A. Shapiro is well known for her books about the art world, such as The Muralist and The Art Forger. Each of these books features a heroine who solves a mystery involving a painting or paintings. The Lost Masterpiece follows this same pattern, and is sure to become another favorite with readers.
The story is told by four narrators: Berthe Morisot, a contemporary of Manet and, in the story, his lover; Aimée, her daughter; Colette, Aimée’s daughter; and Tamara, their present-day descendant. Tamara receives news that she has inherited a newly discovered Manet, Party on the Seine. When she takes possession of the painting, strange things begin to happen. She is also sued for the painting by a relative of Manet’s. The book covers the stories of the four women over time, with most of the book focusing on Berthe’s career as an artist, and Tamara’s struggle to keep the painting and find out its true provenance.
Berthe’s chapters show the severe restrictions put on a woman artist in the late nineteenth century. Morisot is a real person, considered one of the best, but least-known Impressionists. In her time, female artists were seen as an oddity, and few were taken seriously. Women’s artistic ambitions were constrained by unwritten rules that dictated what they could paint (mostly landscapes and domestic scenes).
In the parts of the book narrated by Aimée and Colette, Shapiro writes in a more formal style, which at times borders on the turgid. In the Tamara chapters, the prose is livelier and the last third of the book, which focuses largely on Tamara’s struggle to find out who really painted Party on the Seine, moves quickly. Shapiro incorporates a lot of information on the Morisot and Manet families, who were closely connected in real life. She also includes depictions of Degas, Monet, and other Impressionists, as well as their struggles to be recognized by the critics of the time.
The Lost Masterpiece is well-researched, imaginative, and full of intrigue and romance.
Jill S. Beerman grew up in New Jersey and attended Montclair State University. She has a doctorate in American Studies from New York University. She taught high school and college for twenty-five years.
