Jewel

The Jewel is a novel by Neil Hegarty that explores the art world, featuring an artist who has become an art thief, an obsessive curator, and a specialist in major art thefts. The story revolves around a legendary work by a Victorian woman artist who painted it as a funeral dress using a technique more usual for posters and banners, and it is desired by a collector who is willing to pay to have it stolen. The thief is a disillusioned, corrupted London artist coping with tragic loss, the curator of the painting is a lonely gallerist whose life centres on her work, and the man charged with recovering the stolen painting is a gay man trapped in an abusive relationship. The novel is set in London, Dublin, Northern Ireland, and various European capitals.

Format: Hardback
Length: 368 pages
Publication date: 03 October 2019
Publisher: Head of Zeus

Striking... Hegarty has gifted us a vital book for our time. Bathed in light,seeped in colour; it is full of the act of being mortal – in a landscape that is – slowly,finally – finding what it means to be human IRISH TIMES . A surprising and ambitious work of fiction centred on the art world,featuring an artist who has become an art thief,an obsessive curator and a specialist in major art thefts. Their stories intersect with the fate of a legendary work by a tragic Victorian woman artist who painted the picture as a kind of funeral dress,using the notoriously fragile distemper technique.At the heart of this moving and unusual novel is a strange painting by a woman who committed suicide rather than live with neglect and pain. Her final glowingly beautiful work was painted with a technique more usual for posters and banners,and not designed to last. She intended it as her shroud. It hangs in a Dublin gallery,and it is desired by a collector who is willing to pay to have it stolen. The thief is a disillusioned,corrupted London artist coping with tragic loss. The curator of the painting is a lonely gallerist whose life centres on her work. And the man charged with recovering the stolen painting is a gay man trapped in an abusive relationship.The lives of these three damaged people,each evoked with a calm,moving sympathy reminiscent of Michael Cunningham or David Park,come together around the hauntingly strange Victorian painting. Set in London,Dublin,Northern Ireland and various European capitals, The Jewel is a major new novel from an Irish writer coming into his own. Irish author Neil Hegarty proves again that he is one to watch... Hegarty writes with sharp intelligence,which coupled with his strong storytelling and well-defined characters,results in a.

Irish author Neil Hegarty proves again that he is one to watch with his latest novel, The Jewel. Set in London, Dublin, Northern Ireland, and various European capitals, the book follows the lives of three damaged individuals: an art thief, an obsessive curator, and a gay man trapped in an abusive relationship. Their stories intersect with the fate of a legendary work by a tragic Victorian woman artist who painted a picture as a kind of funeral dress, using a technique more usual for posters and banners, and not designed to last. At the heart of the novel is a strange painting by a woman who committed suicide rather than live with neglect and pain. Her final, glowingly beautiful work was painted with a technique more usual for posters and banners, and not designed to last. She intended it as her shroud. The painting hangs in a Dublin gallery, and it is desired by a collector who is willing to pay to have it stolen.

The thief is a disillusioned, corrupted London artist coping with tragic loss. The curator of the painting is a lonely gallerist whose life centres on her work. And the man charged with recovering the stolen painting is a gay man trapped in an abusive relationship. The lives of these three damaged people, each evoked with a calm, moving sympathy reminiscent of Michael Cunningham or David Park, come together around the hauntingly strange Victorian painting.

The Jewel is a major new novel from an Irish writer coming into his own. Hegarty writes with sharp intelligence, coupled with his strong storytelling and well-defined characters, resulting in a novel that is both moving and unusual. The book is a testament to Hegarty's talent as a writer, and it is sure to be enjoyed by readers who appreciate fine fiction.

Weight: 566g
Dimension: 227 x 146 x 32 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781789541809