A really fun and interesting read.
You don’t have to be an art expert to enjoy this book just perhaps an interest in crime, a good story and/ or fraud.
Easy to follow and we don’t spend too long getting stuck in the weeds which is great. I’d say the author also does a great job of staying neutral and presents the facts from a variety of different view points.
The author also does a great job of narrating the book

4.5/5 rounded up.

Oh my goodness, I loved this! I have been listening to it non-stop since I woke up this morning.

I remember loving the documentary that this is a follow up to when I watched it a few years ago, so I was so excited to listen to this (I read it via audiobook).

This book included some of the same information as the documentary but not in a way that felt repetitive, he just reminded you of what we're talking about. This also goes a little more in depth on some people were interviewed (and some who did not want to be interviewed for the movie), examples of other art forgery situations, the history of art forgeries, and the history of the gallery that this situation occurred at.

And oh my. This place does not have nearly as clean and reputable of a reputation as it wants you to believe. From selling forgeries at the start to selling art that was obviously stolen by Nazis from Jews during WWII.

Also, it kind of sounded like he was saying "Noodler" instead of Knoedler and that made me giggle. (A random and unimportant detail.)

I just love art and learning about it, I love learning interesting things, and learning about crimes - so this was perfect for me! I highly recommend for anyone who likes true crime content, art content or just anyone who wants to learn more about a world they know very little about. As an art girlie myself, I really enjoyed this and NEED more like it. Highly recommend watching the documentary and then giving this a read for even more detail and tangential stories/information.

And I really liked how this book ended: a very nice sentiment that you should purchase art because you like it, not just because it holds some sort of prestige or massive monetary value. I agree. Have your own taste and form your own opinions on art.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

The story of one of the most expensive art scandals in history.
If you’ve seen the documentary (Made You Look, 2020) on this story (both by the author) then you probably won’t get much new information from the book. The biggest difference is that the author also discusses how he prepped for the film, including insight into his interview process.
Part of me wishes that the story was more in depth, but I can see how it’s current form would appeal to more readers.
Author did a solid job of narrating his own book.

Barry Avrich’s The Devil Wears Rothko offers a gripping deep dive into one of the most explosive art scandals of our time, peeling back the layers of deception, ambition, and manipulation that rocked the global art world. With a filmmaker’s flair for storytelling and a keen eye for detail, Avrich unpacks the tangled web of forged masterpieces, shady dealers, and complicit institutions that allowed the scandal to flourish. The book is both an exposé and a meditation on the fragility of authenticity in a market driven by prestige and profit. Fast-paced, meticulously researched, and sharply observant, it reads like a thriller—yet it’s all chillingly real. Whether you're an art lover or just fascinated by high-stakes intrigue, this is a riveting and revealing read.

„The Devil Wears Rothko“ by Barry Avrich is a very informative and compelling „crime thriller“ (as the author calls it) about an incredible art fraud case that leads to the downfall and closing of one of the United States oldest art dealerships and galleries, the Knoedler Gallery.

The Author Barry Avrich created a documentary called „Made You Look“ about this exact case, which was published on Netflix in 2020. The book discusses the fraud scandal and also offers additional information and insight that apparently goes beyond the contents of the documentary. (I have not seen the documentary yet but I am planning to watch it very soon!)

The book is very engaging and dives into the history of the Knoedler Gallery. It also offers in-depth explanations of the inner workings of the art world and also terminologies such as „provenance“ etc., which are important aspects when it comes to art pieces and trying to prove their authenticity.
I think that this book is overall very interesting and very gripping. It was fascinating to see how this scandal came to be and how complex and intricate this case really is. What I personally also appreciated was the mentioning of art works that were looted and stolen by the Nazi Regime and how those art pieces are still circulating around in the art world, even though they are considered stolen art. I don’t think a lot of people are actually aware of this and how many people are fighting to gain back the ownership of art works that were unrightfully taken from their families back in the Third Reich.

The author of the book is also the narrator of the audiobook. I personally think that he did a great job narrating it.

Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for giving me access to this books audiobook ARC! ^^