How stolen art and priceless paintings fuel unforgettable fiction

Students often ask how much a work of art is worth. The truth is simple: its value is whatever someone will pay. But art’s role in fiction goes far beyond price tags, shaping stories and driving plots in unexpected ways. In The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, a painting by Carel Fabritius ties together the fates and motives of the characters. Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code uses the Mona Lisa as a key to its mystery, moving the action through famous art locations.

The Art Forger by B. A. Shapiro draws from the real 1990 theft of 13 pieces from Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li follows five Chinese Americans planning to reclaim stolen artefacts and return them to China.

Fiona Davis’s The Masterpiece jumps between 1920s and 1970s New York. It links two women through art and the fight to save historic buildings. In The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, a bejewelled gold falcon statue becomes the prize everyone chases. Art’s world has many faces. It includes glittering auction houses, quiet galleries and grand museums. Yet behind the scenes, hidden deals and shadowy trades also play their part. These novels show how art can drive ambition, crime and even justice.