The Secret History of Art

THE SECRET HISTORY OF ART takes you on a series of private guided tours of the world's greatest artworks. Best-selling author and professor of art history Noah Charney presents the history, symbolism, and importance of each work. The Secret History of Art is a series of lessons in miniature on great works of art around the world. By spending just a few minutes per masterpiece, you can learn the mysteries, stories, and secrets of some of civilization’s greatest treasures.

Aug 22, 2012

The Theft of the Mona Lisa--100 Years ago

The true story, dramatically told, of the theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre Museum in 1912. For the rest of the story, I recommend my book, available at Amazon.

The Thefts of the Mona Lisa: On Stealing the World's Most Famous Painting

Mar 29, 2012

Wine Fraud--The Secret History of Art

Mar 21, 2012

The Lost Leonardo

Mar 10, 2012

Valentine's Day

The Story of Valentines Day---it's not what you think.

Mar 1, 2012

Fake Relics 2

Part 2; The Shroud of Turin and more.....

Feb 24, 2012

Fake Relics 1

The James Ossuary. A new Podcast in the ongoing series. Available at iTunes as The Secret History of Art at
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-secret-history-of-art/id406816655

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Praise for Charney's "Stealing the Mystic Lamb"

The author…with specialty expertise to spare…[provides] an intriguing blend of reportage and art history, providing what is in effect a remarkable “biography’ of this beautiful and tough survivor [The Ghent Altarpiece]. -The Sunday Times UK

Well-written and thorough, this book reminds us of the influence and fragility of art, our veniality and heroism, and the delights found in both the beautiful and the strange. -Cleveland Plain Dealer

A brisk tale of true-life heroism, villainy, artistry and passion. -Kirkus Reviews

In scrupulous detail, Charney divulges the secrets of the revered painting’s past, and in doing so, gives readers a history lesson on art crime, a still-prospering black market. -Christian Science Monitor

I am awed by the magnitude of the things I don’t know. Although art is surely a subjective experience, expertise is often required to nudge one along to appreciation. I would not have paused to look at 'The Mystic Lamb' without Charney’s backstory. It still does not appeal to me as a thing of beauty or as inspiration. But I confess, Charney has me wishing I could see the Altarpiece in Ghent. -The Providence Journal

Deftly narrated. -Los Angeles Times

Wonderfully learned and entertaining…innovative and elegant. -Catholic Herald

Praise for Charney's "The Art Thief"

Fascinating details about Caravaggio and Vermeer, the lucrative business of art forgery and the sophisticated thieves who steal priceless paintings. -USA Today

An engaging whodunnit. -Financial Times

Descriptively brilliant and filled with witticisms, this fine romp features a clever and well-drawn cast of characters, as well as educates readers about real masterpieces and the artists behind them. -Rocky Mountain News

Clever and addictive...A first-class example of literate escapism...[Charney] might do for the art world what Tom Clancy has done for the military-espionage milieu. -Richmond Times-Dispatch

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