The Modigliani Scandal – Ken Follett (1976)

The Modigliani Scandal by Ken Follett, published in 1976, is a witty and fast-paced crime caper that delves into the glamor and guile of the art world. Known primarily for his historical and espionage thrillers, Follett ventures into a more playful realm here, crafting a multi-layered narrative that blends art forgery, high-stakes deception, and personal ambition. Centered around the supposed discovery of a lost Modigliani painting, the novel weaves a web of intersecting lives – from art historians and painters to gallery owners and criminals – all vying for fame, fortune, or redemption. Though lighter in tone than his more famous works, this novel retains Follett’s trademark narrative dexterity.

Plot Summary

In the heart of Paris, during a sultry summer shaded by whispers of genius and madness, a young woman named Dee Sleign walked the sunlit streets with the idle confidence of someone newly released from the burdens of academia. She had earned a First in Art History, and while sipping strong coffee and savoring fresh bread in her lover Mike’s modest flat, she imagined her future unfolding like one of the paintings she adored – precise in stroke, yet open to interpretation. Dee’s fascination with the overlap between art and intoxication led her to a frail old man, a relic from Paris’s bohemian age, who claimed to have known Modigliani and remembered a lost masterpiece – a painting made while the artist was high on hashish and later destroyed in a fire. But perhaps, just perhaps, one of those forgotten visions had survived, gifted to a priest before the flames devoured the rest.

This hint of a hidden treasure lit a fire in Dee’s mind. No longer was she just a scholar. She had become a seeker, poised on the edge of discovery. Her enthusiasm spilled into a postcard to her uncle, Charles Lampeth, a prominent London gallery owner with a polished manner and an astute eye for value. When Charles read her message – an exuberant declaration about the lost Modigliani – his intrigue was immediate. He sensed both peril and potential, and quietly enlisted a private detective to trace the painting without alerting Dee.

As Dee began her search in earnest, returning to England to dig deeper, her academic curiosity transformed into a game of art and ambition. She navigated church archives, tracked obscure correspondence, and interviewed old parishioners in coastal villages, all in pursuit of a single canvas painted in a fevered haze. Her conviction grew stronger – the painting existed.

Meanwhile, the art world churned on its own axis. Charles Lampeth, faced with financial upheaval among his aristocratic clients, orchestrated a Modigliani exhibition at his Belgrave Gallery. The centerpiece would be Lord Cardwell’s private collection, paired with rare sketches from Bonn and – if fate allowed – the lost painting Dee was chasing. The plan was elegant, lucrative, and infused with prestige.

But not everyone was climbing. Peter Usher, a once-promising painter with wild hair and fierce ideals, simmered in his studio, furious that his upcoming solo exhibition at the Belgrave was canceled to make room for the Modigliani show. Already embittered by the pretensions of the commercial art world, Usher erupted during a gallery reception, delivering a venomous tirade against the dealers who fattened themselves on the dreams of the dead. His words hung in the air like gunpowder, and he stormed out, rejected and humiliated.

Desperate and broke, Usher cycled from gallery to gallery, seeking anyone who might display his work. But the answer was always the same – his moment had passed. He returned home empty-handed, venting his rage through whisky and despair with his old friend Mad Mitch. Their drunken revelry turned to mockery of the system that prized scarcity over skill, profit over passion. They joked about forgeries, how easily they could replicate a master’s brushstroke, how foolish the world was to believe in uniqueness. The joke turned into challenge. And the challenge became a plan.

If the art world valued a Modigliani so highly, they would give it one. Not the real thing, but one close enough to fool the gatekeepers. Usher, Mitch, and Anne – Peter’s pragmatic and weary partner – would paint a forgery, fabricate a backstory, and sell it as the lost masterpiece. It would be revenge disguised as genius.

The scheme was bold and tangled. Usher’s skill, paired with Mitch’s art historical knowledge, birthed a canvas that seemed born of Modigliani’s hand. Anne provided the convincing paper trail, letters and documents carefully aged and forged. They enlisted Julian Black, an old acquaintance with a new gallery on the King’s Road, to help authenticate the piece – though Julian remained unaware of the deception. When Dee finally traced the painting’s location to a crumbling coastal church and saw it unveiled, her breath caught. She believed. It was everything she had dreamed.

The painting was acquired through a discreet transaction and delivered to the Belgrave Gallery, where Charles marveled at its radiance and mystery. Experts were brought in. Provenance checked. Its inclusion in the upcoming Modigliani exhibition was confirmed. The forgery, now celebrated, gleamed in the center of the Belgrave’s finest room.

But the plan frayed at the edges. Greed, jealousy, and suspicion grew among the conspirators. Mitch, always erratic, demanded more recognition. Anne, exhausted by poverty and deception, began to question their morality. And Dee, still unaware of the fraud, continued to champion the work as her discovery, her legacy.

As the opening night approached, the tension crescendoed. The painting drew critics, collectors, and journalists. Champagne flowed. Dee stood near her uncle, radiant with pride, while Peter Usher – disguised and bitter – slipped among the crowd, a ghost in the machine he had tricked into admiration. It was a triumph carved from lies.

Then, in the quiet after the noise, the painting vanished.

No alarms rang. No shattered glass. One moment it was there, the next it was gone. Panic flickered beneath the surface of the Belgrave’s genteel exterior. A theft. Or perhaps a message. Someone had stolen the forgery – the forged forgery – leaving behind only questions.

Dee was devastated, but still unaware of the truth. Charles, suspecting something deeper, said nothing. Usher, satisfied and smirking, disappeared from the scene. The painting, real or fake, left only its legend behind.

Somewhere, perhaps in a modest flat, or in the backroom of a new gallery, it hung quietly – a masterpiece born of frustration, ambition, and the perfect imitation of madness.

Main Characters

• Dee Sleign – A bright and ambitious young art historian, Dee is driven by intellectual curiosity and a thirst for achievement. Fresh off her First in Art History, she becomes captivated by the story of a lost Modigliani painting. Her journey evolves from academic pursuit to a personal odyssey of discovery and risk, underscoring her transformation from idealistic student to shrewd seeker.

• Mike – Dee’s American lover, Mike is a cynical, street-smart art dealer with a talent for spotting trends and manipulating markets. Though charismatic and supportive, his mercenary outlook contrasts with Dee’s purist ideals, creating a dynamic tension in their relationship as the stakes rise.

• Charles Lampeth – A seasoned art gallery owner, Lampeth epitomizes the traditional art world elite. With refined tastes and a business-first mentality, he becomes embroiled in the potential scandal when his niece Dee uncovers the lead on the lost painting. His calculated involvement hints at both paternal concern and professional opportunism.

• Peter Usher – A fiercely talented but volatile painter, Peter embodies the tortured artist trope. Disillusioned by the commercialism of the art world, his bitterness fuels a dramatic confrontation that becomes a turning point in the narrative. His struggle speaks to the costs of authenticity in a commodified system.

• Julian Black – A former art student turned gallery owner, Julian is idealistic and pragmatic. His efforts to establish a new gallery highlight the precarious balance between artistic vision and commercial survival, placing him at the crossroads of passion and pressure.

Theme

• Art and Authenticity – A central theme is the tension between genuine artistic expression and the commodification of art. Characters like Peter Usher and Dee grapple with what it means for art to be “real” in a world obsessed with provenance and price tags.

• Deception and Illusion – The novel thrives on duplicity, both literal and metaphorical. From forged paintings to false identities, deception is a means of survival and ambition. Follett uses this motif to question how much of the art world’s prestige is built on smoke and mirrors.

• Ambition and Morality – Several characters face moral crossroads, choosing between integrity and self-interest. Dee’s evolution mirrors this conflict as her academic quest veers into murkier ethical waters, reflecting how ambition often blurs moral clarity.

• The Role of the Artist – The novel interrogates the fate of artists in a profit-driven world. Peter Usher’s downfall exemplifies how market forces can marginalize talent, emphasizing the tragic irony of posthumous success.

Writing Style and Tone

Ken Follett’s style in The Modigliani Scandal is markedly more effervescent than his later historical epics. The prose is brisk and vivid, with dialogue that crackles with wit and irony. Follett adopts a cinematic pacing, shifting perspectives swiftly to maintain suspense and energy. His use of humor and satire adds a buoyant charm to the narrative, even as it explores serious issues like fraud, betrayal, and artistic exploitation.

Despite the lighthearted veneer, Follett’s tone carries an undercurrent of critique – particularly of the art world’s hypocrisy and elitism. He blends a keen observer’s eye for detail with a novelist’s flair for drama, creating a layered world where glamour and grit coexist. This tonal duality – the fizzy with the fatalistic – allows the book to entertain while subtly probing deeper truths about value, identity, and the illusions we embrace.