Book Group Readers' Guide – Discussion Questions
for An Artful Affair
- Discuss Bo’s ethical dilemma. Is he justified in his actions? Does your opinion of him change over the course of the novel? How does forging masterpieces effect his conscience? Why does he mis-date the Gauguin forgery?
- Why does Bo succumb to Gerhardt’s temptations?
- What does the imagery associated with Megan convey—her enormous bag, her mis-matched earrings, her inability to decide on a neighborhood to live in? How does this change by the end of the novel?
- What differences between English and American society pose problems for
Alastair?
- Discuss how the characters’ positions vary relative to each other, i.e. how is Megan viewed by Colin? By Bo? How is Bo viewed by Paddy? By Megan? How does Megan view Alastair? How does the boardroom lunch alter her view of him?
- Which man is Megan better suited for and why? How can two such very different men belong equally to the art world?
- Discuss Megan’s sacrifice of her final newspaper story in the Gerhardt investigation.
- Which character has the most integrity?
- Why is Catherine DuBois unable to see Reinhold Gerhardt as anything other than her knowledgeable friend?
- What role does social position play in the art world? Why is it important?
- What is the importance of time in the novel? How does Bo and Alastair’s sense of time differ? What images are used to convey this? What is the significance of timing to Bo’s art?
- In light of the recent scandal over collaborative price-fixing between Sotheby’s and Christie’s, should auction sales be under closer inspection or official regulation?
- What are the risks of buying in the international art market? Should the countries of origin of the artwork have jurisdiction over what happens to that artwork in another country?
- Should art confiscated by the Nazis be returned to the heirs of the original owner even if the present owner has bought the art through legitimate channels?
- How and why do the auction houses cater to the wealthy?
- In 1971 a zoning law was passed restricting residency in Soho to working artists, producing a heyday of galleries and studios. Gradually, variances were granted to non-artists, changing the residents, and by the mid-80s the condo boom served to price many artists out of Soho. Should these neighborhoods be preserved to allow for the cultural flowering that occurs in a longstanding art community?
- Is Alastair justified in his judgment of Megan when he discovers she has been Bo’s girlfriend?
- Once an artist sells a work, should he or she retain rights to it, financial or otherwise? Should an artist share in the profits if the artwork is sold by a later seller for a much greater price than the artist originally sold it for (i.e. as with De Kooning)? Does the owner of an artwork (arguably part of a culture) have the right to destroy the piece?
- Modigliani forgeries by Elmyr DeHory have been exhibited in galleries and sold as declared fakes. Is this a case of glorifying a shyster celebrity or do these forgeries have merit of their own?
- What is the price of an artwork based on? If a forgery gives as much pleasure to the viewer as what it’s supposed to be, does it matter if it isn’t?
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