Tod Volpe had more than an excellent eye for art. His giftof the gab took him from a start-up gallery in Soho into the houses, lives and wallets of stars including Jack Nicholson, Barbra Streisand, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Andy Warhol and Madonna. Appearing to live the American Dream, his high-maintenance, wheeler-dealer lifestyle became a dark path to self-destruction, ultimately leading to his incarceration in an 8x10 foot cell. At the height of his success, Volpe crashed and burned in a widely publicised case of art fraud. Represented by top attorneys Nathan and Alan Dershowitz (of Klaus von Bulow trial fame), his story and subsequent conviction made international headlines and threatened to blow the lid off the secret world of art dealing. With behind-the-scenes coverage, the book gives an insight into how auctions and dealers manoeuvre art around the globe. Money laundering, trading art with drug dealers, evading tax, and false insurance claims are only a taste of what is revealed as the seedier side of the art world is laid bare.Framed is a fascinating, blow-by-blow account of how the lifeof one man who 'had it all' spiralled out of control. Volpe learned thehard way that when you lose sight of who you really are nothing in theworld can satisfy you. When you turn your life over to illusion you'relucky if you get back alive. He lost everything but won a second chanceto build a new life. Born in Yonkers on the outskirts of New YorkCity, Tod Volpe was a self-made man. Graduating with honours from NewYork University with a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, he went on toestablish a renowned art gallery in Soho, becoming the youngest dealersince Joseph Duveen to discover lost masterpieces and bring them to theattention of the public. Treasures of the American Arts and CraftsMovement by Thames and Hudson is his pioneering work on the style hemade famous. Volpe currently resides in New York where he is working onhis second book, The Sandman. He plans to write, produce andcontinue believing in the dream
Tod M. Volpe Books
