Provenance

Acquired in avarice, hidden in lies. . .

What happens when a Leonardo da Vinci canvas, lost for centuries, mysteriously appears in a New York City gallery and becomes the center of controversy among New York's elite?

With echoes of "The Da Vinci Code" and "I Bought Andy Warhol", "Provenance" is an art history suspense novel that follows Sam Driscoll, an art expert and advisor to the massively wealthy and powerful, as he navigates a world where huge egos clash and everyone is looking for the next big deal. His journey takes the reader behind the scenes of auction houses, elegant parties, and on a quest to the Italian countryside, doggedly pursuing the truth through the murky story of how this painting surfaced in New York City---and whether it really is a Leonardo at all.

Greed, power, deceit, and crime nearly eclipse the beauty and magnitude of this rare painting. Ultimately, Sam must decide whether to stay in the game of buying and selling art for millions of dollars, or go against his clients' wishes and fight for the integrity of this work of art, its original owners, and its fate to the end---wherever that may take him.

Robert Moeller offers a rare “behind the scenes” view of the art world based on more than forty years’ experience in the principal art markets of the United States and Europe. Educated at Harvard, he has served as an art history professor and museum director at Duke University, and a curator of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Later in his career, as a private art advisor to the elite, Moeller acquired works of art at the masterpiece level for a multitude of institutional and private collections. Penned by a recognized expert in the field, "Provenance" is a culmination of Moeller’s vast knowledge of the art world coupled with his fascination with human behavior. In his time off, he spends his days in Jackson Hole visiting with his grandchildren or riding his horses.