The Secrets of Art

The Secrets of Art offers a fresh encounter with familiar works of art, revealing untold stories, hidden meanings and surprising revelations hidden beneath the surface.

Discover the secrets, mysteries, hidden meanings and stories behind famous works of art. A book full of surprises, discoveries, forgotten treasures and lost tales, The Secrets of Art takes us on a journey through the art world's mysteries to reveal that works of art are not always what they seem.

A long-lost medieval masterpiece unearthed in the Tower of London. A secret message that only an elite few can read encoded in a painting. In a portrait a duchess wears a gown that promotes her husband's policies and power in the guise of her style. The intriguing stories of these works, and many more, are brought to life by author, historian and art detective Debra N. Mancoff, as she reveals secret symbols used by Da Vinci, Vermeer and Caravaggio, uncovers layers of meaning in paintings by Van Gogh, Picasso and Dali, and provides insight into works by Frida Kahlo, Kara Walker and Marina Abramovi.

Drawing upon the findings of advanced technology, new research, scientific analysis and old-fashioned curiosity, The Secrets of Art unveils the layers of meaning beneath the surfaces of great works of art in a collection of tales that are fully based in fact but are as fascinating as fiction.

About the Author

Debra N. Mancoff is an art historian and the author of more than twenty books on European and American art and culture. She lectures regularly at many of the major museums in the United States and Great Britain. Based in Chicago, she is a Scholar-in-Residence at the Newberry Library.