The Gallerist by Dr Michael Levitt is a great rainy day read.
Mark Lewis runs a small art gallery, where he delights in the beauty of all the art he is surrounded with, and the ability he has to find new and loving homes for it.
His gallery is visited by a woman who wonders if Mark could help her by placing a value on a painting that was given to her sister many years ago.
Mark is excited and stunned as his knowledge of various artists and their art leads him to believe that this painting is by an artist by the name of James Devlin.
Jan, the lady with the painting informs him that she was told that her sister’s boyfriend was the artist and his name was Charlie.
This begins Mark’s quest to find out the true origins of this painting, and in doing so he will unearth some very dark and deep secrets.
I really enjoyed diving into this story and found it to be a wonderful weekend mystery that kept me guessing.
ISBN: 9781760991272
Copy courtesy of Fremantle Press
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading The Gallerist by Michael Levitt . You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
Im a Mum of 3 beautiful girls.
An avid reader that loves to travel but lacks the funds to venture far and wide constantly. A perfumeaholic with an addiction to beauty and skincare.
If not found with my head in a book or on a plane I can be found spending hours upon hour in Doctors and Hospital waiting rooms as part of my job as a Carer
Thank you for the copy of The Gallerist by Michael Levitt.
This is a story about the Australian art world. Mark Lewis has a gallery in Perth, and one day Jan Bilowski brings in a painting to obtain more information. It was a gift to her sister painted by a boy called Charlie. Mark has many questions as it looks like a work of celebrated artist James Devlin. Thus starts a search into the origins of the painting and the story surrounding it. The search leads Mark to find Linda who becomes part of the search.
This was an interesting story to me as I’m not an art person, but was drawn in by the mystery and found myself wondering about art collecting. Then, more than that I was trying to work out the origins of the painting and the stories this brought up. The people became more real and the art world more interesting. There are quite a few themes at play – art, relationships, mystery and family – a lot for everyone and highly recommended.
Thank you BeautyandLace and Fremantle Press for providing me with The Gallerist written by Michael Levitt to read and review.
The Gallerist is an intriguing mystery based around the art world in Australia.
Reading the information about the author Michael Levitt, there were a few similarities with the books main character Mark Lewis. Both being surgeons and their love of collecting fine art. This is the authors first work of fiction and I thoroughly enjoyed it, it gave me a glimpse of the art scene in Australia and gave me a new appreciation of the art world.
The Gallerist is about Mark Lewis, a retired surgeon who after losing his wife, retires from his medical career and opens an art gallery. He has always had an appreciation for collectable art and has collected many fine pieces of work during his working career.
One day, a woman Jan Bilowski brings him in a piece of work that has the dedication …..To Katy, Love Charlie, 1972. She informs him that it was painted by a 17 year old boy, given to her sister when they both attended a special needs school in Perth. But, Mark instantly recognizes the work, it resembles the work from a world famous artist James Devlin.
As he unravels the mystery surrounding the provenance of the art he discovers information that could shake up the art world.
The Gallerist is a face paced mystery, that’s has a bit of everything to keep my interest including romance and action. I found the book moved quickly, it did keep me guessing until the end and I wondered how it would all unfold. I loved how the author tied up all the loose ends and I thought the ending was perfect! A great read, that I can highly recommend.
The Gallerist by Michael Levitt.
Thankyou beauty and lace for giving me the opportunity to read this intriguing book about a small Australian Art gallery based in Perth Western Australia .
I love how each day and month is started at the beginning of each chapter .
Mark Lewis went from being a surgeon to an avid art collector selling his findings at his small private art gallery.
One day a lady named Jan walks into his studio with an abstract painting with only the words ,To Katy love Charlie November 1972.
Mark takes the painting and trys to work out who Charlie is and what the painting is worth if anything.
But the mystery remains as the painting resembles a painter who does this same abstract work his name is James Devlin.
So Mark and his clever friend Linda de Vires dig deep to find out more about the painting and the famous artist James Devlin.
I found this book an easy read and I loved the dates and days at the start of a new chapter this kept me up to date were I was.
I am from Perth so I could picture all the places in my head .
If your after a little bit of mystery and something different then this is a must read .
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it for any age .
The Gallerist by Michael Levitt is interesting.
When a former Surgeon who now runs a small Art Gallery in Perth
has a local woman bring in a Painting for valuation,
a painting given to her deceased sister,
Mark Lewis the Gallerist, recognises the style as a famous artist
who now runs his own Gallery and has stopped Painting.
The painting is not signed by the known Artist James Devlin,
but has an inscription on the back ‘To Katy from Charlie November 1972’
Charlie was 17 at the time he painted the works.
Mark is determined to find out the history of the painting and meets Linda De Vries.
Together they strive to uncover the mystery that surrounds the painting and of the Artist Charlie.
James Devlin has blanks in his past and when Mark and Linda start piecing together
the mystery, James Devlin will stop at nothing to keep his past secret.
The journey of discovery brings Mark and Linda closer together, and when the mystery is
solved, you will be amazed at the lengths some people will go to
to keep a secret from being uncovered!
An enjoyable read.
The author’s name is Michael Levitt and the main protagonist’s name is Mark Lewis. Both Michael and Mark were surgeons, live in Perth, are passionate about art, and collect Australian abstract art. Is the story closer to real life or just a lack of creativity?
I do wonder if readers from outside Perth will get lost in all the street, restaurant and suburb descriptions. It made sense to me and gave me a good picture of what was happening but I don’t think it would add any value to others. There are also some interesting facts about collecting art in Australia.
Michael Levitt’s The Gallerist is a very enjoyable read based on the Australian art scene. It has elements of mystery, tragedy, romance, action and danger as Mark embarks on some detective work to get to the bottom of the story behind an intriguing painting brought in to his gallery. This journey leads him to Linda and together they cross the country and confront some serious attacks of retribution. Ultimately the protagonists settle upon a resolution that satisfies all parties involved. The writing style is a little different but once adjusted to was calm and considered. The references to particular places in Perth and Melbourne lent an air of authenticity and I enjoyed the art references throughout.
Many thanks to Beauty & Lace for the opportunity to read and review The Gallerist.