Hot Art traces Joshua Knelman’s five-year immersion in the shadowy world of art theft, where he uncovers a devious game that takes him from Egypt to Los Angeles, New York to London, and back again, through a web of deceit, violence, and corruption. With a cool, knowing eye, Knelman delves into the lives of professionals such as Paul, a brilliant working-class kid who charmed his way into a thriving career organizing art thefts, and LAPD detective Donald Hrycyk, one of the few special investigators worldwide who struggle to keep pace with the evolving industry of stolen art. As he becomes more and more immersed in this world, Knelman learns that art theft has evolved into one of the largest black markets in the world, which even Interpol and the FBI admit they cannot contain. Sweeping and fast-paced, Hot Art takes readers into a criminal underworld like no other.
Hot Art
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Joshua Knelman's Hot Art is a work of nonfiction, and compared to the literary or cinematic realm of art theft and thieves, the truth is grittier, quirkier, and far more interesting."
—Foreword Reviews
"Joshua Knelman exposes thieves, detectives, and collectors obsessed with Hot Art (Tin House)."
—Vanity Fair
"Your spring non-fiction reading.... deep thoughts on the nature of man.... Through interviews with cops, FBI agents, and a prominent former smuggler, [Knelman] shows how corrupt dealers (and public indifference) have helped this nearly unpoliced form of criminal activity become so pervasive"
—Details Magazine
"...Knelman makes shrewd use of extensive interviews with figures on both side of the law, allowing him to fully establish this hidden, high-stakes milieu...Engaging expose of an underground world...."
—Kirkus
"Knelman takes readers on a fascinating journey through a criminal underworld that defies logic and confounds policing agencies from Los Angeles to Scotland Yard....Knelman [is] a born storyteller..."
—Booklist
"Knelman is a brilliant narrative writer and reporter who has assembled a cast of oddball sleuths and crooks rich enough to people five TV series. He takes us inside a huge and growing region of the global underworld. A thrilling read."
—Paul Steiger, editor in chief, ProPublica
"...fascinating and gripping from start to finish....a look into the real world of art."
—San Francisco Review
"Hot Art: Chasing Thieves and Detectives through the Secret World of Stolen Art creeps up on you. Wickedly entertaining.... Joshua Knelman’s in-depth investigation of the international trade in stolen art may read like a TV crime novel, but it delves deeper than that, deftly allowing art theft to serve as an extended metaphor for exploitive, unregulated, free-for-all global capitalism."
—Literary Review of Canada
"let me know when your book hits the shelves and i'll go and shoplift myself a copy."
—e-mail from Banksy
"Lo, thriller readers & writers: Just got Joshua Knelman's nonfic Hot Art, re: art thieves & detecs hunting them - you will love!"
—Tweet by Margaret Atwood
“Joshua Knelman’s Hot Art has it all: fascinating characters, great stories, and an intriguing subject matter, the world of art crimes. It is totally engrossing. I couldn’t stop reading it.”
—Ted Kotcheff, Executive Producer, Law & Order: SVU
"With an eye for detail worthy of Rembrandt's Landscape with Cottages (1654, stolen from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in 1972), Joshua Knelman has painted a luminous portrait of the interconnected world of thieves, cops, and lawyers obsessed with stolen art. Whether he's writing about those who covet the art or those who protect it, Knelman's gifts as an investigator and storyteller drip from every page. Hot Art? Hot book."
—Jeremy Keehn, Associate Editor, Harper's Magazine
"This is a crackerjack of a book--with enough rogues, thieves, and amoral civilians (not all of them on the radar of relentless cops) to people a dozen crime novels. First-rate."
—Giles Blunt, best-selling author of the John Cardinal mystery series, including Crime Machine and Forty Words for Sorrow
"Now this is investigative reporting. Dogged, fearless, and thrillingly thorough, Joshua Knelman becomes our Virgil through the secret underworld of stolen art. Like legendary muckrakers Bob Woodward, Seymour Hersh, and Barlett and Steele, Knelman relentlessly trails both the bad guys and the slightly less bad guys, looking for truth amidst all the deceit. It's an astonishing debut, and serious readers must take note--long-form reporting has a new title in the canon."
—Richard Poplak, author of Ja No Man: Growing up White in Apartheid Era South Africa, The Sheik's Batmobile: Pop Culture in the Middle East, and Kenk: A Graphic Novel
"Knelman's book is the Godfather of investigative journalism. He takes us to places we always wanted to be but didn't dare to enter, he makes us fall for people we are not supposed to love--on both side of the law. Congratulations, this is haute art!"
—Andras Hamori, Executive Producer, The Sweet Herearfter and Fugitive Pieces
“Art theft is one of the largest underground markets in the world, yet very few people know how it works, or how to stop it. Joshua Knelman delves into this uncharted world with an open curiosity, befriending the detectives dedicated to retrieving stolen art, the lawyers struggling to protect cultural property, and the thieves who have their own reasons for doing what they do. These pages are full of shady characters and experts determined to outwit each other; an intriguing look at human lusts and foibles. Hot Art is fascinating, smart, and a page-turner.”
—Catherine Osborne, Deputy Editor, Azure Magazine
—Foreword Reviews
"Joshua Knelman exposes thieves, detectives, and collectors obsessed with Hot Art (Tin House)."
—Vanity Fair
"Your spring non-fiction reading.... deep thoughts on the nature of man.... Through interviews with cops, FBI agents, and a prominent former smuggler, [Knelman] shows how corrupt dealers (and public indifference) have helped this nearly unpoliced form of criminal activity become so pervasive"
—Details Magazine
"...Knelman makes shrewd use of extensive interviews with figures on both side of the law, allowing him to fully establish this hidden, high-stakes milieu...Engaging expose of an underground world...."
—Kirkus
"Knelman takes readers on a fascinating journey through a criminal underworld that defies logic and confounds policing agencies from Los Angeles to Scotland Yard....Knelman [is] a born storyteller..."
—Booklist
"Knelman is a brilliant narrative writer and reporter who has assembled a cast of oddball sleuths and crooks rich enough to people five TV series. He takes us inside a huge and growing region of the global underworld. A thrilling read."
—Paul Steiger, editor in chief, ProPublica
"...fascinating and gripping from start to finish....a look into the real world of art."
—San Francisco Review
"Hot Art: Chasing Thieves and Detectives through the Secret World of Stolen Art creeps up on you. Wickedly entertaining.... Joshua Knelman’s in-depth investigation of the international trade in stolen art may read like a TV crime novel, but it delves deeper than that, deftly allowing art theft to serve as an extended metaphor for exploitive, unregulated, free-for-all global capitalism."
—Literary Review of Canada
"let me know when your book hits the shelves and i'll go and shoplift myself a copy."
—e-mail from Banksy
"Lo, thriller readers & writers: Just got Joshua Knelman's nonfic Hot Art, re: art thieves & detecs hunting them - you will love!"
—Tweet by Margaret Atwood
“Joshua Knelman’s Hot Art has it all: fascinating characters, great stories, and an intriguing subject matter, the world of art crimes. It is totally engrossing. I couldn’t stop reading it.”
—Ted Kotcheff, Executive Producer, Law & Order: SVU
"With an eye for detail worthy of Rembrandt's Landscape with Cottages (1654, stolen from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in 1972), Joshua Knelman has painted a luminous portrait of the interconnected world of thieves, cops, and lawyers obsessed with stolen art. Whether he's writing about those who covet the art or those who protect it, Knelman's gifts as an investigator and storyteller drip from every page. Hot Art? Hot book."
—Jeremy Keehn, Associate Editor, Harper's Magazine
"This is a crackerjack of a book--with enough rogues, thieves, and amoral civilians (not all of them on the radar of relentless cops) to people a dozen crime novels. First-rate."
—Giles Blunt, best-selling author of the John Cardinal mystery series, including Crime Machine and Forty Words for Sorrow
"Now this is investigative reporting. Dogged, fearless, and thrillingly thorough, Joshua Knelman becomes our Virgil through the secret underworld of stolen art. Like legendary muckrakers Bob Woodward, Seymour Hersh, and Barlett and Steele, Knelman relentlessly trails both the bad guys and the slightly less bad guys, looking for truth amidst all the deceit. It's an astonishing debut, and serious readers must take note--long-form reporting has a new title in the canon."
—Richard Poplak, author of Ja No Man: Growing up White in Apartheid Era South Africa, The Sheik's Batmobile: Pop Culture in the Middle East, and Kenk: A Graphic Novel
"Knelman's book is the Godfather of investigative journalism. He takes us to places we always wanted to be but didn't dare to enter, he makes us fall for people we are not supposed to love--on both side of the law. Congratulations, this is haute art!"
—Andras Hamori, Executive Producer, The Sweet Herearfter and Fugitive Pieces
“Art theft is one of the largest underground markets in the world, yet very few people know how it works, or how to stop it. Joshua Knelman delves into this uncharted world with an open curiosity, befriending the detectives dedicated to retrieving stolen art, the lawyers struggling to protect cultural property, and the thieves who have their own reasons for doing what they do. These pages are full of shady characters and experts determined to outwit each other; an intriguing look at human lusts and foibles. Hot Art is fascinating, smart, and a page-turner.”
—Catherine Osborne, Deputy Editor, Azure Magazine
About the Author
Joshua Knelman is an award-winning journalist and editor. He was a founding editorial member of The Walrus magazine, and his writing has appeared in Toronto Life, Saturday Night, the National Post, and the Globe and Mail. Knelman’s feature article “Artful Crimes,” published in The Walrus, won a gold National Magazine Award. Knelman is also the coeditor of Four Letter Word: New Love Letters, which has sold in ten countries.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Joshua Knelman is a brave man. Not only is he following around known art thieves and looters, but he even risked his life to meet with the LAPD--all for the sake of his book. Part real crime thriller, part documentary, this book combs the world of stolen art. It's amazing to think how museums and the police treat stolen art and what they do to prevent it. Even some places, like Toronto, have no force that specializes in stolen art, an estimated twenty million dollar industry. The book follows different points of views, brings up some ugly history, and finally showcases the best and the worst of the art world.
This book changed my perspective on stolen art. I imagined a seedy warehouse with men in trench coats passing notes back and forth, but Knelmas' book opened my eyes. The book is fascinating and gripping from start to finish. Knelman's writing style is both informative and intrusive. He tends to dig a bit deeper than his interviewees would like him to dig, but that makes the book even more compelling. I loved how, near the end, Knelman brings up a question that is very powerful. Does any of this matter? It is one of the few times a writer actually looks at what they're doing and asks something like that. Hopefully, all of his hard pays off, but, for now, I am grateful for a look into the real world of art.
*Originally published for San Francisco/Sacramento Book Review*
This book changed my perspective on stolen art. I imagined a seedy warehouse with men in trench coats passing notes back and forth, but Knelmas' book opened my eyes. The book is fascinating and gripping from start to finish. Knelman's writing style is both informative and intrusive. He tends to dig a bit deeper than his interviewees would like him to dig, but that makes the book even more compelling. I loved how, near the end, Knelman brings up a question that is very powerful. Does any of this matter? It is one of the few times a writer actually looks at what they're doing and asks something like that. Hopefully, all of his hard pays off, but, for now, I am grateful for a look into the real world of art.
*Originally published for San Francisco/Sacramento Book Review*
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
A fascinating story of how art disappears and remains an enigma to dectives and particularly to disinterested police around the world. coule use a compelling story to help with the factual accouts.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Excellent book about a topic not much discussed in general conversation. Who would know except owners and those who investigate.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Hot Art: too vulgair to wrap fish in
Just received Knelman's book HOT ART. While browsing this book I noticed my name and the Museum Security Network (MSN) in chapter 15, more specifically at pages 290 and 291... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Ton Cremers
3.0 out of 5 stars
Are you into heists? - then read this book
This is a fun book, and one which the author must have truly enjoyed researching and writing.
It is at times repetitive, but mostly you find yourself fascinated by the... Read more
It is at times repetitive, but mostly you find yourself fascinated by the... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Gonzalo Arenas
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