Customer Reviews

Framed: America's Art Dealer to the Stars Tells All

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I picked up this book, out of curiosity and to know more about this interesting figure I had first seen in the Documentary "Who the %$#@ is Jackson Pollock?". However, I was amazed to find this to be one of the most amazing books I have ever read. I was therefore surprised to find other reviews ranting about a misspelling of an artist (Tod is a crappy speller, so what?) and about Tod's allegedly self-serving tone. I find this to be a Catch-22 because he is brutally honest about all of the deception in which he himself was engaged and he gives us a very detailed, richly painted (pun intended) picture of the rise and fall of a kid from Yonkers. It is a classic rags to riches story but maybe because the protaganist is not a sympathetic figure, the other reviewers got offended? I find that to be very hypocritical. I am recommending this book to all of my friends and associates because 1) it is an eye-opening book that tells us truths we may not know or want to know about the art world or the material world in general 2) it is an interesting story and 3) it is well-written, providing imagery that I can easily visualize which is usually something I find most difficult to do. I actually feel like I am in the scene with him as I am reading. Whether or not Tod is a changed person who will use all of these incredible talents, connections and experiences to now do good and pay it forward, is a book yet to be written. That however should be considered separately from this book which is a must-read.

I too first heard about this book watching the documentary "Who the #$&% is Jackson Pollock." It piqued my interest enough to get a copy of the book and read through it. Funny, some of the reviewers liked the beginning and started to hate the book the further into it they read. I, on the other hand, didn't care for the beginning, but became more fascinated as the book went on.

There is a lot to take from this book. First off, it is a biography of Tod Volpe, his rise from near-poverty to riches, his struggle to stay wealthy, and his eventual fall which lead him to serve time in jail. Second, this is an eye-opening story of the art world. How collectors, dealers, museums, and galleries all interact, support, and coexist with one another. Third, it is an inspirational story of someone who knows he is doing wrong, continues until he can no longer stand his life and looks to God for help and changes his life around (Note: this is not, by any means, a religious book or does the author push his religious views on the reader). Lastly, it is a story about capitalism. How tough it is to open a business, taking an idea and running with it, creating something out of nothing and then the struggle to stay on top. I think a lot of people just look at business and think these are static entities when in reality they are anything but.

This is a book I enjoyed. The author, both through the text and seeing him in the documentary, has a dynamic personality and remarkable drive for success. The catch-22 I found in reading this book was - do you believe a book written by someone who went to jail for fraud? I kept thinking to myself reading the book, is this guy writing the truth or spinning yet another yarn? It just added to the enjoyment of the book.

Volpe provides a series of insights into Hollywood stars Jack Nicholson and Barbra Streisand that are more astute than you'll find in a slew of biographies of either actor. Nicholson in particular seems like a true mensch, though he's ready to move on if you're in a jam. Streisand also gives as good as she gets.

The problem with the book is that it is horridly written and gives us no idea of what crimes Tod Volpe committed to find himself in a jail and dead broke. You'd think he'd be able to give detailed descriptions of what frauds he committed, but he is not able to, I suppose if he confessed everything his life wouldn't be worth a penny, and also many collectors would discover that the objects that are the jewels of their collections are faked or faked up, and this would ruin the art market for everyone. The only thing of interest is Volpe's account of the way in which he and a few other enthusiasts (not yet crooks) built up a new market foor the previously underrated American Renaissance furniture like Gustav Stickley. Otherwise he is too discreet, he won't even name the Hollywood actress to whom he was engaged, perhaps not wanting to embarrass her any further. In one anecdote he tries to escape customs duties by bringing in a number of Cartier watches by concealing them between the cheeks of his ass. All you can think of is, how many watches is that?

Framed is one of the wildest stories of fame, fortune and destruction I've read. It's a similar story to Bruce McNall's book, It Was Fun While It Lasted. Every page has gems that can only be learned by going through the school of hard knocks on both coasts. It's also a crash course for anyone considering buying art or collectibles because the prices and values are illusions that are seldom based in reality. Volpe generously reveals the inner workings of the art world, which is largely revealed as a pool of fraud.

This man clearly deserves diva status. He started out as a mortuary's assistant and ended up borrowing 600,000 bucks from none other than Jack Nicholson, which put him in the cooler. Other than the fact that this is a book clearly written for film - so vivid in its description that it leaves nothing to the imagination, it's also an incredible eye-opener - the fast-living, the drugs, the scams, the so-called 'respected' institutions of the art world - all exposed in a manner that delights in its own retelling, and ends up charming you in that raised-eyebrow sort of way. Harold Robbins, Sidney Sheldon, Barbara Taylor Bradford wrote about the same thing, but it was fiction. This, amazingly, is reality.

If ever there was an argument for the appointment of a ghost writer this book is it. An interesting tale told appallingly and in a self serving cringe enducing manner. If you feel you must purchase the tome wait for the paperback edition. The book and its contents will not have mellowed with time but you will save a few dollars

This is one of the worst books I have ever read. It's a shame because the author has an inside perspective on an industry that would be fascinating to peek inside The beginning of the book is promising, but it quickly descends into a long, boring, self-aggrandizing ramble full of vague generalities, cliches, and very few facts.

To make matters worse, he spends the entire book talking about how he lied and cheated people and then has the nerve to whine about how vindictive people are because they put him in prison for it. By the end of the book, I had absolutely no respect for him as a person, much less an author.

Don't waste your money or your time.

Framed is a painfully sad and unsatisfying slog through the underbelly of the commercial art world of late 20th century New York. Painful, because Volpe's quest to seal deals at any cost (usually to his reputation and dignity) is described in the semi-literate prose of someone (and his publisher) who could not be bothered to write for a reader's understanding. Unsatisfying, too, because even if readers were able to look beyond the arrogant jargon they likely may not feel any of the promised remorse for deeds that led to a jail sentence. It seems a hollow mea culpa of convenience. Worse, one cannot help feeling that memories of the company of celebrities is what Volpe clings to yet as solace for a career of deceit. I confess I could not finish reading this book.

But alas he does not. (And I checked the index, to see whether it was just a typo. It's not.) And he tried to go against some federal prosecutors and the FBI? The sloppiness of the book and the ego on display makes for pretty easy insight on how he wound up in prison. Spend your money on a book about either art or business, or even about criminal justice, but not this-- it misses a mark on all three.