Portrait of Dr. Gachet
Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers Award
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"A unique and fascinating biography, the biography of a painting." Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times.
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"This engrossing, moving book makes us think about the tangled relationship of economics, politics, and painting, and the unpredictable, dramatic life of a work of art, a separate life that begins and endures long after the death of the artist."
Francine Prose, Elle.
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"A brilliant idea for a book, executed wondrously... Vivid art history. Saltzman offers an incisive survey of the previous century's intellectual and economic cycles, as well as a savvy analysis of the art world and its politicking... Marvelous."
Gerald Walker, The Washington Post Book World
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''As Saltzman spins tales of the painting's travels and encounters, one glimpses a rich cross-section of lives deeply touched by the love of modern art, the debasing power of greed and the psychological toll of war .... Lively, well-researched ... A passionate and detailed history.'' The New York Times Book Review
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"This is a rare and wonderful achievement-a scholarly thriller. With intellectual rigor and literary· tact, with grace and tension, Cynthia Saltzman traces the fate of van Gogh's famous last portrait.... Fascinating ... Illuminating ... Breathlessly suspenseful.'' The Boston Globe
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"Portrait of Dr. Gachet demonstrates the certain inanimate objects can have as lively, intricate, even in places as poignant a biography as animate beings." Los Angeles Times
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"Saltzman weaves her tale around a century's worth of political, social, artistic, and economic history... Her writing and vision sparkle." Art News
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