Secrets in the visual arts

Discover the secrets, mysteries, hidden meanings and stories concealed behind famous works of art.

A book full of surprises, revelations, forgotten treasures and lost stories – this is Secrets of Art, which takes us on a journey through the mysteries hidden in artworks to discover that they are not always what they seem.

A long-lost medieval masterpiece, uncovered in the Tower of London. A secret message, encoded in a painting, that only a chosen few can read. A portrait depicting a duchess in a long dress, representing her husband's political and economic power through her attire. The fascinating stories of these works and many more are brought to life by author, historian and researcher Debra N. Mancoff, who reveals the secret symbols used by da Vinci, Vermeer and Caravaggio, exposes the layers of meaning in the paintings of van Gogh, Picasso and Dalí, and uncovers the significance of works by Frida Kahlo, Kara Walker and Marina Abramović.

Drawing on discoveries from advanced technology, new research, scientific analysis and old-fashioned curiosity, Secrets of Art reveals the meanings hidden beneath the surface of famous masterpieces in a collection of stories that are entirely factual, yet as fascinating as fiction.

Debra N. Mancoff is an art historian and the author of more than twenty books on European and American culture and art. She regularly lectures at many major museums in the United States and the United Kingdom. She received her doctorate in art history from Northwestern University and has taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She writes for The Art Quarterly, The Royal Academy Magazine and The Art Newspaper, and is the author of many books on European and American culture and art. She lives in Chicago and is a Scholar-in-Residence at the Newberry Library.