oceans Eleven. Tony Tetro writes with a matter of fact prose that reads like you're listening to an old friend recall his wild story. He doesn't hold back. With the money comes fast cars, lavish vacations, and plenty of drugs. What really struck me was Tetro's reverence for those artists his painting emulated. The thing that set him apart from other forgers was his attention to detail. He meticulously crafted each painting through hours of study and experimentation. Tetro admits that the scientific advancements of today would immediately reveal his works to be fake, but his run in the 70s and 80s is remarkable to learn about. This non-fiction reads like something straight out of the movies, making it an insightful and ceaselessly entertaining read.

Whether you have an art history background (as I do) or you have rarely entered a museum, give this book a try. When I sat down to read it I ended up reading it in one go. It's safe to say that this is an eyeopener and very entertaining. Tony Tetra is a larger than life character, one who has paintings hanging in some of the greatest art collections around the world. No matter what you may think about art forgery, there is no doubt that he has great talent.
My thanks to the publisher Hachette Books and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review

The story is an interesting one, especially the middle bits, where Tetro teaches himself to forge. Throughout the book, Tetro comes off as someone who loves art, and who values his hard-won expertise. His visits to Italy and his moments of learning there demonstrate his passion for the craft of creating artwork. It's fascinating to read about how he thinks about paint and painting, and the level of detail he uses to craft a good provenance. The book portrays Tetro as a master of the craft of forgery - if a bit reckless when it comes to distribution channels.

It's also fun to see what Tetro alleges about the art world in the 70s and 80s. According to Tetro and his coauthor, Giampero Ambrosi, a ton of galleries at that time knowingly sold forgeries at vast markups. It's an interesting angle to take, and one that directly contradicts accounts like Ken Perenyi's, which emphasize both the art and the scamming.

Of course, Tetro's not the most reliable of narrators. He has every reason to allege that his clients were in the know. For one thing, the James Stunt scandal continues to cause drama. It's in Tetro's best interest to stays clear of any blowback; he's even publicly claimed the forgeries to avoid trouble. For another, it allows him to place most of the blame on the dealers, who resold his forgeries as the real deal.

But honestly, you shouldn't read this book to get the most accurate account of Tetro's life. It's written by Tetro himself, and spans his 72-year lifespan, so it's impossible to get everything right. Instead, read it for his perspective, his mindset. Tetro's inclusions - his moments of pride and regret, his love for his daughter, his personal ethics - are fascinating, as are his exclusions. His most notable connections (at least in the book) are built through his work. His proudest moments involve keeping secrets, instead of "snitching" on his clients. The overall portrait is of a man obsessed with his work, rooted in his neighborhood, but lacking lifelong companions.

Reader's notes and rating (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

I really enjoyed this book, and it was a pretty fast read. It read a little bit like an interview transcript or a long podcast episode, and it was fascinating to see how Tetro told his own story. I'd happily recommend it to other crime nerds - particularly those with an interest in forgery. That said, it's not a general-purpose read, making this a four-star review overall.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Books for the advanced reader copy.

This week’s headline? L’art pour l’art

Why this book? Hoping to maybe learn something about fooling rich people

Which book format? ARC

Primary reading environment? Cuddling with my cat on the couch

Any preconceived notions? Frauds usually don’t get away with it

Identify most with? n/a

Three little words? “lonely and manic”

Goes well with? Forgeries, secret rooms

Recommend this to? People in the art world

Other cultural accompaniments: Rembrandt and Chagall paintings

Grade: 3/5

I leave you with this: “People would ask me what I did for a living, and when I told them I was an art dealer, they nodded politely and smiled. In reality, everyone thought I might be the biggest drug dealer there ever was.”

📚📚📚

I’ve never heard of Tony Tetro, but this guy forged so much art and made a killing. Half of this book is about his life and crimes, the other bragging about his talents and smarts at getting away with the forgeries for so long. Overall, it’s a solid book. Somewhat entertaining. What I learned is that it doesn’t really matter if it’s real or fake in the art world.

Con/Artist will be released on November 22, 2022.

*Check trigger warnings

Con/Artist is the nonfiction account of the art forgery crimes by Tony Tetro. The subtitle is "The Life and Crimes of the World's Greatest Art Forger". The book is co-written by Giampiero Ambrosi. The story covers Tetro's early life - him becoming a young father and discovering a talent for art. There are stories of him initially selling forgeries to dealers and realizing how much money he could make by faking paintings and other art.
There's a lot of name dropping - lots of stories about the exotic sports cars he drove - how important he was in the trendy restaurant scene - and how smart he was at getting away with his crimes.
One funny story was when an artist who's art Tetro had forged, walked past a gallery that was displaying the forged piece - the artist lost his mind.

The process he used to age paintings was interesting as well as the ways he built provenance for the different fakes. Tetro claimed credit for many of the fakes that were discovered in Prince Charles residence.

What's missing in this book is any remorse from Tetro for his crimes. This book glorifies his crimes - "Look at how important I am" "Look at this expensive car I drive" He painted fakes and dealers sold them as genuine, for thousands of dollars. (many times with a big commission.) Many collectors were misled and ripped off. After reading this book, I would be hesitant as a collector to buy any art that I hadn't seen the artist paint themselves.

This is a well-written true crime book. Ambrosi does a great job pulling these stories together. It's reads quickly. If you're lookiing for True-Crime where no one is murdered this is a good option

Con / Artist was a. charming true story about an art forger, Tony Tetro, before the advent of modern technological carbon dating. It was a fun read that kept me engaged while on the treadmill. This book confirms again that truth is stranger than fiction. The world of art forgery and the brilliance of Tetro’s self discovered knowledge of how to recreate the works of ‘masters’ is fascinating. I was blown away. From the alleys of Europe to the glittering LA of the ‘70s to, well, unfortunate times…this is eye opening.
Thanks Hachette Books and NetGalley for the privilege to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to both NetGalley and Hachette Books for an advanced copy of this book on art, forgery, and a spent life imitating others.

Art is in the eye of the beholder. And in the critics, in the experts, scenesters and the dealers that promote styles, moods, and artists on the public. Some people are very good at creating art, sometimes so good at creating art that these same dealers, experts, appraisers and collectors are fooled, or maybe allow themselves to be fooled into paying exorbitant amounts of money or forgerys. Private collections and museums all over the world are filled with these copies, some ok, some better than the works they are aping. Tony Tetro knows this world well. Many of this copies were probably created by him. During the 70's and 80's Tetro was the person to see, and be seen, with his exotic cars, and his private tables at exclusive restaurants in Los Angles. Until one day it all caught up to him. Con/ Artist written with journalist Giampiero Ambrosi is a memoir and chronicle of the art world that no one likes to discuss, the art of forgery and the close relationship between dealers, appraisers and the lies that make up masterpieces.

Tony Tetro was born and raised in a small town in New York that refused to admit that it was dying for a very long time. From an early age Tetro was drawn to art, reading books in libraries taking classes and learning how to sketch, trace and paint great works in various notebooks. Early marriage and fatherhood made Tetro take a look at his prospects and found that West Coast living might be a better option. Selling furniture, taking odd jobs was not enough to keep a family going and soon he decided to see if he could use his drawing skills for something other than painting bathrooms. So he started with a sketch, and a story about selling art from his grandfather's collection. Which must have been vast for soon he was copying and forging everything from Chagall, Dali and even his favorite artist Caravaggio. Soon he owned exotic cars even a Rolls Royce, and was getting well known for his artistic skills. Life was good, but Tetro was starting to paint himself into a corner of a jail cell.

I hate saying this about a true crime book, but this book was super entertaining. Right from the first page the narrative hooks the reader and really doesn't let go. The writing and style are really good following Tetro from his humble beginnings and you get a real sense of a person with a particular set of skills getting more and more caught up in illegal acts. The book is funny, and informative, sometimes at the same time. There is a lot of discussion on art, which is told so well, both informative and yet informal, that it never bogs the story down. And the techniques on how to forge a painting is fascinating. Actually all the technical details from counterfeiting currency to how Caravaggio painted his hand is just fun. The corruption of everyone in the art world might be a little upsetting, as is all the theft of Tetro's works after the trial by the District Attorneys office, but I guess there really is no honor among thieves.

A very good book, filled with crime, trivia, car stories, art stories, even carpentry tips for making a hidden room. What comes across most is the love the Tetro has for art, and also the fact that even when he's not looking for it, Tetro always seems to find himself walking that fine line between criminal and law abiding citizen. This would be a fantastic Netflix show. Exotic cars, exotic locals, exotic people, drugs, the 80's, movie stars and euro trash. The perfect book for someone at the holidays who is hard to buy for, but loves to learn new things. Especially criminal things.

I really enjoyed this book. In an effort to increase his wallet and become a sophisticated adult, Tony Tetro waded into the world of painting forgeries. He certainly got what he wanted but at a huge cost at the end. The history of Caravaggio was really interesting. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read.