Join us on Saturday, May 20th from 12-2pm at Elm Street Books for an author signing with Linda Moore, author of Attribution.
Attribution
Art historian Cate Adamson, still grieving the death of her brother and desperate to succeed, leaves her troubled parents in the Midwest to complete her doctorate in New York only to find herself assigned to a misogynist advisor. She attempts to impress him until she discovers a hidden painting, possibly a Baroque masterpiece, in the university basement. Risking her career, financial disaster, and further alienation from her family, she flees to Spain with the painting to consult art experts.
Antonio, an impoverished duke, clings to the decaying legacy of the House of Olivares. When he meets Cate on the train to Seville, he joins her search, and they uncover evidence in his five hundred-year old library to support the painting’s provenance including a document about the artist’s final years that will shock the titans of art history. But Cate vacillates about revealing the truth, fearful that it may destroy her career, her family’s expectations, and her future with Antonio.
Written with vivid prose, rich references to seventeenth century Spanish art, compelling characters and a historical puzzle, Attribution is the story of one contemporary woman’s journey to understand the past and unlock her future.
Praise
“Desperate for meaning and to fill the hole left by her younger brother’s death, an art historian searches for a lost painting—and finds herself. Gorgeously written, and as rapturous as a Van Gogh, Moore’s book is a winner.”
–Caroline Leavitt, New York Times Bestselling author of Pictures of You and With or Without You
“Attribution is an intriguing art-historical fantasia. I loved reading it!”
–Edward J. Sullivan, Professor of the History of Art, New York University
“Moore knocked me out with this high concept, arthouse puzzle. I was on my heels the whole time, in the best way, gobbling up the next clue as the book pushes toward an evocative crescendo. A fascinating debut.”
—Josh Mohr, Author of Model Citizen: A Memoir
“Moore’s passion for art, and her deep knowledge of the field, makes Attribution as beautifully rendered as the mysterious painting at the center of its gripping mystery. An engrossing debut about the importance and power of truth.”
—Stacey Swann, author of Olympus, Texas
About Linda Moore
The first time I visited the Prado Museum in Madrid, I followed my Spanish art history professor around the hallowed but stuffy galleries. The actual masterpieces, El Greco, Zurbarán, Velázquez, Goya, became part of a tumultuous year I spent at the Complutense University of Madrid.
In those times, Franco, the Fascist dictator who controlled Spain fought anyone who wanted to end his tyranny. University days were spent running from police on horseback swinging clubs hitting anyone in their path, until the government closed the university -for four months. I learned that leadership matters, that society is not separate from politics and I pursued a major in political science. I went on to graduate school to study Latin American politics at Stanford University.
I’ve traveled many miles since then (102 countries or so) and took including some detours, but I always came back to the art and the love of all things Hispanic. As a wife and mom, I left research in politics and opened an art gallery in San Diego specializing in Hispanic art and never looked back.
I have served on art museum boards to support and spread the joy that visual art has brought me. Art provides aesthetic pleasure, introduces us to fascinating personalities, and informs us about histories, cultures, and struggles of the times in which it was created.
When I am not traveling or attending an art exhibit, I can be found in San Diego or Kauai watching films, reading alongside my husband who collects 18th and 19th century travel narratives, and sharing photos of my grandchildren with my wine-drinking book clubs and bridge, golfing and writing pals.
