# Nat Tate

Canonical: https://www.bookquiver.com/william-boyd/nat-tate/9780241988886

![Nat Tate](https://quivercdn.com/covers/penguin/william-boyd/nat-tate_978-02-4198-888-6.jpg?v=2026-04-25%2018%3A08%3A42)

- Book: [Nat Tate](https://www.bookquiver.com/william-boyd/nat-tate) ([Nat Tate.md](https://www.bookquiver.com/william-boyd/nat-tate.md))
- Authors: [William Boyd](https://www.bookquiver.com/william-boyd)
- Publisher: Penguin
- Medium: ebook
- ISBN: 978-02-4198-888-6
- Published: 2020-08-27
- Language: en_GB
- Binding: E-book

## Description

On January 8 1960, artist Nat Tate set out to burn his entire life's work. Four days later he jumped off a Staten Island ferry, killing himself. His body was never found. When William Boyd published his biography of Abstract Expressionist Nat Tate, tributes poured in from a whole host of artists and critics in the New York art world. They toasted the troubled genius in a Manhattan launch party attended by David Bowie and Gore Vidal. But Nat Tate never existed. The book was a hoax. Will Boyd's biography of a fake artist is a brilliant probe into the politics of authenticity and reputation in the modern art scene. It is a playful and intelligent insight into the fascinating, often cryptic world of modern art.