Nat Tate: An American Artist 1928-1960

Description

The infamous literary hoax that fooled the art world, with a new introduction by William Boyd On January 8 1960, artist Nat Tate set out to burn his entire life's work. Four days later he jumped off a Staten Island ferry, killing himself. His body was never found. When William Boyd published his biography of Abstract Expressionist Nat Tate, tributes poured in from a whole host of artists and critics in the New York art world. They toasted the troubled genius in a Manhattan launch party attended by David Bowie and Gore Vidal. But Nat Tate never existed. The book was a hoax. Will Boyd's biography of a fake artist is a brilliant probe into the politics of authenticity and reputation in the modern art scene. It is a playful and intelligent insight into the fascinating, often cryptic world of modern art.

William Boyd was born in 1952 in Accra, Ghana, and grew up there and in Nigeria. He is the author of sixteen highly acclaimed, bestselling novels and five collections of stories. He is married and divides his time between London and south-west France. His most recent novel, Trio, was a Sunday Times bestseller.

William Boyd has probably written more classic books than any of his contemporaries * Daily Telegraph * A finely judged performance: a deft and resonant alchemy of fact and fiction, of literary myth and imagination * Guardian on Love Is Blind * One of Britain's most celebrated contemporary novelists * Sunday Times *