Mona Lisa's Secret


Book Description

Historical fiction - Mystery & Suspense Thriller In this elaborately plotted, fast-paced thriller, Phil Philips takes you on a roller-coaster ride through the streets of Paris and to the Jura mountains of Switzerland, to uncover a secret hidden for thousands of years ... Fans of the da Vinci code will love Mona Lisa's Secret.




ArtCurious


Book Description

A wildly entertaining and surprisingly educational dive into art history as you've never seen it before, from the host of the beloved ArtCurious podcast We're all familiar with the works of Claude Monet, thanks in no small part to the ubiquitous reproductions of his water lilies on umbrellas, handbags, scarves, and dorm-room posters. But did you also know that Monet and his cohort were trailblazing rebels whose works were originally deemed unbelievably ugly and vulgar? And while you probably know the tale of Vincent van Gogh's suicide, you may not be aware that there's pretty compelling evidence that the artist didn't die by his own hand but was accidentally killed--or even murdered. Or how about the fact that one of Andy Warhol's most enduring legacies involves Caroline Kennedy's moldy birthday cake and a collection of toenail clippings? ArtCurious is a colorful look at the world of art history, revealing some of the strangest, funniest, and most fascinating stories behind the world's great artists and masterpieces. Through these and other incredible, weird, and wonderful tales, ArtCurious presents an engaging look at why art history is, and continues to be, a riveting and relevant world to explore.




The Lady Speaks


Book Description

This thoroughly original work of art history presents a provocative theory about Leonardo da Vinci, the Mona Lisa, and Theological Gender Equality. The famous Mona Lisa smile has mystified viewers and intrigued historians for centuries. Completed in 1515, Leonardo da Vinci’s masterwork has hidden the lady’s secret well. Now, after years of research and analysis, W. N. Varvel has decoded the hidden meanings of Mona Lisa. In The Lady Speaks, Varnel reveals the vital message her smile conveys: a secret too dangerous for the artist to acknowledge during his life but one which he hoped future generations would understand and embrace. The coming of the “New Jerusalem” depends on the world’s recognizing what lies behind the Mona Lisa smile. Detailing how the artist wove a calculated fabric of clues, symbols, and images, Varvel establishes not only da Vinci’s, but also Michelangelo’s, belief in Theological Gender Equality. In a thrilling achievement of art history detective work, Varvel tracks clues, links previously unnoticed connections, recreates scenarios, identifies villains and heroes, and presents a persuasive case for what the lady must be thinking.




Mona Lisa


Book Description

The book rests on the premise that the woman in the painting "Mona Lisa" is indeed the person identified in its earliest description: Lisa Gherardini (1479-1542), wife of the Florence merchant Francesco del Giocondo. Dianne Hales has followed facts from the Florence State Archives, to the squalid street where Mona Lisa was born, to the ruins of the convent where she died




Steal Back the Mona Lisa!


Book Description

A secret-agent kid takes off on the mission of a lifetime.




The Last Mona Lisa


Book Description

ONE OF PEOPLE MAGAZINE'S BEST BOOKS OF SUMMER! "Unstoppable what-happens-next momentum."—Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author "A deliciously tense read."—Ruth Ware, #1 New York Times bestselling author From award-winning crime writer and celebrated artist Jonathan Santlofer comes an enthralling tale about the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre, the forgeries that appeared in its wake, and the present-day underbelly of the art world. August, 1911: The Mona Lisa is stolen by Vincent Peruggia. Exactly what happens in the two years before its recovery is a mystery. Many replicas of the Mona Lisa exist, and more than one historian has wondered if the painting now returned to the Louvre is a fake, switched in 1911. Present day: Art professor Luke Perrone digs for the truth behind his most famous ancestor: Peruggia. His search attracts an Interpol detective with something to prove and an unfamiliar but curiously helpful woman. Soon, Luke tumbles deep into the world of art and forgery, a land of obsession and danger. The Last Mona Lisa is a suspenseful and seductive tale, perfect for fans of the Netflix documentaries This Is A Robbery and Made You Look and readers obsessed with the world of art heists and forgeries.




Mona Lisa's Pajamas


Book Description

High-class armchair travel at its very best! Mona Lisa’s Pajamas gives readers a round-trip ticket for a journey around the world, carrying them to distant destinations most of us will never visit. Originally written for The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News, A. Craig Copetas’s delightfully surprising columns are now collected in book form for the first time. Covering exotic locales, improbable business ventures, artisan winemakers, and memorably oddball characters, Copetas’s vivid writing brings his subjects alive with richly-textured descriptions only a truly gifted observer can capture. From Sparta’s souvenir sword-makers swamped with demand thanks to the hit movie 300, to a Russian golf pro whose favorite clubs were built from the scrapped metal of a Soviet nuclear missile, Copetas writes of unorthodox business pursuits and faraway locations with an infectious joie de vivre and an unerring eye for what makes enjoyable reading. Unforgettable visits for the armchair traveler: -Israel's Sacred Golf Course: where bomb craters have become bunkers -How to Succeed in Business and Avoid Serious Head Trauma: near Stockholm, a former British Special Air Services commando teaches executives how to survive a kidnapping -An Honorable and Ancient Solution to Boardroom Disputes: the 21st-century duel -Propulsion Is a Real Plus with Clubs Made in a Missile Factory: A Russian treasures his set of golf clubs--made from an old Soviet missile once aimed at the US -Da Vinci Code Fans Dig Up the Dead: Dan Brown’s devotees swarm a town central to the blockbuster’s story




Becoming Mona Lisa


Book Description

The "Mona Lisa" is widely recognized as the most famous painting in the history of art--and an undeniable icon of pop culture. Her celebrated face is used to sell everything from champagne to automobiles, and appears on ashtrays, mouse pads, and refrigerator magnets. More than any other art object, the "Mona Lisa "demonstrates that something can be high art and pop, classic and cool. Likewise, Donald Sassoon's elegant narrative is as much the story of one painting's ascendance to the status of global icon as it is the popularization of serious and distinguished art. A professor and acclaimed writer, Sassoon provides a fascinating account of Leonardo da Vinci, the Renaissance genius who created the picture; who the mysterious subject was; why it gained its unrivalled position in the art world; and how it has come to be used and abused by other artists and the international advertising industry. Lavishly illustrated, "Becoming Mona Lisa" is at once social, cultural, and art history of the highest order.




Stealing Mona Lisa


Book Description

What happens when you mix a Parisian street orphan, a hot-tempered Spanish forger, a beautiful American pickpocket, an unloved wife, and one priceless painting? Charming Eduardo de Valfierno leads a comfortable life in Argentina, skillfully duping the nouveau riche with his unique brand of fraud. He offers them theft of priceless art, delivering instead impeccable forgeries. When an unexpected encounter with the enchanting Mrs. Hart pushes him into unfamiliar territory, he returns to the city he once loved but had to abandon–Paris. There, he must assemble his team for their greatest and most audacious heist yet: the Mona Lisa. This riveting narrative takes you deep into the heart of early 20th century Paris, its art world, and the legendary Louvre Museum. As the plot thickens with a team member disappearing and Mr. Hart's shadow looming in Paris, the crew must navigate unforeseen challenges and their own vulnerabilities to stay ahead. Inspired by the real-life theft of the Mona Lisa in 1911, Stealing Mona Lisa captures the imagination with a blend of historical truth, mystery, and heart-stopping suspense that will leave you guessing till the very end.




Mona Lisa


Book Description

The woman in Leonardo da Vinci's work gazes out from the canvas with a quiet serenity. But what lies behind the famous smile? Shrouded in mystery, the Mona Lisa has attracted more speculation and questioning than any other work of art ever created. This work provides an aide memoire of the world's most famous painting. The full-page colour plates portray the Mona Lisa in close-up photographs, while Serge Bramly, the author, explores its shadowy history and the fascination the painting has engendered.