Con/Artist

An Apple Best Book of 2022. Giampiero has written an acclaimed book about art forgery, Con/Artist, published by Hachette. The book is also a Booklist Top 10 True Crime Book for 2023, and an Amazon Editor’s Pick.

The world’s most renowned art forger, Tony Tetro, reveals the secrets behind his decades of painting like the Masters—exposing an art world that is far more corrupt than we ever knew while providing an art history lesson wrapped in sex, drugs, and Caravaggio.

“Think Goodfellas meets
the art gallery.

Think Goodfellas meets the art gallery. That conjures the tone of a memoir in which the Italian-American Tony Tetro, born and raised in the Rust Belt before moving to California, tells the story of his rise from door-to-door furniture salesman to “the world’s greatest art forger”. — The Sunday Times

“This is the art world’s
The Wolf of Wall Street”

“Tetro, one of the most prolific art forgers of the 20th century, paints his own life story with flair in this cinematic memoir… Written in a colorful, conversational voice and blending memoir, art history, and true crime, Tetro’s account takes readers on a turbulent, fast-paced, high-stakes roller-coaster ride. This is the art world’s The Wolf of Wall Street.” —Publisher’s Weekly (Starred Review)

“Absolutely fascinating”

“[Tetro’s] memoir, cowritten with investigative journalist Giampiero Ambrosi, is absolutely fascinating, full of the kind of evocative writing and precise detail that brings an autobiography to life. He might have been doing something illegal, but it’s awfully hard not to like Tony Tetro. Like reformed con artist Frank W. Abagnale (Catch Me If You Can), he seems straightforward, open about his crimes, and just a bit proud of his success as a crook. A welcome addition to any true-crime shelf.” —Booklist (Starred Review)

“Compulsively readable”

“Con/Artist is the compulsively readable memoir of Tony Tetro, the twentieth century. Real of fake, the art business didn’t care. As Tony Tetro discovered, there was a fortune in forging art. Until that is, he was caught.” —Daily Mail

“Remarkable…electric memoir”

“Today, reading Tetro’s electric memoir, the overwhelming sense is that his crimes belong to a bygone era—and perhaps a more innocent one, too. His style of forgery resides in an ancient, noble tradition as old as fine art itself. ” —AIR MAIL

“A unique narrative”

“A successful, prolific art forger tells his remarkable story…He has amusing things to say about people who have too much money and not enough sense…. Tetro tells his rollicking story well, and the result is a unique narrative. An entertaining account that shines a light onto a shady world as well as a personal story of hubris and redemption.” —Kirkus Reviews

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