FRAMED: America's Art Dealer to the Stars Tells All

Even in a world of endless high-flying corporate scandals, with the "perp walks" of accused miscreants a beloved staple of TV news, the systemic chicanery of the art and antiques business can still inspire jaw-dropping awe. This self-told tale from Volpe, a kid from Yonkers who rises from mortuary college to the mansions and ateliers of Hollywood and subsequently descends to the concrete cubicle of a medium-security prison, is compelling and cautionary reading. Afflicted from early youth with an unquenchable desire for fine objects, he eventually parlays a few well-chosen tchotchkes into a thriving business. In describing his dizzying ascent, Volpe also depicts a world in which naked ambition, aesthetic impulse and nouveau riche pretension intermingle, where sticks of furniture purchased for tens of dollars are resold for thousands, where major institutions conspire with dealers to jack up prices, where the rich and famous amass collections only to sell them at a profit and start again. But whether describing his part in the virtual invention of "Mission" as a collectible category or delivering a dozen rocking chairs for Harvey Keitel to choose from, Volpe's enthusiasm is infectious. While greed, vanity and larcenous ambition play their part in his story, Volpe's delight in the trappings of success (30 illustrations not seen by PW) and the company of the rich and famous are conveyed with such unembarrassed exuberance that one is inclined to forgive. The law didn't, and despite stalwart support from friends like Jack Nicholson, Volpe ended up going to prison for fraud. Emerging bloodied but unbowed, Volpe offers both a detailed look at the art world and a celebrity-studded gossip fest that should be a Hamptons bookstore staple. (Sept.)