Jonathan Harr

An incredibly compelling work about the discovery of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio's lost painting, The Taking of Christ, which had been missing for two centuries as well as the daunting task of tracking its whereabouts throughout its history.

Being that I love art history, I may be a bit biased, but I felt as though Harr's narrative was enthralling and read just like fiction. From learning about the numerous copies of the painting to the restoration process, I was captivated. Highly recommended for those who enjoy art history or the juicy inner workings of an art restorer's life and those who help shape it.… (meer)

This book was so fun to read. All the sprinkling of Caravaggio, the lives of all the art historians, restorers, students, press—it was a treat for someone wanting to go into the field in some capacity. Following at times two female graduate students, Francesca Cappelletti and Laura Testa through their archival adventures in Italy, and later, Sergio Benedetti, as he restores and attempts to keep the famed found Caravaggio a secret.

While I pretty much liked the novel like writing of the book, I didn't care too much for the intimate details of some of the people's lives. Couldn't really find myself caring about Francesca's Oxford boyfriend, or something as trivial as the hours of her university's library.

Benedetti was such an interesting microcosm of male academic elitism, it was such a classic story of male ego being threatened and it was... to put it lightly... infuriating. I can only hope more women join the field and are undeterred by asses like that, but I digress. This was a fun book, and I recommend it for any art history lover or someone looking for light non-fiction (and I'm not just saying that because I'll be attending the author's college he works at this September either;).… (meer)