The Art Forger

Issac was a professor and artist who, in his mid-40s, gained widespread fame through a painting that was actually produced by Claire. Uninspired and disappointed with himself at mid-career, he willingly accepts Claire’s offer to make the painting for him because he sees no future in art. When the painting is a hit, he does not hesitate to claim the glory.

Using his established reputation to claim credit for someone else’s work, Isaac embodies the corrupted nature of an art world in which an artist’s reputation counts for more than the quality of the work itself, and in which subjective assessments of quality are often influenced by the reputation of the artist. Isaac’s theft of a woman’s work also echoes the long history of women’s art being ignored in favor of art by men. Isaac is dead by the main events of the novel, so much of his character is depicted through the legacy he has left in the Boston art world.

Rik is Claire’s best friend. He works at the Gardner Museum as an assistant curator. Rik is an understanding man whom Claire turns to many times in the novel, he is the first person she tells about her affair with Markel and about the forgery. Rik remains unjudgmental throughout the novel, despite his rising concern about Claire.

Claire’s wider friend group primarily spends time at Jake’s bar. Some characters, like Small, Danielle, and Maureen, appear infrequently, usually when Claire is celebrating a major accomplishment at the bar. They can always be relied upon to provide gossip about others in the art world, like their shared enemy, Crystal Mack. Another friend, Mike, appears late in the novel as Claire’s lawyer. She is surprised to find that he has a prestigious job in a fancy law office, since she only knows him as a fellow artist from the dingy bar.

Markel is well known in both Boston and the wider art community, Never an artist himself, he made a name as a dealer and owner of Markel G, a prestigious gallery. He is passionate but somewhat delusional; his belief that nothing can go wrong with the art forgery ultimately lands him in prison. In the end, he is shown to be more self-centered than Claire was led to believe, as he reveals that he wanted the real After the Bath for himself.

Karen is a MoMA curator who appears several times in the novel. At first, she appears as somewhat of a villain; she is the one who tells Claire that Issac was found to have painted 4D, and she is unwilling to help Claire after she and Issac break up. By the end of the book, Karen is supportive of Claire, and Claire begins to realize that Karen is simply a professional woman in a thankless role who is sometimes forced to make decisions she doesn’t agree with.

Isabella Gardner’s only living relative at the time of the book’s events, Sandra is an eccentric older woman who has deeply held negative opinions of the Gardner Museum. She believes her great aunt would be horrified by the current management of her legacy. Sandra is ultimately found to be the person hiding the original After the Bath. When it is discovered, she is sad to let go of her secret but glad that it can finally take its rightful place in the museum.

Aiden Markel’s gallery assistants, Chantal and Kristi are described as extremely trendy and enthusiastic. At first, Claire is somewhat dismissive of them due to their ridiculous outfits. By the end of the novel they become some of her closest confidants and help her make the Markel G show a success while Markel languishes in jail.

Isabella Gardner is a 19th-century Boston socialite who was the founder of the Gardner Museum. Belle is depicted primarily through her letters, but she is also discussed by the characters at several points, especially Rik. She is shown to be a woman ahead of her time and somewhat bored with the conventions of upper-class society. She has a close friendship, and possible affair, with Degas. Not wanting to make too many waves, she hides the nude painting that the receives the last time she visits him.

Amelia is Belle’s fictional niece, to whom she writes letters to about her friendship with Degas. In the letters, Amelia is described as a favorite of Bella’s. However, Claire discovers through Sandra that despite her deep love for Amelia, she would not allow her to marry Virgil Rendell due to his low social status.

A 19th-century French Impressionist painter, Degas is best known for his paintings of dancers and horse racers. In the book, he is depicted as having deep feelings for Belle, buying her an expensive translucent dress, and persuading her to pose nude. At first, he appears to pressure Belle in an uncomfortable way, but by the time she is naked in her studio the decision is all hers.