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9 hours ago
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During World War II, German soldiers loot a Botticelli from Florence.
When the art dealer Ezra Chowaiki was offered the deal of a lifetime, he found himself in a confounding world of counterfeits
Reading Time: 9 minutes
I was introduced to Jimmy—I never learned his surname—during a visit to Athens in 2005. I was told that he had dozens of artworks, all of which he wanted to sell, but he wanted it to be utterly confidential. It seemed unlikely, but as I’ve learned from years in the business, it’s important to follow every lead; you never know where the next deal will come from. I was driven to Jimmy’s house in the suburbs of Athens. The gate opened, and at the end of the driveway, in gray sweats, stood Jimmy, puffing on a cigar. After insisting on complete discretion, he let me in.
The first thing I saw was a Cézanne landscape.
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