Finally, art buyers are not spared. Art Auction World Under a Shadow. A contemptuous book apparently written under a pseudonym by a renowned Italian art dealer says that the art and antiques world is rife with fakery and is dominated by rip-off artists having their way with gullible collectors. The author is able to explain methods of fakery in a manner which experts say is accurate and shows the sophisticated familiarity he claims. Continental art dealers, in a state of shock, have either offered unconvincing rebuttals or refused to comment. The Times of London